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Eat To Get High

Eat To Get High image
Parent Issue
Day
26
Month
November
Year
1971
OCR Text

EAT TO GET HIGH

by Jeanie Walsh

In the past few years, more and more people have become vegetarians for one reason or another. (Given the state that meat is in these days.) It's understandable that people are concerned with all the chemicals that are added to meat and just what effect those chemicals have on one's body.

Being a vegetarian though isn't always easy, that is, it isn't as easy to maintain one's health and vitality without an adequate supply of protein, and meat has always been the most common source of protein served at meals in Amerika. When I was young and my mother did all the cooking, we had meat at every meal and she always urged me to eat lots. I didn't really feel any healthier then, I actually feel feel healthier now, but that was all I knew, and it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I greatly cut down on my meat consumption.

A lot of people that I know who have given up eating meat have not replaced it with anything and over the months a general lag in health develops. Some people say that it's not that they don't get enough protein, its something else that's wearing on them because they ate meat one day and didn't feel any better. Just a one day increase in protein won't do any good if your body is undernourished over any length of time though, no matter what source you use.

The point is that if you're thinking of giving up meat, or have given it up you'll probably have to maintain a stable diet that has been carefully planned out because, as a rule, more vegetable bulk must be consumed to achieve the same protein level as meat so one needs to look at the weekly meal plan instead of the daily plan in order to obtain the same nutrients per week as you did when you ate meat a lot.

Many people use brown rice as their staple food. Rice is a good food that allows for a lot of variety in cooking but it doesn't have enough vital nutrients that it should be used so exclusively.

Dried beans, especially the soybean are more complete sources of protein and vital minerals than rice and should be served several times a week whether in the form of beans, or flour, or sprouts, or even soy oil. The history of the soybean goes back to China about 2000 B.C. Chinese farmers called soybeans the "meat of the soil". Soybeans are grown and used in many parts of the world where it it is against religious beliefs or technologically impractical to eat meat (lack of proper storage facilities etc.).

Soybeans are rich in the B-complex vitamins, copper, iron, calcium, vit. E, potassium, and lecithin to name a few. Lecithin is probably one of the most important ingredients. Lecithin is a substance that contains choline and inositol that are important to both nerve and brain tissues. Lecithin in fact, makes up approximately 1/3 of all brain tissues and 1/5 of all nerve tissues. Recent experimentation has led many scientists to feel that lecithin is a vital aid in reducing cholesterol levels. A natural source of lecithin is much better than a synthetic source. It helps keep the cholesterol in transport in the blood and helps prevent deposits of cholesterol from building up in the blood stream.

The oil of the soybean is a good source of lecithin and even though it is an oil it is not particularly fattening because it remains soluble in the blood and tends to be easily digested and eliminated.

Soybean sprouts are rich in vitamin A and C. Sprouts of all types are a great boost to healthy nutrition and next issue I'm going to talk a whole lot more about sprouts.

Soy flour has somewhat of a distinct flavor and although some people like it I don't. Due to its small amount of starch, soy flour must be used 1 part to eight parts whole wheat flour. 2 pounds soy flour are equal in nutritional value to 5 lbs. boneless meat, or 6 doz. eggs, or 15 qts. milk, or 4 Ibs. cheese ! Soybeans are low in carbohydrates, about 12% available which is about 1/2 the amount of other dried beans.

Soybeans are cheap and the same amount of money spent on soybeans that you normally spend on meat will buy you a huge amount of soybeans so you actually get more protein for your dollar. The cheapest place to buy soybeans in town is at the grain co-op store on S. State St. near Loy's. Check it out. Below are a few recipes that are tasty and use soybeans. You might like to try one out.

from Diet for a Small Planet - Crusty Soybean Casserole

6 servings:

1/2 c. cooked soybeans (beans must be soaked overnight in the refrigerator and then simmered for two hours)

2 c. corn fresh or frozen

2 c. stewed or fresh tomatoes

1 c. chopped onions

1/2 c. chopped celery

1 clove garlic crushed

.2 c. milk or for variety try

2 c. tomato sauce

1/3 c. grated cheese

2 1/2 c. cooked brown rice

Top with wheat germ or mix all ingredients and bake in a casserole for 45 mins. at 350 degrees.

from the Natural Foods Cookbook Lentil Loaf

6 servings:

1 c. cooked soybeans

1 c. cooked lentils - cook same as soybeans

1 c. cooked brown rice

1/2 c. wheat germ

1/4 c. corn meal, coarse or rolled oats

1/2 c. water or stock

2 c. milk

2 Tbs. parsley

2 tsp. celery seeds

Blend all ingredients and bake in a loaf pan for 30 mins. at 35C degrees.