6 Staples of a Vegetarian Diet
These wholesome foods are essential for creating balanced meatless meals.
The building blocks of a meatless diet are wholesome, nourishing foods that should form the backbone of any diet-meatless or not. With these items in your pantry, a healthy, meatless meal is easy to pull together. Find out what these meatless staples are and why you should embrace them. Download a FREE Cookbook with Healthy Vegetarian Recipes!
1. Healthy Oils
Oils, especially canola and extra-virgin olive oil, offer heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Some, such as canola oil and flaxseed oil, provide omega-3 fats.
2. Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds provide protein and healthy unsaturated fats; walnuts and flaxseed provide omega-3 fats. Nuts and seeds also offer fiber and important nutrients, such as vitamin E, iron and zinc.
3. Eggs and Dairy
Eggs and dairy are good sources of high-quality protein for lacto-ovo-vegetarians. Dairy products, such as milk and yogurt, provide calcium and vitamin D.
4. Legumes
Legumes-beans (including soybeans/edamame), lentils and dried peas-are the best sources of plant-based protein. Foods made from them (tofu, tempeh, falafel, hummus) are good sources too. Legumes also provide fiber, vitamins and minerals, including iron and zinc (nutrients abundant in meat).
5. Whole Grains
Whole grains should have a starring role in any vegetarian diet, as they are excellent sources of carbohydrates (the "good" kind) and other essential nutrients: B vitamins, vitamin E, selenium, zinc, copper, magnesium and iron, just to name a few. To try: oats, whole-wheat pastas and breads, brown rice, quinoa, bulgur.
6. Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables, with their abundance of fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals (e.g., lycopene in red foods, beta carotene in orange foods, anthocyanins in blue/purple ones), should form the base of any vegetarian diet.
Vegetarian Recipes to Try