It's Just Another (Meatless) Monday...

Meatless Mondays is a nationwide campaign that encourages people to skip meat once a week. Research indicates that periodically eating a vegetarian diet can help you live longer; reduce your heart disease risk; & limit cancer, obesity, & diabetes. Eating this way more often tends to boost the results. For more details, check out Meatless Monday's Why Meatless?. (Their FAQ page answers some common concerns. It's in the About Us section.)

Tips
- Incorporate fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, & whole grains for balanced meals.
- If it sounds scary, start with just one meal. Breakfast offers a lot of choices. Add a second meal when comfortable.

- Try modifying your favorites to ease in. Some of my favorites are veggie stir fry, veggie chili, & veggie spaghetti.

- Be choosy, though. Not all vegetarian dishes are automatically healthy. Some processed or pre-made vegetarian items can still be high in salt or even fat (e.g., breaded eggplant cutlets or cheese based sandwiches).

Ever wondered what's the difference between a vegetarian & vegan? Vegans eat a completely plant based diet (nothing from animals). The term vegetarian can vary greatly. Some vegetarian diets will include milk, fish, or eggs. In these cases, the word vegetarian might be preceded by lacto- , pesco- , or ovo, respectively. Strict vegetarians or vegans may need to add certain supplements that their diets lack.

Need ideas?
- EatingWell's Healthy Vegetarian Dishes You Must Try
- Fitness Magazine's 10 Vegetarian Recipes to Make for Meatless Mondays
- Food Network's FN Dish Meatless Monday blog
- Martha Stewart's Quick Meatless Recipes (some are healthier than others...)
- WebMD's The Part-Time Vegetarian (compares prepared foods)