What to emphasize and what to limit
Meal planning isn't automatic for anyone switching to a vegetarian diet. That's why it's best to start with the basics.

That means beginning with the Food Guide Pyramid, which depicts the recommended daily servings from each food group. Remember, variety is the key. Aim for the recommended amounts of daily servings in each food group and select a wide variety of foods within each group:

Breads, cereals, rice and pasta

Suggested daily servings: 6 or more
Serving sizes:
1 slice whole grain or enriched bread
1/2 bun, bagel or English muffin
1 tortilla
1/2 cup cooked cereal (oatmeal, rye, mixed grain)
1/2 cup cooked rice, millet, quinoa, bulgur, barley and other grains
1/2 cup cooked pasta
1 oz. dry cereal
Tips: Emphasize whole grains. Mix several grains together in meals. Try unfamiliar grains, such as millet, quinoa and couscous. Look for pastas made without eggs.

Vegetables

Suggested daily servings: 4 or more
Serving sizes:
1/2 cup cooked or chopped, raw
1 cup raw, leafy
3/4 cup vegetable juice
Tips: Emphasize dark green vegetables, such as kale, collard, mustard greens, broccoli and bok choy for rich sources of calcium, iron, vitamin A and folic acid. Seasonal vegetables are often economical and delicious. Rinse canned veggies to remove some of the salt content.

Fruits

Suggested daily servings: 3 or more
Serving sizes:
1 medium piece of fresh fruit
3/4 cup fruit juice
1/2 cup canned or cooked fruit
Tips: Juice is fine, but it doesn't contain fiber. That's why it's better to eat pieces of fruit. Enjoy a wide variety.

Legumes and other meat substitutes

 

Suggested daily servings: 2 to 3
Serving sizes:
1/2 cup cooked dry beans or peas
4 oz. tofu or tempeh
8 oz. soy milk or soy yogurt
1 1/2 oz. soy cheese
2 tablespoons nuts or seeds
2 tablespoons peanut butter
3 oz. vegetarian burger patty or 1 vegetarian hotdog
Tips: Beans are loaded with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Rinse canned beans to remove some of the sodium content. Tofu, tempeh and soy milk are versatile ingredients that fit hundreds of recipes. Go easy on nuts, which are high in fat.

Eggs (optional)

If you do eat eggs, limit to 3 to 4 yolks per week
Serving sizes:
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1/4 cup egg substitute
Tips: Yolks are high in cholesterol. Remember to count yolks that are used in other cooked foods toward your weekly total. You can substitute two egg whites for one whole egg in most recipes.

Dairy products (optional)

Suggested daily serving: up to 3 servings daily
Serving sizes:
1 cup milk or yogurt
1 1/2 oz natural cheese
2 oz. process cheese
Tips: Choose low-fat and nonfat dairy products to reduce fat and saturated fat intake. If you do not eat dairy products, make sure you get enough calcium through other sources. Check food labels for soy milk, juices and cereals and tofu fortified with calcium. Leafy green vegetables and broccoli are also a source of calcium.

Fats, oils, sweets and alcohol

Go easy on these foods
Examples:
oil
margarine
mayonnaise
salad dressings
candies
beer, wine, distilled spirits
Tips: Consider using lower-fat spreads, lower-fat dressings and sugar-free beverages.