Great Vegetarian Foods

Many vegetarians eat nourishing, satisfying, diverse diets composed predominantly or wholly of tasty plant foods. Even nonvegetarians can benefit from learning more about these foods, especially if they have health conditions like diabetes or food allergies, or simply wish to eat a healthier, more environmentally sound diet. Always ask your doctor first about changes to your diet.

Beans

"Poor beans, the most neglected members of the vegetable world," writes dietitian Nancy Berkoff. Yet they are great sources of protein, fiber and other nutrients and central to many cuisines. Think Cuban black bean soup, Indian dal and Middle Eastern falafel. Canned beans can cut your food preparation time down. Tofu, or soybean curd, and tempeh, another fermented soy food, can be delicious if you learn how to cook with them. Soybean milk can substitute for animal milk.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds like peanuts, macadamias, almonds, walnuts and sesame seeds have many culinary possibilities and health benefits. You can eat these raw, roasted, ground into butters, used to enrich more complex dishes or made into sometimes lowfat but creamy beverages like almond milk. If you have allergies to other nuts or seeds, ask your doctor about sunflower seeds or butter, or flaxseed. Ground flaxseed boiled with water can substitute for eggs in baked goods.

Grains

Whole grains, like wheat, corn, rice, quinoa, teff and buckwheat, have been staple foods for human cultures since the dawn of agriculture. Grains can take the form of cereals, breads and pastas, among other dishes. Unless you have a wheat or gluten allergy, you can also enjoy seitan or "wheat meat," a versatile, protein-rich mock meat that originated in Chinese Buddhist cuisine.

Vegetables and Fruits

If you fear that vegetables and fruits are boring, try visiting websites like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov. It has helpful features like the fruit or vegetable of the month. Some selections include starfruit, tomatillos and fennel. Try recipes that use new leafy greens like bok choi, collards, Swiss chard or mustard. Look through the multicultural recipes that the United Food and Agriculture Organization gathered in 2008 to celebrate the International Year of the Potato, the world's No. 1 nongrain food commodity. Learn how to use banana as a flavorful substitute for egg in baking.

Natural Sweeteners

Many vegetarians avoid refined cane sugar, as it is generally made using bone charcoal. But organic sugar, beet sugar and evaporated cane juice are vegetarian. Other natural sweeteners include date sugar, xylitol, erythritol, barley malt, brown rice syrup, concentrated fruit juice, stevia, maple syrup and agave nectar. Websites like AllRecipes.com and Simple Social Kitchen discuss how to substitute these variously tasting and textured alternatives to refined sugar in recipes.