The fall harvest of squash, apples, pumpkins and other seasonal crops adds autumn colors to restaurant menus as October marks National Vegetarian Month, which celebrates a plant-based eating style.
You don’t have to be a full-time vegetarian to join the foodie fun. From black bean and brown rice burritos to butternut squash and sage ravioli, it’s easier to find delicious vegetarian dishes in all kinds of eateries. Moe’s Southwest Grill reassures vegetarians that onions, peppers and mushrooms for vegetarian dishes are prepared on a separate grill from meat products.
According to a 2012 Gallup poll, nearly half of Americans say they eat one vegetarian meal a week. Meanwhile, only 5 percent of U.S. adults call themselves vegetarians, saying they avoid meat, seafood, fish and poultry.
Nearly twice as many women versus men are vegetarians.
There are many ways to eat like a vegetarian.
Lacto-ovo: Includes dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt and eggs but excludes meat, poultry and fish.
Lacto: Includes dairy products but excludes eggs and foods containing eggs as well as meat, poultry and fish.
Vegan: Includes only foods of plant origin and excludes meat or animal products such as milk or eggs. A vegan diet consists of fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, seeds and nuts. Two percent of U.S. adults call themselves vegan.
Flexitarian: A relatively new term to describe folks who eat vegetarian meals most of the time, but do eat meat, poultry and fish on occasion.
Vegetarian nutrition
While meat-eating parents may worry about the health of teenagers who “go vegetarian,” nutrition experts agree that a well-planned vegetarian diet is totally nutritious. However, vegetarians need to plan so they can get enough protein, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B-12 in their diets.
Those who drink milk have a better chance of avoiding gaps in protein, calcium and vitamin B-12. In fact, a cup of milk contains 8 grams of high-quality protein — more than in one egg — as well as plenty of calcium.
Key plant protein sources in the vegetarian diet are beans, lentils, seeds, nuts and whole grains. Quinoa, the ancient grain from South America, has the highest protein content of any whole grain.
Veggie lovers
What I love the most about the foodie focus on vegetarian offerings is the creative way chefs are paying attention to side dishes.
California kind of started the craze, so on a recent trip to Sonoma County, I was inspired to taste what was cooking today.
Even “Next Iron Chef” contestant chef Duskie Estes’ pork-centric menu at Zazu included a garden full of veggie-friendly options, including Point Reyes blue cheese ravioli with chard and porcini noodles with tomatoes, arugula and Sebastopol mushrooms.
The Girl & the Fig restaurant in the town of Sonoma features produce from the county’s many farms, including a simply elegant starter of heirloom pink radishes served with anchovy butter and gray sea salt.
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