Dressing
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. grated lemon zest
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. agave nectar

Pecan Kale Salad is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. The $36 Salad: An Exercise In Elitism?

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: carrot, kale, maple syrup, onion, pecans, rutabaga, turnip, vegan, vegetarian

No, really. There’s also a red pepper variation I’ll be posting later on… but for now…

1 large cucumber

8oz fage yogurt (it’s 0 fat, but not because of chemicals to my knowledge – just skim milk, so its okay)

8oz cream cheese

approx 1tbsp dill weed

You’ll take your cucumber and peel it using a vegetable peeler. To demonstrate the procedure…

From here, after you do your dicing, you’ll want to scoop your yogurt and your cream cheese into a bowl. Drop in your cucumber, and get to whipping!

From here, add in your dill weed by the shakeful – two shakes, stir and taste. I add a lot, mainly because I like the taste.

Be sure to whip it until you can’t whip it anymore… and you’ll be good! Ta-da! Use it on sandwiches in place of mayo, or just scoop it up like egg salad, on a couple pieces of bread… or a tortilla! A bagel? It’s up to you! Enjoy!

Cucumber Dill Spread is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cream cheese, cucumber, vegetarian

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups chicken stock or bouillon

1/2 pound fresh broccoli

1 cup matchstick carrots

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup grated sharp cheddar

Drop your butter in the skillet with the onions, and set the onions aside once golden. Whisk your butter and flour together over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and chicken stock, and let it sit for about 20 minutes over low-medium heat (on a scale of 1-10, on 5.)

Toss in your carrots, onions and broccoli. Cook until the carrots are tender, and add the salt and pepper. Add the cheese and nutmeg, and ta da! Soup!

If you said my soup didn’t taste equal to or better than Panera’s, you’d be a hot blooded lie!

Broccoli Cheese Soup is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Weekend WTF: The Supa Dupa Fly Ho With Cheese
2. Now That I’m Clean Eating, What Can I Cook?

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: clean eating, Recipes, vegetarian

Toast almonds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Cool almonds to room temperature.

Process cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperoncini, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.

Add pesto and ½ cup Parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta cooking water so that pesto coats pasta. Serve immediately, passing Parmesan separately. Serves 4-6, so don’t be afraid to cut it down!

Pasta With Tomato and Almond Pesto is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Q&A Wednesday: Does Enjoyable Whole Wheat Pasta Exist?
2. Do You Think Tomato Paste Is A Vegetable? Your Government Does!
3. Should A 2,500 Calorie Plate of Pasta Be Illegal?

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: almonds, pasta, tomatoes, vegetarian

4 ears of corn

1 tsp chili powder

3 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp cilantro

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Grab your butter, and toss half of your chili powder and all of your cilantro on top. With a butterknife, blend it all in together. It’s ok if it’s not perfect. It’s food. It doesn’t need to be. It’s all going to the same place, right?

Grab some aluminum foil. Wrap your corn up, smear butter on top of each ear, shake the last of your chili powder over your butter and wrap ‘em up tightly. Toss ‘em in the oven for about 15mins (or until tender to your liking.)

It’s just that easy!

Baked Corn With Chili Butter is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Weekend WTF: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!
2. Another Peanut Butter Recall: Why Does This Keep Happening?
3. Saturday Night Live Pokes Fun At High Fructose Corn Syrup

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: corn, recipe, vegetarian

Many thanks to blogchef!

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
1 medium onion (chopped)
½ green bell pepper (chopped)
2 cups water (or chicken broth)
10 oz diced tomatoes and green chilies
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a deep skillet over medium heat add vegetable oil. Add rice, onion and green bell pepper. Sauté until the rice is browned and the onions are tender. Stir in water (or chicken broth) and tomatoes and green chilies. Season with chili powder and salt. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed.

Spanish Rice is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. What’s Wrong With White Rice?
2. Take A Peek Inside My Grocery List

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: rice, vegan, vegetarian

So… what is greek yogurt?

Ohio State University nutritionist Julie Kennel Shertzer explained to me that both Greek- and American-style yogurt are made by fermenting milk with live bacteria cultures—the only difference is that Greek yogurt is strained to remove the liquid whey, hence its thicker consistency. Both are nutritional superstars: They’re excellent sources of calcium and good sources of protein, their bacteria cultures aid digestion, and the unsweetened low- and nonfat varieties are low in calories. But according to Shertzer, Greek yogurt does have a few nutritional advantages over regular yogurt: “Since it’s a more concentrated product, it packs a few more grams of protein per serving,” she says. It’s also a bit lower in sugar and carbohydrates, since lactose, a form of sugar present in all dairy products, is removed with the whey. [source]

Now, I’ve got to admit… eating yogurt by itself? It’s a little bit of a struggle for me. It reminds me too much of just eating sour cream or something. However… today, we’re going to change that. Listed below, are my five favorite uses for greek yogurt. Bon appetit!

1) Salad dressing. That’s right – use your greek yogurt in this quick little recipe for homemade flavorful ranch dressing, and not only cut calories but add a little extra tang to it without any added salt:

about 1/3 cup of parsley
2 tablespoons of finely chopped green onions (chopped however finely you’d prefer it in your dressing)
1/3 teaspoon of black pepper
1 cup of fage 0% yogurt
at least 1/2 cup of buttermilk, maybe more depending upon how thick you want your dressing.
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of cream cheese
1 tablespoon of finely chopped onion

Toss everything into a bowl. Stir generously. Taste your ranch. Do a happy dance.

2) Have pollen allergies? Eat your yogurt with honey. I know that for me personally, if there’s one thing I used to dread, it was spring time. All sneeze everything. The good thing about it is the fact that there’s an easy and natural fix for it.

At my farmer’s market, is an elderly woman who has more locally collected honey than she knows what to do with. One bottle of locally collected wildflower honey, at a tablespoon a day, is a win for me. Stir it into some greek yogurt and sure enough, I’ve got a pretty delicious and amazing snack that has plenty of protein and protects me from my horrid, horrid allergies. How does it work?

The idea behind eating honey is kind of like gradually vaccinating the body against allergens, a process called immunotherapy. Honey contains a variety of the same pollen spores that give allergy sufferers so much trouble when flowers and grasses are in bloom. Introducing these spores into the body in small amounts by eating honey should make the body accustomed to their presence and decrease the chance an immune system response like the release of histamine will occur [source: AAFP]. Since the concentration of pollen spores found in honey is low — compared to, say, sniffing a flower directly — then the production of antibodies shouldn’t trigger symptoms similar to an allergic reaction. Ideally, the honey-eater won’t have any reaction at all.

As innocuous as honey seems, it can actually pose health risks in some cases. Honey proponents warn that there is a potential for an allergic reaction to it. And since honey can contain bacteria that can cause infant botulism, health officials warn that children under 12 months of age whose immune systems haven’t fully developed shouldn’t eat honey at all [source: Mayo Clinic].

If a regimen is undertaken, however, local honey is generally accepted as the best variety to use. Local honey is produced by bees usually within a few miles of where the person eating the honey lives. There’s no real rule of thumb on how local the honey has to be, but proponents suggest the closer, the better [source: Ogren]. This proximity increases the chances that the varieties of flowering plants and grasses giving the allergy sufferer trouble are the same kinds the bees are including in the honey they produce. After all, it wouldn’t help much if you ate honey with spores from a type of grass that grows in Michigan if you suffer from allergies in Georgia. [source]

3) Make your own veggie dip. Instead of dipping your baby carrots in that unidentifiable ranch-like substance in the package, why not buy one large bag of baby carrots and use a little greek yogurt to make yourself a dip? Chop up a third of a cup of parsley, blend it into a cup of greek yogurt, and you’ve got a super-filling snack for well under 300 calories. Add basil, cracked red pepper and parmesan, and you’ve got another yummy dip. Shoot – chop fresh spinach, red pepper chunks, oregano and parmesan together in a big bowl of greek yogurt, and you’ve got an awesome almost-raw spinach dip. Blend it in with salsa and get a thicker dip for tortillas!

4) Can’t leave out you meat eaters! Use greek yogurt as a marinade. Bake some chicken until it’s almost done. Blend 1 cup of greek yogurt with 1 tbsp garam masala, 2tsp ground cumin and 2 tsp chili powder. Squeeze the juice from one lime over the top, and blend in some minced garlic. Pull your chicken out and coat it generously with the greek yogurt. Slide it back in the oven and broil it. Before you know it? Boom – tandoori chicken. Alabama white barbecue sauce? Yep. Use greek yogurt instead of mayo.

5) Swap out the sour cream… or the mayo… or the… whatever. No, really. Two tablespoons of sour cream has more calories than TEN tablespoons of greek yogurt. Top your nachos and enchiladas with greek yogurt blended with a little cilantro. Put it on your tacos underneath your pico de gallo. In my potato salad and chicken salad recipes, I use greek yogurt instead of mayo. Lots of options, here!

For me, some of these recipes and suggestions are beneficial in cutting calories. In other ways, they’re also a really awesome way to switch up ingredients simply for the sake of flavor. One of the awesome things about learning how to cook is the ability to swap out traditional ingredients for ones that are new to my kitchen, and discovering what new possibilities that opens up for me.

Now, my personal favorite is Fage 0% fat free yogurt. And while I typically rail against fat free food products because they’re made fat free by way of chemicals, added sugars or some other dastardly manipulation…. this one’s different – 0mg salt, 0g sugar, and it’s made fat free because they don’t use whole milk in the process. They use skim milk, which is regular milk with all the fat skimmed out the top (hence the name “skim” milk.) 20g of protein in each serving, and I’m in there like swimwear.

What do you do with your greek yogurt?

In Praise of Greek Yogurt: 5 Different Ways To Dive In is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. 101 Revolutionary Ways To Be Healthy
2. Three Great Ways To Exercise At Home
3. 5 Ways to Identify and Reject Sabotage

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 30 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: fage, greek yogurt, marinade, vegetarian, veggie dip

Corn and Potato Chowder is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Q&A Wednesday: What Is High Maltose Corn Syrup?
2. High Fructose Corn Syrup: What’s The Big Deal?
3. Another Reason To Ditch The High Fructose Corn Syrup

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bell pepper, chopped parsley, dutch oven, frozen corn kernels, green onions, red pepper, seafood seasoning, sharp cheddar cheese, vegetarian

From a loyal vegan reader

To be honest, not much. I mean, I have my occasional wing night (and those who purchased the first meal plan might be familiar with that!), but really? I don’t do the animal/animal by-product thing too much.

The thing is, I’m becoming increasingly creeped out by meat production in this country. There’s so little that one can actually trust, and few people out there that are actually trustworthy… you start to wonder if this stuff is really worth all the time and effort (and not to mention money) you put into it.

For starters, it’s been over a decade since I’ve eaten beef or pork. My hatred of bacon has more to do with the fact that it’s not only everywhere, but in most cases it’s not even bacon – it’s “bacon-flavored” or “bacon-like” or “bacon-themed” or “bacon-styled” or “facon.” What part of the game is that? I can appreciate [looking at] a nice dish with bacon used well on it – even though I won’t be eating any – but that’s not what I’m seeing. I’m seeing garbage with “bacon” thrown on top. I’m seeing commercials of crap food with “It’s good… and it’s got bacon on it.” feeding into that foolishness. C’mon. It’s insulting.

I wrote, a while back, regarding my inability to play the “C’mon, have a little bite” game with my Mother who, upon learning I was giving up her first-and-second loves, cooked nothing but beef and pork for days… weeks on end. Steak, pork chops, ribs, roast, roast beef, burgers… you name it, she tried it. I tried to give up the poultry back then, but be serious. No one’s turning down Mom’s Fried Chicken.

Now, I’m an adult with a family, and while the temptation for Mom’s Fried Chicken (yes, so good it gets all capitals) only comes once a year, I can’t truly say I’m that “tempted” to eat it then. Because Mom isn’t as particular as I am when it comes to products, it’s a bit of a turn off. A lot of things become “a bit of a turn off” pretty quickly when you learn how they were made.

Now, let’s be real – do I buy farmer’s market ground turkey and chicken parts? Absolutely, but let’s take this past weekend into account. Do you know how much I paid for 1.5lbs of ground turkey? Let’s just say I could hear my bank account groan as I let the bill go. I had to give my wallet a kleenex.

Is there an animal rights element to what I’m talking about, here? Yes.

Realistically speaking, the holy grail of chicken is considered to be “cage free,” “fed an organic diet” (you can’t really say they’re fed a vegetarian diet – chicken eats primarily grain, as in corn, with the occasional bug thrown in… either way, it’s not a guaranteed claim) with no GMO feed. But what does cage-free mean? Since there are no official standards anywhere, it means whatever the farm wants it to mean. And if the farm wants it to mean “still crowded, still cramped but at least they’re not in giant cages,” then so be it.

Buying “free range” eggs is one of the easiest ways to feel good as a consumer — they are at least as readily available as “normal,” mass produced eggs from those horrible giant chicken prisons Big Egg maintains. Hell, they even cost pretty much the same. There’s literally no reason not to buy free range even though, now that we think about it, we’re not actually sure what that means. But the animals must live in pretty good conditions. In fact, let’s buy our meat and poultry free range, too!

Well, according to law, the definition of “free range” is that chickens raised for their meat “have access to the outside.” OK … so that’s not quite as free as we assumed, and it appears to only apply to chickens raised for their meat. But at least they still have some freedom, what with the outside and all that.

Words have power, and “free range” in its original sense means unfenced and unrestrained. That makes it a powerful phrase that, no matter how smart we are, conjures subconscious images of freedom hens, riding tiny little freedom horses out on the plains, wearing hen-sized cowboy hats and leaving a happy little trail of delicious freedom eggs in their wake. There may be mandolin music.

But the reality is there are absolutely no regulations whatsoever for the use of the term “free range” on anything other than chickens raised for their meat. Your Snickers bar could be free range for all the government cares.

The industry knows this full well and happily makes us lap up the free range myth, even though in reality a free range hen lives in pretty much the same prison as a battery cage hen — except its whole life takes place in the prison shower, rather than a cell.

Awareness of the free range myth is slowly increasing, but although a manufacturer that has been pushing his luck a bit too much does get jailed every once in a while, that doesn’t do much to the overall phenomenon. In fact, Europe is set to ban egg production in cage systems come 2012. Guess what the replacement is going to be? [source]

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that made me feel some kind of way. I’d also be lying if I didn’t admit that I think far more of our “health food stores” who are bragging on their “cage free” chicken are supporting these kinds of practices, too. I’d also be lying if I didn’t admit I feel some kinda way about paying exorbitant prices for what I consider to be a product of suspect quality. And I read Skinny Bitch, among other books. I know how often that stuff is of a suspect quality.

The Future Mr. BGG2WL was right on board with my philosophy, so we all pretty much abide by one question when it comes to purchases: “If you can’t get the best quality, do you really need to settle?” Should the day come when I’m no longer able to buy, I’m not going to buy “USDA Inspected chicken” just because I can’t afford the birds at the farmer’s market. I’d simply go without.

I have my fleeting PETA-esque moments, but I don’t do PETA. (For lots of reasons that have nothing to do with veganism, which I actually like.) I care about animal cruelty, but at the same time I don’t think the answer to that is (or will ever be) no consumption of meat. Besides, I think it’s much easier (and smarter, at this point) to ask for conscious consumption than anything else – if all the money is going into local farms that can prove their products were raised ethically, businesses (because, they ARE Capitalists, after all) will flock to that and begin funneling all their money into it. It’s just a matter of making the public aware.

To put it frankly, I got turned off by poultry production in this country a long time ago, decided I’d go the ethical route, and was taken aback by the price of it… therefore I consume much less (and different cuts of) poultry. I’m an advocate for ethical and local consumption, quality and being cheap.

….and, for the love of all that is cute and pink, I don’t do PETA.

Q&A Wednesday: How Much Meat DO You Eat? is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Weekend WTF: Accidentally Vegan Meat Product?
2. Successfully Converting Away From Eating Red Meat
3. Weekend WTF: Would YOU Eat Lab-Created Meat?

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bacon, beef, factory farming, meat, pork, vegan, vegetarian

As someone who’s already made these kinds of changes in her life, I thought it might be a good idea for a series on dietary lifestyle changes – what they are, how to convert, and what they can (and cannot) do for you. They’re typically uncommon and because we rarely think about changing our lifestyles in this way, they’re an untapped mine for opportunities to eat healthier.

Firstly, let’s talk about dietary restrictions. When I say “dietary restrictions,” I’m not referring to diet in the “American” sense. When we say “diet” we often mean “temporary,” as in “the Grapefruit Diet” or “The Lemonade Diet.” (Thank you, Beyonce.) That’s not what I’m getting at. Dietary restrictions are common place for people with allergies – allergic to peanut butter? You’re going to restrict Peanut Butter Cookies from your diet. Allergic to shellfish? Crab will eternally be restricted from your daily diet. Dietary restrictions are basically a daily lifestyle that makes it clear to you what you will and will not be eating.

Now.. let’s talk about options. When it comes to eating lifestyles, you have plenty of options.

Vegan. [cue horror music]

Veganism is a lifestyle where you commit yourself to avoiding the use of animal products and by-products for any purpose – food, clothes, accessories, anything.

There’s an emotional commitment to veganism, I think. There’s a passion there that you’re going out of your way to go against society and the prevalence of animal by-products for a very real purpose. Animal by-products are everywhere, and it requires major effort and consciousness to not slip up.

The positives about this are not only the commitment to the environment, but the commitment to your health. If you are vegan and avoid processed foods, you’re on a pretty solid path for good health. It basically leaves you fruit, nuts, and vegetables. If done properly, you can ensure that you get all of the nutrients you need with minimal interference and involvement from the outside world OR animal products.

The negatives are the serious risk of malnutrition if you’re not careful. Most Americans are used to getting the whole of their calcium from dairy products. If you cut dairy without finding a suitable replacement, you will feel it. Most Americans get their protein from animal meat. If you don’t plan for that, you will feel it. If you get most of your food from processed foods, you have to think about nutrition. Seriously. It’s not healthy for you just because it says “healthy” on the box, and most food manufacturers know that new vegans are dying for good tasting food… healthy-ness be damned.

Raw Vegan [cue hippie music]

Raw veganism is a lifestyle that consists of uncooked fruits and vegetables. The end. The belief is that any item cooked beyond 105degrees begins to decrease in nutritional value, so they avoid cooking it. I know raw vegans who do a lot of “cooking” in the summertime – leaving things like sweet potatoes covered in aluminum foil outside to “cook,” and the food can actually be quite delicious.

I think there are a ton of positives here – super inexpensive; no processed foods; with all the super low calorie counts for produce, you literally could eat all day and still not overeat; your body would get back to the way it should be, with only focusing on digesting things it’s been digesting for centuries. Not… high fructose corn syrup.

The negatives? The difficulty – no bagels in the meetings. No potato salad at the family reunion. No corn-fresh-off-the-grill. No ribs. No ice cream. You’re doing a wonderful thing for your body, but your mind’s memories of food will make the struggle long and hard. Then again, the harder the struggle, the better the reward? I don’t know too many unhealthy (not fat, unhealthy) raw vegans… and I know plenty of ‘em.

Vegetarian

Vegetarianism is a daily lifestyle that avoids ingesting any animal. Red meat, poultry, fish, all of it. It’s not quite as restrictive as raw veganism because you are still able to cook, and it’s not as rough as veganism because you can have dairy (and leather Coach bags?), but it is cutting down on your overall intake. Particularly if you’re drawn to things like fried pork chops, burgers.

The positives here are that because you’re cutting back on a heavy-in-calorie food category, you can indulge more in your fruits and veggies without breaking the bank in calories and getting wholesome nutrition.

The negatives are simple. When I converted to vegetarianism a while back, I [foolishly] thought that just because I wasn’t eating meat that I’d lose weight regardless of what I ate… so I went in on the hot fries, the doritos, the grilled cheese sandwiches… why? I mean, it’s vegetarian! Well, (like many of the negatives above) ignoring proper nutrition will leave you running short. I developed a quick bout with hypoglycemia, but eventually got myself together by using the next option.

Flexitarian

What is a Flexitarian? It’s a typical vegetarian diet, that relies on the occasional meat dish. It means that meat isn’t the premier item in the diet – it’s a luxury, so to speak. It’s used for an occasion.. not a regular occurrence.

The pros here are that since you’re relying less on meat, you get much more creative with your dishes. You get to save a little money buying less meat, you get to indulge a little… you also don’t have to shut yourself off eternally from the things you enjoy. You just get to realistically cut back from them in an accepted fashion.

Are there cons to Flexitarianism? Seriously? Outside of the initial pain of sacrifice, I don’t think there is one. Lots of us are flexitarians and never even knew it. The joke is that flexitarians are vegetarians with commitment issues. I won’t tell you that you have to commit.. ’cause this is one instance where it might benefit you.

Pescetarian

A pescetarian is one who only eats fruits, veggies and seafood at the expense of red meats, pork, and poultry. Shrimp, crab, lobster, sushi? This isn’t a bad option.

The pros are simple – since you’re taking in so much fish, you’ll definitely get in your omega-3s, which (while I rarely promote focusing on individual nutrients, I do like when we’re getting nutrients in their original form.. from nature) promotes a healthy heart. I think my folks in NoLa or the DC/MD/VA area might appreciate this.

The cons? Living anywhere else not rich in seafood and trying to live this lifestyle. A pint of crab meat was little over $11 for me here in Miami. Uh, I’m good.

Pollotarianism

Ahhh, this one isn’t too bad, I think. In the same vein as pescetarianism, pollotarianism swaps out seafood for poultry. This allows a lot of room – chicken, turkey, duck. Ground chicken/turkey for burgers, still can eat eggs and cheese… various ways to cook poultry would allow for the creative eater to enjoy themselves for quite a while.

The positives – a simple solution for the question, “Well, where do you get your protein?” Limited restriction, but enough to make a difference and a major shift in your diet.

The negatives? Outside of the sacrifice? Outside of trying to figure out a different way to cook poultry every night? Meh.

Polpescetarian

This is simply a combination of the previous two. You’re basically cutting out red meat and pork.

You’ll notice that all of these options begin with – at their core – cutting out pork and red meat. Sometimes, if you can’t get the better quality of meats, it might be best to consider cutting it out. I could go into reasons why, but I’ll save that for another post. The bottom line is, if you’re doing a lot of fried pork, or burgers full of condiments and other things that might be calorie overkill, it might be a nice way to switch it up and maybe cut down your reliance on those items.

I’ve been all of these – yes, all of ‘em – and couldn’t say that I am one in particular. At various points in my journey, I’ve been all of them. I haven’t had red meat or pork since 1999. I do go long periods of time without chicken. I eat very little dairy. I go extended periods of time eating like a raw vegan but because I still cook for my daughter, I’m tempted regularly to step outside of myself and chow down a bit.

I’d prefer to be a raw vegan. I know my dieting habits are pushing me in that direction, but I also know that’s giving up a LOT. So I’m not rushing it. After taking about six months to make the conversion, I eat chicken maybe once or twice a week, dairy maybe twice a week, and ground turkey maybe twice a month. I’m taking my time with it.

In closing, I do believe this is a decision best made after giving careful consideration to how you can execute it. As you can see, avoiding nutritional deficiency is a big issue and shouldn’t be taken lightly just to lose weight. It’s easy to get your protein and healthy fats outside of meats – peanut butter and basic nuts are a prime example – but if your daily routine can’t accommodate it, work to make sure that it does or find a more suitable option.

I’ll be writing more about this topic, so let me know – what questions do you have about these options? Do you live one of these lifestyles? If so, how has it benefitted you? Are you on the journey to change now, as well?

Changing Your Daily Diet? Vegetarian Isn’t The Only Option is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Q&A Wednesday: Should I Weigh Myself Daily?
2. Budget Friendly, Vegetarian AND The Original: Get A Meal Plan Today!
3. The Anatomy of A Diet: Why They Work, and Why The Success Never Lasts

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 31 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: calorie counting, eating lifestyles, veganism, vegetarian

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in chile powder and salt; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/3 cup water and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in salsa. Partially mash bean mixture with a fork.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/3 cup bean mixture into center of each tortilla. Top each serving with about 2 1/2 tablespoons cheese, 1/4 cup tomato, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon onions, and a spoonful of sour cream; roll up.

Chipotle Bean Burritos is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: vegetarian, vegetarian recipe

Today, you will eat a biscuit. And you will rejoice.

I know this was a sign from the universe… because, for some strange reason, there was actually milk in my house!

I’m being silly, but seriously. The truth is, a few weeks ago I was watching an episode of Unique Eats, where they visit different restaurants in North America and show some of their signature dishes and how they’re made, and there was one restaurant in particular that made a cast iron chicken pot pie. Now, I don’t have a cast iron pan – yet – but I do have a smedium (yes, smedium) casserole dish that worked well enough for me, here.

Now, I think it’d be far more interesting if I talked through my thought processes in creating this dish, because if the problem is that a lot of people can’t actually cook, then learning how things are used and why they are used will help people make their own choices in what they use when they start to venture out on their own to cook. No biggie. That being said…. onward we go!

I always keep chicken stock in the fridge and freezer. Just because. When you think of everything that you cook with water – rice, quinoa, couscous, so on and so on – you can choose to use water that adds no flavor, you can add spices orrrrrr you can use a stock. Whenever we eat chicken, we save the bones. Whenever we dice veggies, we save the ends. Once there’s enough onion, carrot, celery and chicken, we make stock and freeze it.

I grab about 3 cups of chicken stock and pour it into a big pot on high heat, because I want to bring it to a boil. Half a bag of frozen carrots, half a bag of frozen peas, a third of a medium onion chopped into pieces and a celery stalk diced into small pieces all go into the pot. (At this point, I’m wishing that I had bought the frozen chopped onion too, but that’s okay.) I drop a bay leaf into the pot and swirl it all around a bit, trying to cover the bay leaf with veggies to help keep it down. Make sure you get the water to a boil, then level it off at medium heat.

In another skillet, I start to brown some chicken. It really doesn’t matter which part, because you’re going to have to shred, chop and pull it apart, anyway. The browning process is simple. All you’re doing is cooking the chicken to the point where the outermost part is turning to a nice golden brown. It doesn’t matter whether or not your chicken has skin on it, nor does it matter whether or not its dark meat…. just know that dark meat is almost always cheaper. I’d probably use that for this.

While that is browning, I pour a half of a cup of milk into the pot as well as two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of flour. (Making a sauce out of butter and flour is called making a roux.) The roux will help to thicken the soup and will actually cause the soup to cook a little better in the oven. The milk adds a little fat to the dish. It’ll make it more satisfying.

At this point, I add a half-teaspoon of sage, a teaspoon of tarragon, a half-teaspoon of rosemary and a half-teaspoon of thyme – all dried herbs, none of them ground, but ground would also work fine – to the soup and turn the temp down to low heat. Once the chicken is done browning, take it out and start shredding it into small pieces. You want relatively small chunks, here. Drop ‘em in the pot, and let it all simmer. Grab a pinch of salt – seriously, a pinch – and sprinkle it all across the pot. Grab your pepper and add 1/4th of a teaspoon to your pot and stir it in. Put your top on your pot and leave it a little lopsided – the steam circulates inside the pot and lets it cook a little faster, while still allowing some to escape – and make sure the temperature is on low. This entire process should take about an hour.

Now… on to the fun stuff. The crust.

I don’t do a lower crust on my pot pie. I know, that makes it less of a pie and more of a chicken loaf or something, but I’d rather go hard with a top crust and skip the extra stuff on the bottom. Not my cup of tea…. or… soup.

Anyway.

Pre-heat your stove at 400 degrees F. Two cups of unbleached all-purpose flour, two teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt – stir them all together in a separate bowl. Add four tablespoons of butter, and chop up the butter into the dry ingredients. You want to get the butter into pieces as small as you can. This ensures that the butter will melt in as many places as possible when your top crust begins to bake. Next, take 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the pot pie mixture and pour it into your dry ingredients. From here, you’ll slowly pour in 3/4ths of a cup of milk into your dry ingredients, a few tablespoons at a time, and stir it in. Do everything you can to get all of the dry ingredients to stick together, but you’ll wind up with some still dry on the outsides. That’s fine – just grab another tablespoon of the liquid from the soup pot and pour it down the sides of the bowl and stir it in to stick to the big mound of dough in the center.

Grab your baking dish, and slowly pour your soup inside. Use a ladle to scoop it in there. As you’re pouring, look for the bay leaf and take it out. Using a spoon, take big scoopfuls of your dough and start forming medium-sized balls to place on top of your soup in your baking dish. You want to align them next to each other. Little spaces are okay because the dough will expand and rise as it bakes. Cover the entire top of the dish with dough. If you – for some reason – run out of dough, just grab a few of the balls out of the dish and pull them to expand a little more.

Bake the entire dish for approximately 15 minutes, then start watching it closely. You want the top to be a nice golden brown, just before the tops begin to burn, because you want to make sure the center of the dough is properly cooked through. Before you know it?

You win.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie Ingredients List

Soup Ingredients

3 cups chicken stock
2 cups peas
2 cups carrots
1 stalk celery, diced finely
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp sage
1 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped chicken
2 tbsp butter

Pie Crust

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp rumford baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp reserved pot pie soup
3/4 cup milk

Want to make this vegetarian? Skip the chicken!

Recipe Walkthrough: Homemade Chicken Pot Pie is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Have You Voted In The BGG2WL Recipe Contest Yet?
2. Weekend WTF: He EATS The Chicken In A Can!
3. Weekend WTF: Chicken In A Can?

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bay leaf, bay leaves, carrots, celery, chicken, chicken stock, flour, milk, onion, peas, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme, vegetarian

What is phyllo dough? It is a wide, flat and very thin – almost paper thin – sheet of dough. It bakes quickly, turns a beautiful golden brown, and is extremely flaky. Biting into it gives off an amazing crunch, and the dough is a great flavor carrier. The only downfall is that it’s difficult to make from scratch, and finding it for less than $4 is a struggle. It’s a bit of a splurge (well, at least, to me) but every blue moon, I don’t mind it.

3 tbsp melted butter

10 sheets of phyllo (or filo, or fillo… whatever) dough

1/3 cup grated parmesan (I bought a small block of parm and grated it myself, so I can’t say for sure whether or not the “stuff in the shaker” will work for this one.)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 roma tomatoes

1 medium sized zucchini

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take a large pan, and brush a litle bit of butter along the bottom of the pan. Take approximately 4 sheets of the phyllo dough (you may not be able to get only 4, and that’s okay) and lay them on the pan, all stacked on top of each other. Brush the sheets with a little butter, then sprinkle lightly with parmesan. Stack another 4 sheets of dough on top, then repeat the buttering and parm-sprinkling process. Stack your remaining sheets on top.Dust the top lightly with garlic powder.

Slice your tomatoes and your zucchini in slices as thin as you can get. The phyllo isn’t super strong, so you’ll want to be careful about putting heavy chunks on top. As you can see in the picture, my tomatoes and zucchini are sliced super thin. (If you are having trouble with slicing the tomatoes, you’ll want to invest in a large chef’s knife.)

Take your zucchini slices, and lay them however you like across the pizza dough. Lay your tomatoes on top as well. Slide your pan into the oven until the outermost parts of your phyllo dough is a nice golden brown. Take your pan out of the oven – keep the heat on – and sprinkle your remaining parmesan cheese and herbs, sprinkling your salt on last. Toss it back in the oven until all your cheese has melted – but not browned – and you’re done! Pull it out of the oven, slice up your phyllo pizza, and eat up!

Phyllo Parmesan Pizza is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. The Pizza Gallery: Who Says You Can’t Have Pizza?

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: basil, file, fillo, filo, garlic powder, oregano, parmesan, phyllo, recipe, tomatoes, vegetarian, zucchini

Farfalle with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Woman Loses 300lbs “The Hard Way,” Crowd Goes Wild

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: garlic, onion, parmesan, pasta, shallots, vegetarian, white wine

Boil chicken broth. Stir in mushrooms, uncooked rice, carrot, marjoram, and black pepper. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 12 minutes.

Brown Rice Pilaf is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Are Brown Eggs Really Better Than White?
2. What’s Wrong With White Rice?
3. Take A Peek Inside My Grocery List

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: brown rice, carrots, chicken broth, green onions, marjoram, mushrooms, onions, parsley, vegan, vegetarian

Stir-Fry:
1 block extra-firm tofu (12-ounce package)
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tbsp. orange juice (fresh-squeezed or store-bought)
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch or 2 tsp. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. cooking oil
2 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables
If frozen stir-fry veggies are not available, you can use carrots, bell peppers, snap peas, water chestnuts, broccoli, and celery. If desired, you could also add baby corn and pineapple chunks. If you use fresh veggies, they will just need a little extra cooking time during the first step.

1. Prepare marinade by combining all marinade ingredients in a bowl or gallon-sized plastic zipper bag. Squeeze excess liquid from the tofu using paper towels and cut tofu into small squares (about 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch). Gently toss tofu into marinade ingredients. Cover (or seal zipper bag) and marinade for 30 minutes; toss occasionally during the marinating process. After marinating, drain the tofu and discard the marinade.

2. Prepare sauce by combining 2 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. vinegar, 2 tbsp. orange juice, 1 tbsp. soy sauce, and 1 tsp. cornstarch in a small bowl.

3. Pour cooking oil into a wok or large skillet. Preheat over medium-high heat (I have an electric wok that I preheat to 250 degrees. It works perfectly for this dish). Stir-fry the vegetables only for 3 minutes or until they are crisp-tender. Remove the veggies from the wok and add the tofu. Stir-fry the tofu for 3 minutes until lightly browned. Push the tofu from the center of the wok (do not remove it). Add the sauce to the center of the wok and cook until it is thickened and bubbly.

4. Return the cooked vegetables to the wok and stir all ingredients together until they are coated with the sauce. Cook and stir for about 1 minute until everything is heated through.

Honey Orange Tofu Stir Fry is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Supermarket Swindle: Is Your Honey Really Honey?

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, celery, honey, orange juice, snap peas, tofu, vegan, vegetarian

Q: Hey Erika, I often wondered about becoming a vegetarian. In college I tried it but I still consumed dairy products. Anyway to make things short I’m actually thinking of trying the PETA 30-day challenge. Just wondering if you know of Black vegetarians?

A: Not only do they exist, but they write books about being Black vegetarians (or, in this case, vegans.)

I have long stretches of time where I desire absolutely no meat or dairy, and spend my days eating like a vegan. I have stretches of time where I spend my days eating like a raw vegan, where I don’t cook diddly squat. I just.. don’t want meat in my system. And, because protein (the primary thing most people whine about when it comes to vegetarians and vegans) is plentiful outside of animal by-product (regardless of what anyone else may tell you), I do just fine. (I also have random days where I require – yes, require – buffalo wings, and hell hath rain down upon he who denies me them.)

The choice to become vegetarian is a personal one and while we could talk about the pleasures of a vegetable-based diet, the benefits of having a diet that’s infused with veggies in place of meats and (not to mention) the animal rights aspect, I’m personally not going to do so. I don’t think that’s something that should be sold to you by a person with an agenda, and I don’t think it should be anyone’s task to sell you on something you need conviction to pursue. What I do think, however, is that you should do a lot of researching regarding how to make a meat-light or meat-free lifestyle one that works for you.

I also think that it should be noted that it is okay to eat meals that don’t include meat. I’m not sure where this “if there’s no meat, then its not a meal” mentality came from, but there are plenty of damned good meals out there that don’t include meat and will leave you feeling beyond satisfied. The meatless/meat-free lifestyle, when pursued with intent and effort, can be just as satisfying as any other, and it is backed by the fact that you not only know your stuff but you are fully comfortable with your decision… not just doing it to lose weight only to go back to eating meat once you’ve gotten the body you wanted. The more I read about my ancestors and their eating habits, the more I realize that, no, every meal didn’t have to have meat… partially because they couldn’t afford it back then but also because it was unnecessarily excessive. Meat at every meal nowadays is simply another form of excess we participate in in this country, and it should be made clear that we don’t have to eat like that.

I don’t say these things to frighten you or scare you off of vegetarianism, but I do say them so that anyone who wants to dabble in veggie-based lifestyles can make a choice that they’re comfortable living with. I shared my story of giving up red meat (for no other reason than that I simply didn’t want to eat it anymore) as a teen, and while it’s all jokes now, it was definitely war back then. Not just with my Mom, but with myself. It’s hard going against what you’ve always known – be it a meat-heavy lifestyle or a lifestyle that contributed to weight gain – but you absolutely can make it happen with intent and effort.

If you decide to do the PETA 30-Day Vegan Challenge, be sure to check out Bryant Terry’s Vegan Soul, which is a pretty dope cookbook. This way, if you get stuck, you’ll have a stash of flavorful recipes on hand to try. Best of luck to you in your endeavors, and remember that there’s tons of resources out there (and here!) if you need ‘em.

Let her know, y’all – are you a Black vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian, pollotarian, non-omnivorous something, anything? If so, why? How’d you make the change? How has it affected you?

Q&A Wednesday: Do Black Vegetarians Exist? is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Q&A Wednesday: How Do Vegetarians Get Their Protein?
2. Q&A Wednesday: Does Enjoyable Whole Wheat Pasta Exist?
3. Q&A Wednesday: A Black Girl’s Guide To Weight GAIN?

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | 33 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: blackness, culture, vegan, vegans, vegetarian, vegetarians

1 garlic clve, diced

1lb ground turkey

4tbsp chili powder

1tsp ground cumin

1/4tsp ground pepper

1/4tsp salt (optional!)

1 & 2/3 cups chicken broth

4 cups black beans

2 cups kidney beans

2 14.5oz containers of diced tomatoes

1 16oz bag of frozen corn

Put the onion, garlic and turkey in a large stock pot. Head over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the turkey is cooked through. Add the spices and cook, stirring, about five minutes. Add the chicken broth and stir well to get the browned bits up from the pan. Add the beans, tomatoes and corn. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, cheddar cheese and or sour cream. For the vegetarian version, you can substitute turkey with tofu and use liquid from the soaked beans instead of chicken broth (or use your own veggie broth!)

Turkey (or Tofu) Black Bean Chili is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Talking Turkey Bacon
2. “Food Is Not Just Food In The Black Community”
3. How Dare You, Fat Black Chick, Treat Me This Way?!

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: black beans, kidney beans, tofu, turkey, vegetarian

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and sugar. Stir in the water, soy sauce and sesame oil until smooth; set aside.

In a large nonstick wok or skillet, stir-fry broccoli in hot oil for 3 minutes. Add the pepper, onion, garlic and ginger; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Reduce heat; stir the soy sauce mixture. Stir into vegetables along with nuts. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Almond Vegetable Stir Fry is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Do You Think Tomato Paste Is A Vegetable? Your Government Does!

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2011. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: almonds, broccoli, peppers, red peppers, vegetarian

Q: How do you supplement your strength training with protein with a decreased consumption of meat? I tried to go vegetarian once and my strength gains deteriorated rapidly.

A: I’d expect that to happen because protein – something that meat is chock full of – is a key component of muscle building. Cut your protein intake, and you cut your muscle developing abilities. It’s that simple.

In my mind, the more items you cut from your daily intake, the more cognizant you have to be of your nutrition. It’s just that simple. Know what you’re cutting out, and create a plan for making sure you can replace it adequately.

Today, that “something” is protein.

Realistically speaking, considering the amount of meat and animal byproduct most of us eat every day, most of us get far too much protein in our diets. There are a lot of blanket statements about how much is best (“about 1g for every kg you weigh, so for a 150lb person, 75g of protein” or “about 1g for every pound you weigh” or “15% of your caloric intake”) but you just have to keep testing out what works best for you and what’ll keep you going for your particular goals. It seems like it might be tough because you’d think that, as strength trainers, we’d want all the muscle builders we can get. However, with protein also comes calories and since we have to be mindful of caloric intake, we also have to make sure that we’re not eating an excess. An excess of anything is an issue for us.

Animal and animal byproduct has long been a source of protein for humans. It’s in the eggs. It’s in the milk. It’s in the cheese. It’s in the muscle meat. It’s in the organs. It’s in all of it. While there are plenty other sources of protein, we tend to rely the most upon lean meats. It’s a place where you can get protein with little fat, little carbohydrates… little anything else, really. That’s what’s made it so ideal for those of us who are strength trainers – a protein source with little fat and a controlled calorie count? Pfft – a lean steak or chicken breast makes you happy.

But what happens when you decide to start cutting the meat? Reasoning for your decision aside, you have to keep in mind the amount of meat you were taking in, the amount of protein that meat provided you and a plan of action for replacing it. Lucky for you, this is easy peasy.

First… protein is in practically everything. No, look:

The nuts you eat? Protein. The seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, flax, hemp) you chomp? Protein. There’s protein in the fruits you scarf down. There’s protein in the veggies you steam, saute and grill. So while you might be cutting out a big source of protein via meat, you’re not completely down for the count.

I’m a bean eater. I mean, it’s just my thing. Kidney beans, black beans, navy beans, chickpeas, black eyed peas… I like my beans. They’re also full of protein. I mean, I stuff my vegetarian (or vegan) dinners with beans, and all is well on my plate. The average half-cup of black beans alone has at least 6 grams of protein in the cup, and also has a load of fiber, too. (“Beans, beans, the musical fruit…”)

I’m also a big broccoli fan. There’s just something sweet in the bite of a broccoli stalk… and I could easily – easily – eat a cup or two of it in one sitting, with a little garlic and ginger. That, alone, is about 4 grams of broccoli per cup.

There’s protein in peanut butter: 8g for every 2 tablespoons. There’s protein in bananas: 1g. It’s everywhere.

I keep saying that because it needs to be understood – vegetarians and vegans? They can get their protein just fine. There’s also soy protein and protein powders, but…. I don’t have any experience with those.

These are small amounts compared to the amount of protein in a chicken breast – 47g – but if you are compelled to forego that for private reasons (none of which I care to judge), then you make a way.

How do you build a plate without meat or animal byproduct, though? Easy. The same way you make a space for meat protein on your plate, you make a space for non-meat protein. Making stir-fry? Add some mushrooms and peanuts or sesame seeds! Making a salad? Add some pumpkin seeds or walnuts to it! Snack on an almond/cranberry blend during the day. Eat oatmeal for breakfast. Scarf down some quinoa mixed with fruits for lunch. Lots of different clean options, here. You’ve just got to be creative in how you handle them.

Now, it’s easier if you’re eating animal by-products and not animal meat, because you can get in your protein through yogurt, cheeses or eggs. You can top a salad with cheese or eat a cheese and nut blend for a snack. I mean, really… there’s so much that you can do, here. You just have to get creative with it, and strangely enough, that makes it that much more fun.

That being said, here are a few resources to help you learn about the protein content of some non-meat sources to help you plan accordingly if you plan to convert away from eating meat.

• Protein In The Vegan Diet
• Protein: How Much Should You Eat? (Harvard School of Public Health)
• Northwestern University Protein Fact Sheet
• Vegetarian Protein Sources: Getting Enough Protein
• Where Do Vegans Get Their Protein?
• On Complete and Incomplete Protein Sources

Q&A Wednesday: How Do Vegetarians Get Their Protein? is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Q&A Wednesday: Do Black Vegetarians Exist?
2. Q&A Wednesday: Protein Powders, Fat Burners and Supplements… Oh My!
3. Q&A Wednesday: How Much Fat Is OK In My Food?

The FULL list of meal plans is currently available. Check it out and get your copy today!

Get BGG2WL delivered wirelessly to your Kindle! Click here for more info!

© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2011. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: diet, lifestyle, protein, vegan, vegetarian