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The Complete Guide to
Vegetarian Convenience Foods
Foreword
by
Neal Barnard, M.D.
We are all rethinking our diets. We aim to slim down,
lower our cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of cancer
and heart disease, or bring down our blood pressure. Some
of us just want to live longer. Or it may be that the
recognition of environmental or animal rights issues motivates
us to dump out the drumsticks and ham. But, then comes
the question: So, now what do I eat?
As we wander down unfamiliar aisles at the grocery store
and read strange ingredients in recipe lists, we ask ourselves
if we really have time for healthy eating. We are torn
between the convenience of greasy fast foods and the daunting
prospect of relearning how to cook and how to eat, wondering
if we'll ever be on terra firma again.
It gets even more complicated when you enter a health
food store. Twenty years ago, health food stores were
dusty, cramped places, staffed by folks in tie-died shirts
who knew all 12 products on their shelves. No more. Health
food stores are now huge supermarkets with shelves overflowing
with foods we once only dreamt of: Hot dogs, Canadian
bacon, and burgers that taste exactly like the real thing,
but with no cholesterol or animal fat at all; and milk
that comes from rice or soy, rather than from a cow, giving
the consumer dozens of flavors ready to splash on cereal,
with no animal proteins or lactose.
So, Now What Do I Eat? presents a banquet of choices
for those who
are looking for convenience without sacrificing taste.
Gail Davis walks down the grocery aisle with you and shows
you the best choices to suit your own needs. She
knows the challenges of changing your personal menu, having
first revamped her own diet years ago and having worked
ever since to help others repair theirs. She shares
her intimate knowledge of how to make sense of healthy
eating and how to avoid its pitfalls.
So, Now What Do I Eat? is a quick guide that should be
on your kitchen counter next to your grocery list and
in your glove compartment as you head to the store. It
will save you hours of time shopping and will let you
skip embarrassing purchases when you're shopping for others.
It lets you make the change to healthier fare quickly
and with confidence. As you look over the wealth of practical
material presented here, let me add four quick tips:
- Focus on exploration, not deprivation. For now, at
least, you are experimenting, trying new tastes, new
products, and maybe a new store or two.
- There will be many delights and probably an occasional
dud. That's okay. It's what experimenting is all
about.
- Transition foods can really help. Foods that look
and taste like meat but that are actually vegetarian
can lure even the most dyed-in-the-wool omnivore to
a healthier diet.
- Be strict with yourself. Just as smokers have a harder
time if they have an occasional cigarette, it is harder
to leave fatty foods behind if every once in awhile
you tease your taste buds with Kentucky Fried Chicken.
A complete break is much easier.
- Focus on the short term. As you make a dietary change,
only do it for three weeks. Throw out the animal products
and added oils, and be strict about it, but do it only
for three weeks. This kind of short-term test is much
easier than the daunting prospect of a permanent change.
After three weeks, you will likely find that you have
lost weight, your blood pressure and cholesterol will
probably have dropped, and your energy level will have
improved noticeably. If you like the way you feel, you
can stick with it.
The wisdom that Gail Davis has packed into these pages
will make the
transition to healthier eating a joy.
Neal D. Barnard, M.D.
President
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
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