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En EspañolA Sample Menu for Vegetarians
Just like any healthy diet, a vegetarian diet should be balanced. Vegetarians should eat a variety of different foods each day and think about including foods from all the food groups to make sure they get a healthy balance of vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients. The following are examples of healthy vegetarian menus. However, keep in mind that you may need more or less food based on how active you are and other things that are unique to you.
| Day 1 |
Day 2 |
| Breakfast 1 cup Whole Grain Total cereal topped with ¼ cup dried sweet cherries and 2 tbsp chopped walnuts 1 cup 1% milk |
Breakfast 2 slices whole wheat toast 2 eggs 1 banana 1 cup Greek yogurt |
| Snack 1/3 cup hummus 1 cup assorted raw vegetables (e.g., baby carrots, bell peppers, sliced zucchini) |
Snack 1 small granola bar (e.g., Kashi®) 1 cup baby carrots |
| Lunch 1 whole wheat wrap/tortilla (or 1 cup brown rice) 1 cup black beans 1/8 medium avocado (or 2 tbsp. guacamole) 1 cup assorted veggies such as shredded carrots, sprouts, mushrooms, etc. (in the wrap, or sautéed and mixed with the rice & beans) 1 cup vanilla yogurt 1/12th angel food cake ½ cup peaches (canned, in light syrup) |
Lunch 1 whole grain bagel 2 eggs (or ½ cup Egg Beaters®) 1 ounce cheddar cheese 1 cup sliced bell pepper (red, yellow, orange or green) 1 apple 1 Snack Pack® pudding cup |
| Dinner 1 Morningstar® veggie burger 1 whole wheat English muffin, toasted 1 ounce part-skim mozzarella cheese (melted on burger) 1 cup steamed broccoli |
Dinner 1 cup pasta ½ cup tomato sauce 3 soy meatballs 1 small whole wheat dinner roll 1 cup lettuce ½ cup assorted vegetables 2 tsp. dressing 1 cup soy milk |
| Snack 1 cup celery sticks 1 tbsp. peanut butter ¼ cup raisins |
Snack 3 cups popcorn 2 tbsp. peanuts |
*Meal plans above are based on a 2000-calorie diet.
**Day 1 illustrates use of a food (Total® cereal) that is fortified with 100% the recommended intake of vitamin B12 and the minerals zinc and iron, nutrients that are more difficult to get when a teen is not eating meat. On day two, it may be necessary to supplement intake with a standard Multivitamin.
Updated: 9/13/2012
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