Have you ever thought about not eating meat? Maybe not for the rest of your life, but just for one day?
There is a global movement that has been around since 2003 called Meatless Monday associated with Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Since that time it has gone global and thousands of famous business people, athletes and celebrities promote and support Meatless Monday.
People are compelled to make the choice to not eat meat for many different reasons – sometimes its animal rights sometimes it’s health and it also can be for the health of the planet.
I oftentimes have clients or friends ask me if I think that they should be a vegetarian because they believe that that means that they will be more healthy. Let’s take a look…
There are different types of vegetarians diets:
The traditional vegetarian diet (when you hear someone say they’re vegetarian) generally refers to what is called a Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian which means that they don’t eat any meat but will eat dairy and eggs.
This is actually the vegetarian diet that I find to be the most tricky when someone decides that they want to be a vegetarian because they believe it’s healthier. They often will eat a lot of cheese which is calorically dense and high in fat. Many people will gain weight when they switch to a a lacto-ovo diet because it’s a very carbohydrate-based diet and those foods are easy to over-eat.
I’m not saying that you WILL gain weight, it is a trend that I have noticed when someone switches to a Lacto-Ovo diet plan and aren’t really conscious of the calories that they are eating.
A Vegan diet contains no animal products at all. Vegan diets are becoming more and more popular. And yes, you can get enough protein if you follow a Vegan diet plan.
You may have heard the terms Flexitarian or Semi-Vegetarian to describe someone that “sometimes eats meat.” There is also a term called Pescatarian which refers to a person that is a vegetarian but will eat fish. The Vegetarian Society does not consider these to be a type of Vegetarian because the person is still eating an animal. Their definition is: A vegetarian is someone who lives on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits with, or without, the use of dairy products and eggs.
The term that I prefer is Plant Based Diet. This means that you are eating lots of vegetables, some fruit, high protein plant foods like quinoa, lentils and beans; some fish and chicken and rarely red meat, like the Mediterranean Diet that I blogged about on Day 9.
I encourage you to give Meatless Monday a try. It is a fun thing to share with your children and have them help decide what Meatless Meal you are going to have for dinner. It also automatically help you plan because you have made the decision that Monday will be meatless. Select whichever level you want – you can include dairy and eggs, or not. Start simple – make a big green salad with lots of veggies and buy canned Organic Vegetarian Chili – EASY!
Do you have a favorite Vegetarian entree? Send it to me and I’ll share it! Susie@theSusieGarcia.com
Health & Bliss to You,
Susie
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