To Eat or Not To Eat

5 “Vegetarian Foods” I Never Eat

Healy Real Food Vegetarian April 11, 2013 

I often see a lot of misconception surrounding vegetarianism from many people in the real food community and vice-versa. In my opinion the paleo/WAPF/traditional foods movements and vegetarians have a lot in common (see my article Not All Vegetarians Are Created Equal). So, I wanted to create this two part series on what a real food vegetarian eats. I’m starting off with a list of 5 “Vegetarian Foods” That I Never Eat and why. Tomorrow, I will post 5 Real Food Vegetarian Protein Sources so you can get an idea of the kind of food that a real food vegetarian eats!

Most of the items on my list of ‘Vegetarian Foods I Never Eat’ are highly processed foods. The “Real Food” movement is most commonly defined by the avoidance of processed foods. Of course, considering the fact that processed food is so prevalent in the American diet, the lines between natural and processed have been blurred. Many packaged food products have the word “natural” written right on it, further confusing average consumers who may not have the time to analyze these products and all the ingredients in them.

In this day and age it’s hard to completely avoid processed food and I can’t say that I’m perfect, but I do try my hardest to avoid it at all cost. In my opinion, processed food is packaged food (even if it says natural on it!). If you don’t know how it was made or can’t make it yourself at home, that’s a pretty good indicator that it’s not natural. However, I think the 80/20 rule is good way to live, meaning that you eat healthy 80% of the time and every once in a while (20% of the time) you go out with friends and get a pizza or ice cream or whatever. Trying to be perfect all the time can cause major stress which is also unhealthy!

This list is not intended as a list of foods that YOU should never eat. It is however a list of foods that I myself do not eat and would encourage anyone to exercise caution before consuming. I often get emails from readers asking me what I eat, so I want to start with what I don’t eat. I will share a few foods that are commonly regarded as health foods and are widely considered to be “vegetarian food” that I try to avoid. 

Whether or not YOU should eat these foods is up to you. Make your own informed decision. Look at all the relevant information out there and decide what is best for you.

1. Tofu

Aside from being a highly processed food, soy, which is what tofu is made of, has been shown to have many troubling effects on health. Just to name a few: soy is high in phytates (phytic acid) and trypsin inhibitors which makes it hard to digest and even blocks absorption of certain vitamins, minerals and proteins.

To break down this anti-nutrient (phytic acid) in grains and legumes, it helps to sprout or soak them. However, this is not enough for soy. It needs to be fermented to effectively reduce phytic acid. Although Asian cultures have thrived despite consuming soy for centuries, they have traditionally only eaten fermented soy (like soy sauce, tempeh, natto and miso) in very small quantities.

94% of soy is Genetically Modified (GMO). Since soy is one of the most vastly grown cash-crops in the US, it’s not surprising that it’s in everything. The over-processing of soy can create a dangerous product. Soy lecithin, soybean oil, mono- and di-glycerides and MSG (monosodium glutamate) are all common derivatives of soy.

Soy also contains phytoestrogens which can disrupt normal hormone function. I experienced this hormonal disruption first-hand and have heard testimonials from others with similar stories. Years ago when I used to eat a lot of soy I always had a very irregular menstrual cycle. A woman’s period should come roughly every thirty days, but I could never count on mine coming at the same time each month. Sometimes it would be every other month sometimes it wouldn’t come for three months, I never knew. I even went to an endocrinologist after a while to see if they could get to the bottom of it, but the doctor wasn’t able to explain it and told me that it didn’t really matter unless I was trying to conceive. When I started reading up on the issues with soy I decided to stop eating it. It’s been a few years since I’ve regularly eaten soy and my menstruation has been completely regular ever since.

I rarely eat soy products and if I do, I make sure it is organic or non-GMO and fermented. I definitely don’t depend on it as a primary source of protein.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/soy-health_b_1822466.html
http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/2009/11/19/soy-is-not-a-health-food/
http://www.foodrenegade.com/dangers-of-soy/
http://thewholesoystory.com/

2. Veggie Burgers

Although they are commonly thought of as a health food, I would not consider them as such. Most store bought veggie burgers have tons of industrially processed chemicals, additives, MSG, GMOs and unhealthy oils. However, making homemade veggie burgers can be a great alternative! I often make my own with ingredients like sprouted lentils, vegetables, sprouted or soaked rice, quinoa and pasture raised eggs. Check out my homemade sprouted lentil veggie burger recipe!

To show you an exmaple of how processed store-bought veggie burgers actually are, I’ve written the ingredients for a morningstar burger below. It’s a veritable cocktail of industrially processed oils, GMOs and MSG! Food companies routinely mislead consumers by hiding MSG in packaged foods that would otherwise appear to be free of MSG. It is not only listed on ingredients labels as monosodium glutamate anymore, it’s also hidden in many foods listing yeast extract, anything “hydrolyzed”, textured protein and more (from Beautiful Babies).

Morning Star Burger:

GMOs are Highlighted in Orange

MSGs are Highlighted in Yellow

*Many ingredients are both MSG and GMO, but I just labeled one or the other.

TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEAT GLUTEN, WATER FOR HYDRATION) [GMO], CORN OIL [GMO], EGG WHITES, CALCIUM CASEINATE [MSG], CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF MODIFIED TAPIOCA STARCH [GMO], ONION POWDER, MIXED TRIGLYCERIDES [GMO], CANOLA OIL [GMO], HYDROLYZED VEGETABLE PROTEIN [MSG] (CORN GLUTEN, WHEAT GLUTEN, SOY PROTEIN), DEXTROSE [GMO], SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE [GMO] ,NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS [MSG], SALT, YEAST EXTRACT [MSG], SUGAR, CARAMEL COLOR [GMO], WHEY [MSG], METHYLCELLULOSE [GMO], SPICE [MSG], GARLIC POWDER,MALTODEXTRIN [GMO], DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE [MSG], SOY SAUCE (WATER, SOYBEANS, SALT, ETHYL ALCOHOL, WHEAT) [GMO], AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT [MSG], ASCORBIC ACID [GMO], THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), NIACINAMIDE, SESAME SEED OIL, SOY LECITHIN [GMO], IRON (FERROUS SULFATE), THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), VITAMIN B12.

Shocking right?! What you have left is sugar, egg whites, onion powder, salt, garlic powder and a bunch of synthetic vitamins… Yum!

3. Soy Milk

Like I said above in regards to tofu, I avoid soy because of the health related concerns I have with it, because it is highly processed and because 94% is GMO unless labeled otherwise. Apart from that, soy milk also has additives and sweeteners that make it far from healthy.

Soy milk is rarely just soy beans and water. It often contains sugar, “natural flavor” (which usually contains MSG), and carageenan which has been shown to contribute to gastrointestinal problems and colon cancer in clinical trials (Carageenan Study).

Many years ago when I used to consume a lot of soy, I bought soy milk powder at a health food store so I could make my own. It didn’t have any sugar or other additives, so I thought it would be a healthy money saver. I added the water to the powder and took a sip…I spat it out immediately! It was disgusting! This is why almost all soy milk has added sugar because I don’t think anyone would drink it without some kind of sweetener!

4. Vegan Butter Substitutes or Earth Balance

Most of these butter substitutes are full of canola and soybean oil. Although canola oil is vastly regarded as a healthy oil, many (including myself) agree that it is far from healthy and marketed as a healthy oil by big food companies hoping to make a profit on cheap oils. I would consider pure olive oil or coconut oil to be a much better alternative (where to buy high quality olive oil and coconut oil). Both soybean oil and canola oil are high in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) and the industrial processing of these oils creates free radicals which can cause all kinds of health problems and has been linked to cancer. There’s so much back story on canola oil and soybean oil that to go into it completely could merit a whole separate post. So, if you want to learn more about it I’ll refer you to these posts:

http://www.foodrenegade.com/why-canola-oil-not-health-food/
http://butterbeliever.com/what-is-pufa/
http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/skinny-on-fats/#modern

5. TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)

Textured vegetable protein. It’s meant to sound very nice isn’t it? Like it’s made all naturally from vegetables, but it’s basically more soy! TVP is used in a lot of fake meat products like veggie burgers, soy sausage, tofurkey, etc.

Here’s what wikipedia says about how it’s made:

“The defatted thermoplastic proteins are heated to 150-200°c, which denatures them into a fibrous, insoluble, porous network that can soak up as much as three times its weight in liquids.  Many TVP producers use hexane to separate soy fat from soy protein, and trace amounts of the solvent are left after manufacturing.”

Doesn’t sound so natural anymore does it? It sounds like a science experiment rather than food. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not have any trace of hexane in my food. The process of creating TVP also creates free glutamic acids which is MSG. MSG has been linked to brain damage, nervous disorders and hormone problems (from beautiful babies).

http://www.healyrealfoodvegetarian.com/real-food-vegetarian-part-one-5-vegetarian-foods-i-never-eat/

5 Real Food Vegetarian Protein Sources

Healy Real Food Vegetarian April 12, 2013 Uncategorized

First off, I think it’s important to point out that the quality of protein is more important than the quantity. Weight loss gurus and nutritional nuts have preached the importance of the almighty protein for years making people feel like they need to stock up on tubs of protein powder, protein bars and shakes. Nowadays, many will agree that even if you do have a few scoops of protein powder that it’s been so over-processed and stripped of any real nutrients that it’s pretty much useless. Most are fat-free anyway and good fats help your body absorb protein more readily.

So, while 1 cup of non-fat greek yogurt may have more protein than say one cup of regular raw milk yogurt, the raw milk yogurt will benefit you more by keeping you fuller longer, providing you with CLA, EFAs and more manganese, iron, vitamin C and B6 than it’s pasteurized counterpart (benefits of raw milk). The non-fat or low-fat versions often have more sugar and added milk powder which is industrially processed and doesn’t give you any of the benefits of the fat!

I’ve learned that it’s not quite as black and white as the number of calories or fat or protein you consume, but rather the quality!

These 5 protein sources that I’ve listed below are ones that I often eat and consider to be healthy whole foods. Some people have different preferences and different dietary needs. As always, do what’s best for you and your body!

1. Pasture Raised Eggs

I probably have pasture raised eggs every day. It’s a shame that a lot of people fear eggs because of cholesterol. The link between dietary cholesterol and heart disease has been disproved. Many agree that it is actually inflammation that causes heart disease and that sugar and other processed foods create inflammation. In fact, cholesterol is vital for healthy brain development, sexual health and synthesis of Vitamin D (see related articles- Dr. Mercola, Food renegade, Our Nourishing Roots).

Again, it’s important to specify that the quality of eggs is of the utmost importance. If you buy the standard battery eggs, organic eggs, or organic and cage-free eggs you still won’t get a fraction of the benefits of a pastured egg. To learn more about the difference between all these egg labels check out this article- Real Food University.

A study that tested several pasture raised flocks of hens around the country showed that their eggs had 2/3 more vitamin A, 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids, 3 times more vitamin E and 7 times more beta carotene than conventional eggs (source). Is it really so strange to think that healthy hens that are allowed to live in the sun and eat what they naturally should will produce healthier eggs than the hens that live in a dark cage their entire lives being fed GMO soy and corn?

Yes, they cost more, but they’re worth it considering the health benefits and the amount of beneficial protein, vitamin D, vitamin B-12 and other nutrients that it can provide to a vegetarian diet AND you can feel good knowing that the hens live a happy life outdoors eating grass and bugs and all the other good stuff that they’re supposed to!

Here’s what cheeseslave has to say about the cost:

“It’s true that pastured eggs cost more. But isn’t it obvious that it is worth it? You’d have to eat 5 supermarket eggs to get the same amount of vitamin D from one pastured egg. You may be able to buy a dozen eggs for a buck or two at the grocery store, but you get what you pay for. The national average for pastured eggs is about $4-5 per dozen. However, they are worth that in terms of nutrient density.” (source)

Check out some of my recipes using eggs!

2. Lentils (sprouted or soaked)

Lentils are packed with protein, fiber and other great vitamins and minerals like magnesium and folate. Soaking or sprouting is vital to harness the benefits that grains, legumes and seeds have to offer.

Sprouting and soaking were common traditional practices long ago, but since the development of fast, cheap and convenient foods, it has lost it’s popularity. Sprouting is a process that germinates grains, seeds or legumes which in turn makes them more easily digested and produces additional vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin B and Carotene. It helps to decrease the amount of phytic acid present in grains. Phytic acid, an enzyme inhibitor, blocks the absorption of vitamins and minerals. It can also cause poor digestion and an unhealthy gut.

This may explain why many people feel bloated, gassy or intolerant of beans and grains. Some people who believe that they are gluten intolerant actually do quite well with properly sprouted grains. If you do have grain allergies or gluten intolerance please consult your health practitioner before attempting to consume sprouted or soaked grains and do so with caution.

The way that you sprout any grain, seed or legume is the same, only the amount of time you sprout it changes. For an example on how to sprout check out my post on how to sprout red lentils.

To soak grains just cover the amount of grain or bean you’d like to cook with filtered water in a bowl or pot and add 1 tbsp vinegar, lemon juice or liquid whey for every cup of beans or grains. Soak for 12-24 hours, then drain, rinse and cook! Use less water to cook than you would for unsoaked beans and grains.

Check out my recipe for vegetarian meatloaf with sprouted red lentils!

3. Whole Milk Yogurt and Kefir (preferably made from raw milk)

Definitely skip the non-fat and low-fat milk, kefir and yogurt! Here’s what Kristin Michaelis of Food Renegade has to say about low-fat milk in her book beautiful babies:

“If the milk has fat removed (as in skim, 1%, and 2% varieties), it’s not only going to be missing all the fat-soluble vitamins the body needs to properly digest the calcium and other goodies in the milk, but it will also usually have nonfat dry milk or other milk solids added to create a more desirable consistency. These forms of dry milk are high in free glutamic acids (also known as “MSG”) and oxidized cholesterol (a dangerous, inflammatory form of cholesterol that can cause heart disorders).”

Again, raw milk can be be quite expensive, but it’s worth it to me considering the benefits. You can find raw milk in your area through this website- Real Milk. You can also look into buying clubs or craigslist to see if any local farms offer raw milk delivery or pickup.

I know it can actually be pretty hard to find raw whole milk yogurt. So, I make my own yogurt. You can get yogurt starters online to use at home (where to buy yogurt starters). I also have ayogurt maker which makes it really easy to make!

If you can’t get your hands on raw milk, I would recommend sticking to organic, grass-fed whole milk yogurt, kefir and other milk products! It’s better for your health, better for the animal and better for the environment!

4. Almonds or other nuts (preferably sprouted or soaked)

I love having almonds, cashews, walnuts and pecans around for a tasty snack! Nuts are full of good fats, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and fiber! All of which help you absorb the protein! It is helpful however to sprout or soak the nuts to get the full benefits that they have to offer. Like grains, nuts also have phytic acid which can block many helpful enzymes. Soaking and sprouting can also make nuts more easily digested.

Nourishing traditions is a great book when learning all about traditional food. It has directions on how to sprout and soak seeds, nuts and beans along with other real food information.

You can also check out these articles on how to soak nuts- http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/2009/06/01/soaking-nuts-and-seeds/

http://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/appetizers-snacks/is-soaking-nuts-necessary-how-to-properly-soak-your-organic-raw-nuts/

5. Beans (soaked or sprouted)

Beans, beans the musical fruit, right? Well, not if you soak or sprout them! Many say that the digestive upset and..ahem, gassy feeling you get after eating beans is because they’re not properly prepared by first soaking or sprouting them! Luckily it’s easy, healthy and CHEAP to soak beans rather than buying BPA laden cans of them!

All you have to do is buy dry beans (which are very inexpensive!). A few of my favorites are black beans, pinto beans and garbanzo beans. Put the dry beans in a big pot or bowl and cover with water. Make sure to also put in 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or whey for every cup of beans. The beans need an acidic medium to combat the phytic acid. Different beans need different soaking times, but they are all generally between the 12-48 hour mark. I usually try to soak longer rather than shorter. Remember to skim off any foam and rinse before you cook.

I usually soak a big pot of beans at once so that after I cook them I can store some in the freezer for easy access later for tacos, burritos, etc.

You can read more about soaking beans here- http://nourishedkitchen.com/soaking-grains-nuts-legumes/

http://www.healyrealfoodvegetarian.com/5-real-food-vegetarian-protein-sources/