With all the talk of how important it is to get enough protein in the diet, many of my vegetarian clients worry that their diets might not be providing all the protein they need.

Vegetarians are usually advised to eat slightly more protein than omnivores – this is to ‘make up’ for the slightly different makeup of the amino acids in the foods that are eaten – and also because of slight differences in digestibility between animal and plant proteins.

In truth, though, vegetarian diets can offer up plenty of protein, as long as they’re well-balanced.  Let’s talk about the options.

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Whenever I travel, I do my best to spend a little time checking out the local foods. I’ll poke around on the internet and look at menus – and usually find something intriguing. Not long ago, we were far up the California coast, and I found a menu for a vegetarian restaurant serving a six-course “sea vegetable dinner” featuring sea palm, nori, dulse and wakame – all forms of seaweed. I have to confess that we settled for something a bit less adventurous, but it did get me wondering why we don’t see more sea vegetables on menus – at least here on the coast where it’s ‘ripe for the picking’. Read more »

The way diet trends go back and forth, trying to follow them is like watching a game of ping pong. By their nature, trends aren’t meant to be long-lasting – and most people who jump onto the latest dietary bandwagon are usually looking for super-fast results. And if you ask those who have managed to lose weight how they did it, their answers are all over the map. Some swear by a low carb plan, while others give credit to a vegetarian regimen or a strict accounting of fat grams.  With so many possible ways to lose weight, it sort of begs the question:  is one diet better than another? Read more »