Vegetarian Diets Get the Nod from the ADA

The American Dietetic Association has had a positive position on vegetarian diets for well over a decade, possibly longer, with the publication of their position paper in 1997 (Journal of the American Dietetic Association, November 1997, Volume 97, Number 11).

Well, now they've reaffirmed that a well-planned vegetarian or vegan diet is "appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes" (Volume 109, Issue 7, Pages 1266-1282) I think the inclusion of "all stages of life" is very important. While most people are now accepting of vegetarian diets for adults, vegetarian--and especially vegan--diets for children and pregnant women are still frequently frowned on.

Another keyword here is 'well-planned'. Simply substituing lettuce, broccoli or rice for the traditional meat on your plate doesn't cut it nutritionally. But well-planned doesn't have to mean complicated. Here are a couple of tips from the folks at Vegetarian Nutrition and the Toronto Vegetarian Association.

Top Vegetarian Athletes

A neat slideshow from the folks over at treehugger.com

"It's still a common question: can vegetarians perform as well as their carnivorous counterparts in physical competition? Take a look at each of the top level athletes in this slideshow, and you should have your answer. These 10 vegetarian athletes rose to the top of the sports world--without any help from meat."

Watch slideshow.

What to Write

I've spent the last month or so in a quandary because I recently find myself with time to start posting on this blog again. But what to say? I can't just suddenly start posting recipes and tips after a whole year hiatus. Well, I could, but it seems to odd to me. So I've been putting off writing about all the wonderful ideas perculating in my mind and the kitchen, because I simply didn't know where, or when, to start.

A friend commented to me today, "well just get going on it." And she's right of course. There really isn't anything magical or mystical about it. Either I get going, or I don't. So, here I am, getting going on it. Now to poke Michael....