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Tips Offered for a Meatless Holiday Meal

Photo by Miranda Sebroski If holiday guests choose vegetarian or vegan options for their diets, cooks may need to try preparing some creative new dishes.

Many holiday dinners are served with turkey as a main dish, but not everyone eats meat.

Having someone at the table who doesn’t can raise questions, such as “What can you eat?” or “How do you get the right nutrients?”

Rachelle Harr, a nutritionist based in St. Clairsville, said there are many ways to get the right amount of protein when it comes to a diet without meat. Eating lots of beans and legumes such as black beans, lima beans, chick peas, lentils and black eyed peas is one way to accomplish that goal. And Harr said those foods can be filling sources of protein.

“Foods from this group help keep you full without the calories from animal products,” Harr said.

Nuts and seeds are also good options. Substitutes for meat dishes include soybean-based tofu and tempeh, wheat-based seitan and frozen meals that can be found in most grocery stores. “Tofurky,” or a tofu dish that mimics turkey, is a popular Thanksgiving and Christmas meal for many. Be wary, though, since many vegan frozen meals may not be as healthy as other options because of high sodium.

“Although vegetarians base their meals on vegetables, the addition of whole grains, legumes, fruits and healthy fats are pertinent to their daily intake,” Harr said. “The overall goal is to ensure nutrient adequacy by choosing foods from all food groups and consuming them in appropriate portion sizes, even during the holiday season. It is important for vegetarians, as well as non-vegetarians, to follow with their primary care provider for regular lab work and assessment for any deficiencies. If a deficiency is found, registered dietitians are available to assist with proper nutrition.”

With those who are cutting all animal products out of their diet on the guest list, making holiday meals can become even trickier. For desserts, bananas and apple sauce can replace eggs and even give extra flavor. In any recipe that ordinarily calls for milk, it can be easily replaced with plant-based alternatives such as soy, almond or rice milk. Traditional butter can be replaced with a non-dairy alternative.

While such options can usually be found in a store’s organic section, they can be pricey. There are hidden gems, though, that are not as expensive. Many other dishes can be manipulated for vegan and vegetarian guests at Thanksgiving, such as a green bean casserole. And someone who does have a restricted diet can bring a covered dish featuring come of what they like as an option for the table. Still, getting the experience of cooking for them can be beneficial for the host the next time that particular guest stops by.

Brandi Hollingshead, of Wheeling, has been a vegetarian for seven years and a vegan for five. While she has adjusted to her plant-based diet over the years, she said it was not always easy when she had first started eating vegan, especially around the holidays.

“It used to be ridiculously difficult. I went vegetarian in 2006 and resources were nothing like they are today,” Hollingshead said.

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