Karen’s committed to a vegetarian diet
It might take a little more thought and a little more effort to produce a balanced meal as World Vegetarian Month begins, Karen Holdem says life as a vegetarian is the only way to go.
She grew up in a traditional meat eating home, but as an adult she found herself increasingly attracted to the option of a meat-free diet. A change in family circumstances proved the ultimate catalyst to eliminating meat completely.
As a mum Karen is well aware of the need to provide her children with eating options. If they want meat, then she’ll produce a meat-based meal, but most often the eight and 13-year-olds are happy to eat the same meals as their mother.
Most people eat too much meat, Karen says, and even if meat is not eliminated from a diet, reducing the quantity eaten will have a big payback in improved health, she said.
“You can get all of your dietary needs with a vegetarian diet, but you need to be careful to achieve a balance, particularly with protein and iron.”
Vegetables alone did not make a complete diet, and needed to be supplemented with nuts, seeds, grains and legumes to ensure the right balance of vitamins and minerals, Karen said.
“Yes, you can use nuts for snacks but you can incorporate them in cooking, for example instead of meat patties I make walnut patties, or with legumes, I’ll make a shepherd’s pie with kidney beans, it just takes a little bit of adjusting taste wise.”
The biggest thing in making a change to a vegetarian diet was understanding the need to put a little more effort in to ensure the right dietary balance was achieved, she said.
“You just have to be a bit more prepared and when you’re bringing children into it you have to be very aware. Eggs are a great source of iron and protein so you can certainly get enough without meat.”
Karen and her children are aware of traceability and quality in their food. If she cooks a meat meal for her children the meat has to be high quality and if she has a rare meal of fish, she likes to know where it is from.
Anyone on a vegetarian diet who was concerned they were missing out on essential vitamins and minerals should not be afraid to use health supplements, she said.
Eating out had become much easier now, with most restaurants providing a good range of salads and vegetarian dishes. The range of recipe books available meant there were no excuses for turning out boring vegetarian meals, Karen said.
She’s a firm believer in ensuring her children know both where their food comes from and how to cook that food. They are under no pressure to become vegetarian, but she does want them to be able to make informed choices about food.
Pictured: October might be World Vegetarian month, but for committed vegetarian Karen Holdem, a vegetable-based diet is something she lives every day.
