We learned in class that as chefs, we need to have a large repertoire of food in order to be able to best serve our clients. So I gave it some thought about the diet I would attempt to adhere to for a week and I decided to be a vegetarian. Not that tough as I had been a vegetarian for 1.5 years when I was a teenager. But at that time, I lived at home and I was finding it hard to get all my nutrients as I was eating bread, cheese, veggies and meat alternatives each day. My parents are also semi-lacto-ovo-vegetarians right now and they have been for over a decade, so I know how to cook for them when they come over. They also concede every now and then and eat meat at my place.
So how did I decide on a particular vegetarian diet? Well my roommate found a vegetarian detox program that apparently is from the Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital and they prescribe this diet to cardiac surgery patients to help them detox. At first glance, the diet seems very restrictive and there are a few days where protein is non-existent. I feel it's sketchy, but I'm going to give it a try and support my roommate in her quest to detox her liver (read: she drinks too much). It's a 7 day program and is based on a vegetable soup that is eaten anytime you are hungry.
So how did I decide on a particular vegetarian diet? Well my roommate found a vegetarian detox program that apparently is from the Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital and they prescribe this diet to cardiac surgery patients to help them detox. At first glance, the diet seems very restrictive and there are a few days where protein is non-existent. I feel it's sketchy, but I'm going to give it a try and support my roommate in her quest to detox her liver (read: she drinks too much). It's a 7 day program and is based on a vegetable soup that is eaten anytime you are hungry.
I'm going to be blogging a bit every day about my experience on this diet, up until the day when this blog is due, which is Wednesday, March 18th.
DAY 1 - SUNDAY - FRUIT + SOUP
Today you were supposed to eat all the fruit you want, with the exception of bananas. Along with the fruit, you eat the soup every time you are hungry. I LOVE fruit and I thought this would be easy, but it wasn't. I was hungry all the time and found that I got sick of eating this soup even though I tried to make it as tasty as possible. I ended up eating a grapefruit, a pear, some grapes, a glass of orange juice and 3 cups of this soup all day. I went to bed hungry and tried to fill my tummy with hot tea all day. Probably because this diet is such a drastic change from what I normally eat, I had a massive headache all day.
DAY 2 - MONDAY - VEGGIES + SOUP
Today was absolute torture. I had an early morning 8am class - Food for Special Events - and today was Pate en Croute day. Man - it was difficult sitting through class and watching (and smelling) Chef sear off some rabbit for the Pate en Croute. Today, I ended up eating a bowl of soup for breakfast (yuck), some sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers for a snack (Allan ate most of my cucumbers at break time and I was not happy about this). It didn't help that prosciutto was being sampled in class and I couldn't eat it and Yoan had bought some yummy Persian bakery treats and I couldn't have any of that either. For lunch, I ate the stupid soup again plus some broccoli slaw without the dressing. After nutrition class, I went home and had another bowl of soup and a glass of orange juice. My headache was getting worse again, so I attempted to nap it off. It helped only a little bit. My mood perked up because I knew I was in for a "treat" for dinner. If I hadn't cheated to this point, I was allowed to reward myself with a baked potato! So I had the baked potato (thoroughly enjoyed it as you can see in the picture below), sautéed king oyster mushrooms and Chinese broccoli for dinner. My roommate and I make some baked beet chips, zucchini slices, spaghetti squash and roasted broccoli for the next few days. After all, you can't just eat this stupid vegetable soup all day. 2 days in and I'm already sick of it. However, if I make it to tomorrow without cracking, I'm allowed to have FRUIT + VEGGIES + SOUP. I'm going to bed just a little bit excited that tomorrow is going to be a better day.
DAY 1 - SUNDAY - FRUIT + SOUP
Today you were supposed to eat all the fruit you want, with the exception of bananas. Along with the fruit, you eat the soup every time you are hungry. I LOVE fruit and I thought this would be easy, but it wasn't. I was hungry all the time and found that I got sick of eating this soup even though I tried to make it as tasty as possible. I ended up eating a grapefruit, a pear, some grapes, a glass of orange juice and 3 cups of this soup all day. I went to bed hungry and tried to fill my tummy with hot tea all day. Probably because this diet is such a drastic change from what I normally eat, I had a massive headache all day.
DAY 2 - MONDAY - VEGGIES + SOUP
Today was absolute torture. I had an early morning 8am class - Food for Special Events - and today was Pate en Croute day. Man - it was difficult sitting through class and watching (and smelling) Chef sear off some rabbit for the Pate en Croute. Today, I ended up eating a bowl of soup for breakfast (yuck), some sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers for a snack (Allan ate most of my cucumbers at break time and I was not happy about this). It didn't help that prosciutto was being sampled in class and I couldn't eat it and Yoan had bought some yummy Persian bakery treats and I couldn't have any of that either. For lunch, I ate the stupid soup again plus some broccoli slaw without the dressing. After nutrition class, I went home and had another bowl of soup and a glass of orange juice. My headache was getting worse again, so I attempted to nap it off. It helped only a little bit. My mood perked up because I knew I was in for a "treat" for dinner. If I hadn't cheated to this point, I was allowed to reward myself with a baked potato! So I had the baked potato (thoroughly enjoyed it as you can see in the picture below), sautéed king oyster mushrooms and Chinese broccoli for dinner. My roommate and I make some baked beet chips, zucchini slices, spaghetti squash and roasted broccoli for the next few days. After all, you can't just eat this stupid vegetable soup all day. 2 days in and I'm already sick of it. However, if I make it to tomorrow without cracking, I'm allowed to have FRUIT + VEGGIES + SOUP. I'm going to bed just a little bit excited that tomorrow is going to be a better day.
DAY 3 - TUESDAY - FRUIT + VEGGIES + SOUP
I had an 8am lab today, which meant that I needed to be there for 7am. I tried eating the vegetable soup in the morning for breakfast the day before and that was just gross. So off to lab class I went and I ate a Granny Smith apple along the way. So in the efforts of being completely transparent, I cheated on the veggie detox diet with today's lab food. I'm not supposed to have any oil or sugar or dairy, but I did remain vegetarian all day! Here is what I added to my vegetarian diet today - Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction, Baked Eggplant and Miso Soup with Lab Made Tofu. Super yummy vegetarian food! And I think what made me happy was the bit of protein I had in the protein! For dinner, I'm going back to the vegetable soup, king oyster mushrooms and Shanghai bok choy that we made last night. For dessert, I'm thinking I'll snack on a kiwi. Tonight is going to be a good night...
Here's what I had for lunch on Day 3:
I had an 8am lab today, which meant that I needed to be there for 7am. I tried eating the vegetable soup in the morning for breakfast the day before and that was just gross. So off to lab class I went and I ate a Granny Smith apple along the way. So in the efforts of being completely transparent, I cheated on the veggie detox diet with today's lab food. I'm not supposed to have any oil or sugar or dairy, but I did remain vegetarian all day! Here is what I added to my vegetarian diet today - Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction, Baked Eggplant and Miso Soup with Lab Made Tofu. Super yummy vegetarian food! And I think what made me happy was the bit of protein I had in the protein! For dinner, I'm going back to the vegetable soup, king oyster mushrooms and Shanghai bok choy that we made last night. For dessert, I'm thinking I'll snack on a kiwi. Tonight is going to be a good night...
Here's what I had for lunch on Day 3:
And here's what I had for dinner on Day 3:
My Favourite Vegetarian Recipe
If I were to go vegetarian full-time, I would likely adopt Indian cuisine into my repertoire. I've loved all the curried lentils and legumes that I've tried in the past. So, in order to supplement the missing animal protein in a vegetarian diet, here is my favourite rice and lentils recipe that would also serve as a complete protein:
Dal Makhani - www.food.com/recipe/punjabi-dal-makhani-301613
Ingredients
3/4 cup black lentils
1/4 cup red kidney beans
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
8 garlic cloves, chopped
2 inches ginger root, chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1/2 cup fresh cream
1 teaspoon red chili powder
3 tablespoons butter
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon oil
Method
1. Soak whole black beans and red kidney beans overnight in 3-4 cups of water.
2. Cook the soaked lentils and beans in the same water with salt, red chili powder and half of the chopped ginger until it is cooked and soft.
3. Peel and chop the onion, ginger and garlic finely. Also chop the tomatoes.
4. Heat oil and butter in a thick-bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds. When it crackles, add chopped onions and fry until golden brown.
5. Add chopped ginger, garlic and chopped tomatoes. Sautè until tomatoes are well-mashed and fat starts to leave the masala. Add boiled lentils and beans to this. Do not add the liquid at first. Mash the lentils with the back of a ladle while stirring continuously. This gives the creamy texture to the lentils.
6. Add the liquid and some water if required and simmer on very low heat for fifteen minutes.
7. Add fresh cream and garam masala powder. Let it simmer for another five minutes. Finish off with a couple of pinches of Kasoori Methi (fenugreek) powder.
8. Serve hot with naan, paratha or rice.
The 3 L's - LLL (Life Lessons Learned), a.k.a. Reflection on My Experience
A vegetarian diet doesn't need to be complicated, but it does require a lot of preparation, research and thought. In order to get all the nutrients required, you actually have to think about what you're eating, when to eat it and how it should be made. I made it tougher on myself this week by trying to follow a vegetarian detox diet. I also learned that all macronutrients (fat, carbs and protein) are super important. We learned in nutrition class that carbs fuel the brain, but I've discovered that I need protein for energy and well-being and an adequate amount of fat also keeps me full. The first 2 days of the vegetarian detox program was tough as there was zero protein and virtually no fat. Day 3 was much better as I ate some tofu (I know, I know - I cheated), but that just goes to show that we should do everything in moderation. I think I will be better equipped knowing what I do now to become a successful vegetarian. I'm glad we also did the vegetarian lab this week as it gave me new ideas on how to incorporate more vegetables into my diet and how to supplement with non-animal sources of protein as well.
Advice and Ideas on How to Be a Vegetarian or to Accommodate Vegetarians as a Chef
I really do feel that one needs to be open-minded and to try new recipes. I don't love beets, but I did try today's lab recipe for Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction. While I still don't love beets, I think I'd be willing to eat this salad every now and then. I grew up with tofu as the Chinese culture very much embraces tofu in everything. I've also realized that just because I don't follow a specific diet or I don't have dietary restrictions doesn't mean that I don't try to accommodate others with their food restrictions and preferences. Actually, I'm glad that I've had some exposure to dietary restrictions as I have family and friends who are vegetarian & gluten free and others who do not eat pork or beef due to religious beliefs.
Would I Continue With My Choice?
I would absolutely consider being vegetarian every now and then, but not on a full-time basis. I love animal protein far too much to give it up completely. But from Nutrition, Food Theory and Lab classes, I've learned to respect vegetarianism a lot more and I've got a different mindset now. It's not just about eliminating meat protein. It's about introducing non-animal protein sources into our diet that could add variety and additional health benefits as well.
Closing Thoughts
After having done this diet for 3 days, I've discovered that when you're restricting yourself, you crave foods that you can't have. But on Day 3, I discovered that I loved everything else that I was trying that was new. Which means that if I really need to believe in my choice of foods or dietary choice in order to feel satisfied. Being vegetarian isn't necessary a hard decision. But I do believe that I need to do it for the right reasons in order to maintain the lifestyle successfully.
A vegetarian diet doesn't need to be complicated, but it does require a lot of preparation, research and thought. In order to get all the nutrients required, you actually have to think about what you're eating, when to eat it and how it should be made. I made it tougher on myself this week by trying to follow a vegetarian detox diet. I also learned that all macronutrients (fat, carbs and protein) are super important. We learned in nutrition class that carbs fuel the brain, but I've discovered that I need protein for energy and well-being and an adequate amount of fat also keeps me full. The first 2 days of the vegetarian detox program was tough as there was zero protein and virtually no fat. Day 3 was much better as I ate some tofu (I know, I know - I cheated), but that just goes to show that we should do everything in moderation. I think I will be better equipped knowing what I do now to become a successful vegetarian. I'm glad we also did the vegetarian lab this week as it gave me new ideas on how to incorporate more vegetables into my diet and how to supplement with non-animal sources of protein as well.
Advice and Ideas on How to Be a Vegetarian or to Accommodate Vegetarians as a Chef
I really do feel that one needs to be open-minded and to try new recipes. I don't love beets, but I did try today's lab recipe for Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction. While I still don't love beets, I think I'd be willing to eat this salad every now and then. I grew up with tofu as the Chinese culture very much embraces tofu in everything. I've also realized that just because I don't follow a specific diet or I don't have dietary restrictions doesn't mean that I don't try to accommodate others with their food restrictions and preferences. Actually, I'm glad that I've had some exposure to dietary restrictions as I have family and friends who are vegetarian & gluten free and others who do not eat pork or beef due to religious beliefs.
Would I Continue With My Choice?
I would absolutely consider being vegetarian every now and then, but not on a full-time basis. I love animal protein far too much to give it up completely. But from Nutrition, Food Theory and Lab classes, I've learned to respect vegetarianism a lot more and I've got a different mindset now. It's not just about eliminating meat protein. It's about introducing non-animal protein sources into our diet that could add variety and additional health benefits as well.
Closing Thoughts
After having done this diet for 3 days, I've discovered that when you're restricting yourself, you crave foods that you can't have. But on Day 3, I discovered that I loved everything else that I was trying that was new. Which means that if I really need to believe in my choice of foods or dietary choice in order to feel satisfied. Being vegetarian isn't necessary a hard decision. But I do believe that I need to do it for the right reasons in order to maintain the lifestyle successfully.