We're delighted to share our Aunt Nettie with you. She's agreed to answer any questions you might ask about vegetarian food, its preparation, and even clean-up tips. But we have to prepare you. She just might want to come right over to your house and help you fix dinner.
To send any questions to Ask Aunt Nettie, .
Aunt Nettie frequently receives emails from visitors wanting to make dietary changes for health, but who are fearful they will not fulfill their protein needs on a vegetarian diet. Many of these emails express the concern that without animal protein, they will not have enough energy to thrive. These visitors are from all across the country and even other continents. Many still believe protein is the go-to source for energy and that carbohydrates are to be avoided.
Aunt Nettie addressed this concern several years ago, but because the issue continues to surface, we decided to reprint her original response and update the carbohydrate chart.
Erica from Studio City told Aunt Nettie that she would like to become a vegetarian but feels that she can't stick with it because she feels the need for more protein than vegetarian foods can supply. When she feels her energy at low ebb, she falls back on the Standard American Diet.
Here's what Aunt Nettie suggests for Erica:
Dear Erika,
I think I know jest the thing to help ya perk up to the energy a young lass like you oughter be feelin'. First off, I'm gonna give ya couple o' basics to help point ya in the right direction.
Protein is mainly fer buildin' brand new blood cells, repairin' 'em when they's all tuckered out, an' keepin' them cells in good condition. On a vegetarian diet those high protein foods would be mostly beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Even veggies have some protein. Tofu, made from soybeans, has a heap o' protein--extra-firm tofu can fix yer right up with a whoppin' 13 grams of it fer a three-ounce servin'. Now don't that make ya sit right up an' pay attention?
Fer energy, we gonna head right fer the carbohydrates--mainly fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, nuts and seeds. On a vegetarian diet, lots o' foods high in carbohydrates kin also give ya lots o' protein, so you git double benefit. Now, y'all knows every car needs gas to make it go--carbohydrates are engine fuel fer the body, so be sure to eat regular meals every day and enjoy plenty o' those energy packed carbohydrates.
Right down below is a list comparin' the carbohydrates in the animal products you been eatin' to the carbohydrates in plant foods. Don't those numbers jest surprise ya? Mind you now, it's easy to see that the energy foods are mostly in the vegetarian category.
Vegetarian Stuff Grams Animal Stuff Grams
Apple, 1 medium
25.13
Beef brisket, cooked 4 oz.
00
Banana, 1 medium
26.95
Beef, ground cooked 3 oz.
00
Cantaloupe, 1 cup cubes
13.06
Beef, porterhouse 3 oz.
00
Fig, 1 large
12.28
Beef shoulder roast 3.5 oz..
00
Mango, 1 medium
50.33
Beef tenderloin 3.5 oz.
00
Tangerine, 1 medium
11.74
Beef tri tip 3.5 oz.
00
Almonds, 1 oz.
6.0
Chicken breast, 4 oz.
00
Macadamias, 1 oz.
3.9
Chicken bratwurst sausage 3.5 oz.
0.87
Peanuts roasted 1 oz.
6.1
Chicken, dark meat 3.5 oz.
00
Pistachios, 1 oz.
7.8
Chicken drumstick 3.5 oz.
00
Sunflower seeds 1 cup
28.0
Chicken liver 3.5 oz
0.87
Walnuts 1 oz.
3.9
Pork, ground 3.5 oz.
1.39
Broccoli cooked 1 cup
11.2
Pork, ham 3.5 oz.
00
Cabbage, raw 1 cup
5.15
Pork, Italian sausage, 1 link
3.54
Carrot, 1 medium
5.84
Pork, spareribs 3.5 oz.
00
Kale, chopped 1 cup
6.7
Turkey, roasted 4 oz.
00
Mustard greens, 1 cup
2.7
Catfish cooked 3.5 oz.
00
Potato, baked w/skin
36.59
Salmon, cooked 3.5 oz.
00
Romaine 1 cup
1.55
Sea Bass cooked 3.5 oz.
00
Squash, butternut, cooked 1 cup
21.50
Shrimp, cooked 3.5 oz.
1.52
Sweet potato, baked 1 medium
23.61
Trout, cooked 3.5 oz.
00
Tomato, 1 medium
4.78
Tuna, canned 3 oz.
00
Bread, whole wheat 1 slice
14.0
Cheese, cheddar 1 oz.
.04
Barley, cooked 1 cup
44.3
Cheese, cottage 1 oz.
1.0
Brown rice, cooked 1 cup
45.84
Cheese, cream 1 oz.
.07
Oatmeal cooked 1 cup
28.1
Cheese, feta 1 oz.
1.2
Black beans, cooked 1 cup
40.78
Cheese, Monterey Jack 1 oz.
1.0
Garbanzos, cooked 1 cup
44.97
Cheese Mozzarella, 1 oz.
.08
Lentils, cooked 1 cup
39.86
Cheese Parmesan, 1 oz.
.00
Lentils, sprouted 1 cup
17.05
Milk, whole 1 cup
11.0
Edamame cooked 1 cup
15.41
Egg, 1 hard boiled
.03
Soy yogurt, plain 1 cup
22.0
Yogurt plain skim 1 cup
17.25
Tofu, firm 1 cup
4.26
Our Aunt Nettie has a head like a hard disk. It's filled with gigabytes of information about food and cooking. And she's just itchin' to share her learnin' with city folk who live in mortal fear of the stovetop.
Aunt Nettie grew up on the farm. She did not eat out of a can or reach into the freezer. There was no microwave to pop her food into. Everything she made was from scratch. All the food she ate was natural, without pesticides. It was grown right there on the family farm, and she had to cook to survive. At eighty-three years young she still leaps and bounds around the kitchen and can shake, rattle, and roll those pots and pans with the best of them.
Nowadays, Aunt Nettie just shakes her head and complains, "Nobody cooks anymore. They have no idea about puttin' a meal together." She's on a mission. She wants to help those younguns eat better so they can grow up healthy like her own eight kids.
