Botanica West

Many of my carnivorous clients who are working on converting to being children of the grain have a lot of questions of what to eat. I mean being a meat eater is easy. You slap some large chunk of brisket of anything dead and red on a grill or a frying pan and cook a spud and warm up a can of corn and there you have it a nice putrefying dinner for your body to work on for days.

When I was young my grandmother would shop 2-3 times a week and frozen food was rare as I can’t remember ever seeing her open a bag of frozen anything. And there was always a garden of tomatoes, chili’s, herbs medicinal and culinary and asst fruit trees. My mother and father who are in there seventies still have a garden and fruit trees on there property.

We ate food mostly what was in season. Meat was not the main focus of a meal but was incorporated into one. Beans and rice were a staple and homemade tortillas. There were no supermarkets in east Los Angeles at the time but an asst of cultural mini markets, meat and vegetable fruit stands, even local produce sold from the back of a truck.I called that porch shopping. Everything we ate was grown locally.

Vegetarians don’t just eat Vegetables that wouldn’t be balanced. There are also legumes (beans), nuts, seeds, grains and tuber (root vegetables) , gourds, greens, squashes along with fruits as well. What can I eat your saying? The choices are vast! How can I make such a huge list….you are not deprived. I do write articles on foods high in calcium and blood building foods. But I’m not the Martha Stewart of Veganism.

People ask what can I eat then want a list of the cans and can’ts. It’s a huge list only limited to what we refuse to eat. With the help of the internet there is such an array of recipes and lessons in cooking on you tube of all places and restaurants that cater to vegetarians and its now the in thing to be as well so don’t feel isolated because your not.

Eating is an adventure! Explore new foods! Try new dishes! Introduce yourself to a new vegetable every week. Try to eat food in the original package God made it in. And eat whats in season . That’s my rule of thumb. Look at healthy food as a friend not an enemy and ask before you eat whats in front of you…are you going to keep me well and strong or are you going to make me ill.  Always cook with love and good intentions. Set your table and eat at it and always try to eat as a family or with friends.

F.Y.I.There are a number of types of vegetarianism, which exclude or include various foods. Vegetarian loopholes I call them.

Ovo vegetarianism includes eggs but not dairy products.
    Lacto vegetarianism includes dairy products but not eggs. Not good for people with blue iris’s it’s mucus causing.
Ovo-lacto vegetarianism (or lacto-ovo vegetarianism) includes animal/dairy products such as eggs, milk, and honey.
Veganism excludes all animal flesh and animal products, including milk, honey, and eggs, and may also exclude any products tested on animals, or any clothing from animals.[21]
Raw veganism includes only fresh and uncooked fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. Vegetables can only be cooked up to a certain temperature.[22]
    Fruitarianism permits only fruit, nuts, seeds, and other plant matter that can be gathered without harming the plant.[23]
Buddhist vegetarianism (also known as su vegetarianism) excludes all animal products as well as vegetables in the allium family (which have the characteristic aroma of onion and garlic): onion, garlic, scallions, leeks, or shallots.
  Jain vegetarianism includes dairy but excludes eggs and honey, as well as root vegetables.
Macrobiotic diets consist mostly of whole grains and beans. A higher protein vegetarian diet.
Pescetarianism, which includes fish and sometimes other seafood; a vegetarian who cant give up the sushi.
  pollotarianism, which includes poultry; A vegetarian who can’t give up the Kentucky fried chicken.
    “pollo-pescatarian”, which includes poultry and fish, or “white meat” only; (whats the point of calling yourself a vegetarian with meat now really)
macrobiotic diets consisting mostly of whole grains and beans, but may sometimes include fish.

Originally posted 2011-07-26 12:03:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter