Happy World Vegetarian Day!

Today is World Vegetarian Day!  While I’m not a vegetarian, I do consume plant-based meals on a regular basis.  Plant-based foods are rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals.  Antioxidants protect the body from harmful free radicals.  Phytochemicals have protective or disease preventive properties as well.  Carefully planned vegetarian diets can improve obesity, coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and diverticular disease.  They also may decrease the chances of breast cancer, colon cancer, and gallstones.

The world of vegetarianism can be quite confusing… there are four basic types of vegetarians:

        Semi-vegetarians-  avoid red meat         

        Lactovegetarians-  avoid eggs, meat, poultry, and fish

        Ovovegetarians-  avoid meat, poultry, fish, and dairy

        Vegans-  avoid meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy

If you are a vegetarian or choose to dabble in the world of vegetarianism, here are a few general healthy guidelines…

    -minimize intake of less nutritious foods such as sweets and fatty foods

    -choose whole or unrefined grain products (example- 100% whole wheat bread instead of white bread)

    -choose a variety of nuts, seeds, beans, fruits, and vegetables

    -choose low-fat or nonfat varieties of dairy products

Some of my favorite meat-free meals are red beans and rice with a green vegetable on the side, cheese pizza with a salad, and black bean burritos!