veggie quiz

[Guest guest]

How much do you know about vegetarianism?

Take this quiz i found in the vegetarian times to find out!

 

Laura x

 

Whaddaya Know?

 

by Abigail Chipley

 

Take this pop quiz and find out.

 

 

1. Who were the first vegetarians?

 

a. Prehistoric peoples

b. Pythagoras and his followers

c. Paul and Linda McCartney

d. The Bible Christians of England

 

Answer: D. The term " vegetarian " wasn't even coined until the Bible

Christian church established the British Vegetarian Society in the

1840s. Of course, the English didn't exactly invent the concept. By

the 6th century B.C., the Greek philosopher Pythagoras was touting a

vegetarian diet as necessary for both physical and spiritual health.

And our earliest vegetarian ancestors ate a mostly vegetarian diet

supplemented with a few leftovers from animals killed by predators.

Needless to say, cuisine has improved considerably since then.

 

 

 

2.True or false:

 

Vegetarians live longer than meat eaters.

 

Answer: True. Several studies show that vegetarians do have longer

lifespans than their meat-eating counterparts. One 20-year study,

conducted by Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, Calif., found that

vegetarians live, on average, a full 10 to 15 years longer than meat

eaters. What's the explanation? Read on.

 

 

 

3. Eating a plant-based diet helps reduce your risk for:

 

a. Hypertension and heart disease

b. Cancers (especially of the lung and colon)

c. Type 2 diabetes

d. Kidney disease

e. All of the above

 

Answer: E. Vegetarians have lower rates of all these diseases.

Researchers suspect the reason is that plant-based diets tend to be

lower in fat and higher in fiber and other key disease-fighting

antioxidants (including vitamins C, E and beta-carotene) than typical

meat-eaters' diets. Some major findings:

• Eating a diet high in saturated fat, which is abundant in animal

products, increases the threat of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

• Excess dietary protein—much more common among non-vegetarians—is

linked to kidney stones (as well as osteoporosis).

 

 

 

 

4.To get enough protein, vegetarians (especially vegans) must:

 

a. Carefully combine beans and grains at every meal

b. Eat a lot of energy bars

c. Eat soy products every day

d. Eat a wide variety of foods

 

Answer: D. Getting enough protein shouldn't be a problem for anybody

who eats a wide variety of foods. If you still think that

getting " complete " protein from a plant-based diet involves

cumbersome combinations of beans and grains, forget it. Scientists

now know that the body can store essential amino acids, the building

blocks of protein. In other words, the protein from the bean chili

you ate for lunch will complement the kind in the barley-corn salad

you have at dinner. Voila: complete protein. What's more, plant-based

sources of protein are healthier, since they don't contain all the

saturated fat and cholesterol that animal products do (not to mention

all the hormones, antibiotics and bacteria often found in meat). And

in the last 10 years, the protein options for vegetarians have

exploded: Grocery aisles are bursting with soy burgers, protein

drinks and much more.

 

 

 

5. Which of the following provides the most calcium?

 

a. One cup of milk

b. A stir-fry of broccoli (1 cup) and tofu (1/2 cup)

c. One cup steamed spinach

d. A grilled cheese sandwich

 

Answer: B. The stir-fry contains a whopping 508 grams of calcium—

compared to about 360 in the grilled cheese, 300 in the milk and 244

in the spinach. Broccoli, like several other green vegetables (kale,

collards, Swiss chard) is a good source of calcium. So is tofu, when

it's made with calcium sulfate (check the label). And recent studies

show that the calcium from vegetable sources is better absorbed than

that of dairy products. Sea vegetables also pack decent amounts of

the mineral. They include alaria, wakame, nori, kombu and hijiki.

 

 

 

6. Seitan is:

a. Another name for the Fallen Angel

b. A Japanese warrior

c. A protein substitute

d. Huh?

 

Answer: C. Seitan (pronounced SAY-tan), also called " wheat meat, " is

a protein-rich food with a firm and chewy texture (much like

portobello mushrooms) that was invented by Chinese and Japanese

Buddhist monks more than a thousand years ago. It's easily found at

natural food stores and Asian markets.

 

 

 

7. How does soy milk differ from cow's milk?

 

a. Soy milk is lower in saturated fat and higher in B vitamins

b. It's higher in overall fat and cholesterol

c. It has zero cholesterol

d. It is digestible by lactose-intolerant folks

e. a, c and d

 

Answer: E. Regular soy milk has about the same amount of fat as 2

percent cow's milk, but less of it is saturated. And reduced-fat soy

milk has even less fat—with none of it saturated.

 

 

 

8.True or false:

Vegetarians need more iron than non-vegetarians.

 

Answer: True. That's because the iron in animal sources, called heme

iron, is better absorbed than the iron in plant sources, called non-

heme. To increase absorption, eat iron-rich foods—such as legumes,

soy, avocados, oatmeal and sea vegetables—with foods high in vitamin

C. (Think oatmeal and a glass of orange juice or a soy milk smoothie

with strawberries). And watch out for foods like tea, coffee and

dairy, all of which can leach iron from your body.

 

 

 

 

9.True or false: Vegetarians are thinner than meat eaters.

 

Answer: True, for the most part. Studies in such journals as the

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have shown that vegetarians

have the edge on meat eaters when it comes to staying slender. That

may be because vegetarian diets are generally lower in fat and

calories and higher in fiber than most meat-based diets. And fiber-

rich foods, besides deterring heart disease and possibly cancer, have

another advantage—you feel full on fewer calories. Of course, lots of

vegetarian foods are high in both fat and calories, like cheese, nuts

and olives. You just need to keep fatty foods to a minimum.

 

 

 

10.True or false: Vegans need more sun than vegetarians or meat

eaters.

 

Answer: True—sort of. Vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium,

is found in just a few foods (fish, eggs and fortified foods like

milk). But the body can manufacture its own vitamin D with just a

little fun in the sun. Studies indicate that it takes about 10 to15

minutes of sun exposure, two to three times per week. Of course,

vegans can also obtain this vitamin from supplements, some soy milks

and many breakfast cereals.

 

 

 

11.Which of the following restaurant offerings are likely to be made

with animal products?

 

a. Refried beans and flour tortillas

b. Bean soups

c. Caesar salad

d. Stir-fries

e. Biscuits and pie crusts

f. All of the above

 

Answer: F. Although many of the world's cuisines use far less meat

than American fare does, most use small amounts of animal products as

flavoring. For example, Mexican food is often cooked in lard. Many

bean soups (including spilt-pea) may harbor bacon or ham. Caesar

salad dressing traditionally includes anchovies. Chinese stir-fries

often contain oyster sauce. And some restaurants still make biscuits

and pie crusts the old-fashioned way—with lard.

 

 

 

12.Which of the following foods do not contain animal products?

 

a. Worcestershire sauce

b. Ketchup

c. Jell-O or other gelatin-based desserts

d. Marshmallows

e. McDonald's french fries

 

Answer: B. However, Worcestershire sauce sans anchovies is available

in natural food stores. Jell-O brand gelatin is a food that most of

us would rather leave in the past, but a vegetarian version can be

made with the agar or kudzu. So far, though, nobody's come up with a

vegetarian marshmallow (they also contain gelatin). As for McDonald's

fries, besides being cooked in artery-clogging hydrogenated oil, they

also contain a secret flavoring agent—beef extract.

 

 

 

Abby Chipley is the former news editor of Vegetarian Times.