Veggie Blog

A few years ago I wrote that you no longer need to make any effort to find tasty vegetarian food. That is much closer to the truth than it used to be, but there are still a few things to watch for.

Can you find vegetarian food in a supermarket?

Yes. Walk through the aisles of almost any supermarket and you will find beans, lentils, tofu, plant milks, vegetable burgers and ready meals. The harder question is how to put these products together into a dish you enjoy, and that is where the old post’s tips still apply: look at cookbooks, websites and food magazines. A simple start is our vegetarian chili recipe, and high-protein vegetarian meals has fifteen easy ideas.

What about restaurants?

Most restaurants offer at least one meatless dish, and the old post noted that even steak houses serve salad. I would add a caution: a salad is not always vegetarian, because it may come with bacon pieces, anchovy dressing, or it may be served with a soup made with chicken stock. Ask how a dish is made. Hidden animal ingredients are also a risk in cheese, as the Vegetarian Society explains: traditional cheese is made with rennet from animal stomachs.

Do fast-food chains have vegetarian options?

Some do. The old post pointed to Burger King, and that has changed a lot since. CNN reported in August 2019 that Burger King would start selling the plant-based Impossible Whopper across the United States on August 8, its biggest rollout of the product yet, initially for a limited time. Menus change often, so check the current menu or app before you order. A plant-based patty is not automatically the healthiest choice, but it gives vegetarians a choice they did not have before.

Why hasn’t everyone gone vegetarian yet?

The old post ended with that question. I think the answer is mostly habit, taste and what is on the table at home. If you are curious, you do not need to switch overnight: start with one or two meat-free days and see what you like.

The old version of this post said that most vegetarians in the world are Hindu, and that 25 percent of Hindus are vegetarian. Both claims need a closer look, because a large 2021 survey gives more precise numbers.

How many Hindus are vegetarian?

The Pew Research Center surveyed nearly 30,000 adults in India in 2019 and 2020 and found that 44 percent of Hindus described themselves as vegetarian, not 25 percent. Across all Indians, 39 percent said they were vegetarian, and 81 percent followed some restriction on meat. The survey left the definition of vegetarian to the person answering.

Are Hindus the most vegetarian group?

Not in percentage terms. Among Jains, 92 percent said they were vegetarian, compared with 8 percent of Muslims and 10 percent of Christians. Hindus fall in between. Because India is such a large country, the number of people who follow a vegetarian diet is still very large.

Why do many Hindus avoid meat?

Pew notes that Hindu texts often praise vegetarianism, and that Hindus may avoid beef because cows are traditionally viewed as sacred. The old post gave a simpler reason, living without hurting other beings, which Pew’s survey does not measure. Another 39 percent of Hindus follow some other restriction on meat, and many fast on certain days.

What can others learn from this?

There is no single Hindu diet, and the old line that Hindus are the most peaceful nation on earth because they are vegetarian was an exaggeration that I have removed. What is useful is how rich the plant-based traditions are, from lentil dals to vegetable curries. For a start in your own kitchen, see the main types of vegetarian diet and our guide to high-protein vegetarian meals.

The old post argued that soy products offer plenty of healthy protein, so you can build big muscles without eating meat, and that there is a soy version of nearly everything. It is partly right, and here is what the research says.

What does soy offer?

According to Harvard’s Nutrition Source, soy is a nutrient-dense source of protein that can be eaten several times a week, especially in place of red and processed meat. Soy protein is a complete protein, with all nine essential amino acids. Harvard’s table gives the protein content of common soy foods: one cup of soy milk has 7 grams, three ounces of soft tofu 8 grams, half a cup of boiled edamame 11 grams and three ounces of cooked tempeh 13 grams.

Can you build muscle on soy?

Yes, as long as you train and eat enough protein overall. A 2018 meta-analysis of nine studies with 266 participants found that soy protein supplements produced similar gains in strength and lean body mass during resistance training as whey protein, and the studies lasted at least six weeks. Training is what drives the gains, and the protein is the building material. For more, see our post on supplements for building muscle.

Is soy safe?

For most people, yes. Harvard says that the fears that soy causes breast cancer, thyroid problems or dementia have not been substantiated, and that soy can safely be eaten several times a week. It adds that the type of soy matters, because whole soy foods, protein powders and soy burgers differ, which makes blanket statements hard. If you have a thyroid condition or take medication, ask your doctor or dietitian about soy.

What about soy products that imitate meat?

The old post celebrated soy “chicken” and other imitations. They can be convenient, but they are usually more processed than tofu or tempeh, so read the label for salt and added ingredients. The old post also asked about animals and the climate: our post on vegetarianism and the environment looks at the evidence.

The old version of this post told readers that a veggie diet could give them 13 more years on earth, quoting Michael Roizen’s book The RealAge Diet. It is an exciting claim, but I could not trace that number to a published study, so here is what the research does show.

Does a veggie diet really add 13 years?

I found no study that supports a gain of 13 years. The best-known evidence shows a much smaller difference, and it comes from observational research, which shows an association and cannot prove cause and effect. People who choose a vegetarian diet often differ from others in other ways too, such as smoking and exercise.

What does the best evidence show?

The Adventist Health Study 2 followed 73,308 Seventh-day Adventists in the United States and Canada for an average of about 5.8 years. In the 2013 analysis in JAMA Internal Medicine, vegetarians as a group had a 12 percent lower adjusted risk of dying from any cause than non-vegetarians. By type, the figures were 19 percent lower for pesco-vegetarians (who eat fish) and 9 percent lower for lacto-ovo vegetarians. For vegans the estimate was 15 percent lower, but the range of uncertainty was wide enough that it was not statistically significant. The associations were larger in men than in women. That is a real and interesting difference, but it is far from 13 years.

Is it only about meat?

The old post said that the more meat you eat, the worse your immune system gets, and that this is why most old people die of sickness. I could not find support for that, and I have dropped it. What studies point to is the overall pattern of eating: plenty of vegetables, fruit, beans and whole grains, and less processed food. Meat is not the only variable. Our post on diet and disease covers what the World Health Organization says about processed meat.

What should you do if you want to try it?

Plan your meals so that you get enough vitamin B12, iron, calcium and protein. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics said in its 2016 position paper that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including vegan diets, are healthful and nutritionally adequate and may help prevent certain diseases. Our post on vitamin deficiency and who is at risk covers the practical side. If you have a medical condition or take medication, talk to your doctor first.

What do you think about Fast foods like McDonald, KFC, Burger King, Wendy and others? And I have to ask another question that have you ever watched the movie “Super Size me”? It’s nothing but McDonald. The movie shows that McDonald harms your health if you eat it every day. So it means that it’s impossible for you to eat McDonald every day even it’s the food.

And also realize that the set of McDonald is not the same in each country. Each country has different size in one set. Anyhow, even there are some movies to show the harmful of Fast Food but still people love to eat Fast Food, no one can stop the people’s likeliness in taste of food even they know it harms your health. I have to admit I can’t avoid eating Fast Food sometimes and also can’t deny feeling guilty afterward.

So I set my own rule that I can eat fast food only once a month or less than that. What about you? Do you still eating fast food? And if yes, how often you eat?