Sorry for the lack of a Saturday Surfing post yesterday. I was pretty busy this week with my father-in-law’s visit on top of, well, life:
I also spent quite a bit more time trying to figure out the grocery budget. Chris and I collaborated on a list of all of our staples and I went out to do price comparisons at Grand Union and Stop & Shop.
Which we are going to use to analyze and set a better budget. I made some VERY interesting discoveries in the three hours I spent at the grocery stores and will have a post about it all tomorrow. Also in thinking about our food budget, I spent some time researching dietary guidelines. Both my mom and Chris’ dad had expressed some concern about us getting enough to eat since Miss Nora is such a petite little girl
and because we’re vegetarian. I was reading the USDA’s dietary guidelines for 2010 and found this information which is reassuring that we aren’t doing Nora a disservice by raising her vegetarian:
In prospective studies of adults, compared to non-vegetarian eating patterns, vegetarian-style eating patterns have been associated with improved health outcomes—lower levels of obesity, a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and lower total mortality. Several clinical trials have documented that vegetar-ian eating patterns lower blood pressure. On average, vegetarians consume a lower proportion of calories from fat (particularly saturated fatty acids); fewer overall calories; and more fiber, potassium, and vitamin C than do non-vegetarians. Vegetarians generally have a lower body mass index. These characteristics and other lifestyle factors associated with a vegetarian diet may contribute to the positive health outcomes that have been identified among vegetarians.
I also found this chart showing the protein needs adjusted to a vegetarian diet, which is helpful for us in planning grocery shopping.
In general, I think we already meet the protein requirements pretty well, but I was surprised to see that dairy products were not included as a source of protein. I have to look into that more, because we eat a lot of cheeses and yogurt and I was counting them as protein sources for Nora.
I didn’t do much yoga, but I sewed. Groceries and shopping were the big focus this week. Of course, I tried to keep the house clean with a visitor, and didn’t do too badly at it. It didn’t hurt that Chris’ dad was our dishwasher pretty much all week! I hardly had to wash anything, and as anyone who reads my blog knows, washing my dishes is the fastest way to my heart. We’re also starting early to train our own little dishwasher:
That’s what kids are for, right?