Our Health Journey

I recently returned from a trip to the east coast to visit family and friends, and although it was a great visit, it was difficult to stick to my vegetarian diet, primarily due to miscommunication on my part, and misunderstanding by others, so I thought it might be helpful to talk about how to play host to a vegetarian.

Many people find it difficult to plan a meal that is not meat-centric, or that has other sources of non-animal-based protein. It’s perfectly understandable, since most people do eat meat as their primary, if not only, source of protein. What’s typical in most households is to serve a single side dish to the meat entree such as a starch (potato, rice, or sometimes pasta - generally in a cheese sauce), or maybe a simple salad, and bread (usually white bread or rolls).

Although the typical side dishes do give me something to eat, these choices mean either filling up on simple carbs (potatoes and bread) which are poor choices nutritionally (not to mention hard if you’re on a low-carb diet or just trying to not gain weight), or filling up on salad (which is generally what I do) and trying to make up for the lost protein the following day….. Sigh…..Salads can be great, but when you eat a lot of them they cease being interesting.

Non-vegetarians generally mean well, they just don’t know how to cook for a vegetarian, or how to accommodate a vegetarian when planning a dinner party with other guests who are not vegetarian. So to help out all of my non-vegetarian friends, I’ve compiled a few suggestions:

• First and foremost keep in mind that if you’ve invited someone to a meal it is his or her obligation to communicate with you if they are vegetarian, and to what degree (some vegetarians simply don’t eat meat, others, known as “vegans” don’t eat any animal products including fish, eggs, milk, cheese, or butter). If they haven’t spoken to you about their dietary needs or restrictions, do not feel bad about what you’re serving when they show up - you can try offering something else from your pantry that might suffice, but you don’t have to bend over backwards to accommodate someone who didn’t let you know beforehand what they can and cannot eat;
• If you’re hosting a large group, and there is only one or two vegetarians/vegans attending, ask if they would mind bringing a dish so that others can share the experience and learn about vegetarian cooking. This is a great opportunity to learn about food choices, but it’s also wise to avoid confrontational dialogue - some vegetarians/vegans can be quite judgmental about the consumption of animal products, and some non-vegetarians can be quite defensive. To head off any potential battles, discuss this with your vegetarian guests beforehand to ask how “they usually handle questions about their diet”;
• If it’s possible, plan a “two entree” meal with one being a normal meat-based entree that you would normally serve, and the other a vegetarian entree - perhaps even ask your vegetarian friends for a recipe suggestion if you’re not used to cooking vegetarian dishes;
• Try to have a variety of side dishes, a salad is great but if possible add a fresh vegetable or two as well, which increases the nutritional balance of your menu, and offer some chopped nuts (unsalted if possible) as a “condiment” that can be sprinkled on salads or veggies, thus increasing the protein level as well;
• In some recipes that call for milk, unsweetened soy milk makes a perfectly fine substitute - for a delicately sauce or a dish where you’re concerned the flavor difference might be noticeable, try making a small batch of the dish ahead of time with soy milk to see if it will suffice. Your vegan friends will really appreciate the effort too;
• If you’re serving buffet style, try keeping a note of what ingredients are in each dish and make a list for your vegetarian guests, so that they can decide which dishes they can eat without asking you while filling their plates;
• If you’re hosting a potluck, ask everyone who is bringing a dish to please bring a list of the dish’s ingredients, and consider asking one or two of them to bring a vegetarian dish or dessert (many deserts contain milk, butter, and eggs - all verboten to a vegan);
• Speaking of dessert, don’t forget to offer fresh fruit or a simple fruit salad in addition to the sweet stuff, which is not only appreciated by vegetarians, but also by those on calorie-restricted or sugar-restricted diets;

Above all, be open to trying new foods and learning about what many consider to be a healthy diet choice. Even if you don’t decide to “go to the veg side” your vegetarian and vegan friends will appreciate your interest and efforts.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 26th, 2007 at 4:59 pm and is filed under The Daily Diet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.