The Modern Way of Being a Vegetarian

We know the many health benefits of eating a plant-based vegetarian diet. In fact, vegetarians live 3.6 years longer than meat eaters. So you want to become one, but don't want to eat cardboard soy products every day? You are not alone. Here's how to become a vegetarian the 21st century way. We are always confused with all the vegetarian terms, such as vegans, lacto-ovo, etc... Now we have a new term called flexitarian? This is basically two words put together - flexible plus vegetarian so you get the word flexitarian. This is a new way to eat that minimizes meat without excluding it all together. Why it is that you get the health benefits of being a vegetarian without having to give up meat.  Being a vegetarian is not about just eating soy products, isn't it?  For people who have the tendency to want to eat more vegetarian foods but don't know where to get started. In the first place you should know about different food groups, then go through not only soy beans, but through all different kinds of beans, nuts and seeds you can put in your diet to replace meat but not necessarily exclude it all together.  There are some of the protein foods that I suggest to replace meat.To be a flexitarian, you can either be a beginner, advanced or an expert. If you are a beginner, you would have two meatless days per week. If you were advanced, you would have three or four meatless days per week. And if you were the expert, you would have five or more meatless days per week. Depending on how aggressive you are going to get, this would determine the types of protein you would have to start using. If you were to do it a couple of times a week, you might try garbanzo beans, black beans and maybe some almonds. If you are going full monty, you are going to have a lot more variety so you could try white beans, large lima beans, all sorts of different tofu's and tempeh that are fun to try and experiment with. Many of us think that beans are difficult to prepare. What are some of the easy steps that one should go about in preparing beans and legumes?  One of things that is overlooked and so convenient is using canned beans. Most are already to go. You just rinse and drain them and 40% of the sodium washes away. You can start putting them into stir-fry, pastas and pita pockets for lunch. It really is an amazing time saver that can easily get people eating beans and loving them in a convenient way.  For someone who has never been a vegetarian but they want to become beginners, what are the steps to become a flexitarian.Whether  it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, or even snacks, you can just start trying recipes. Or if you are looking for more structure, you can actually make a five week official meal plan that you can follow. In five weeks, it will guide you in how to try all these different foods. Like a sample day that you enjoy is when you wake up, you will have a piece of whole-grain toast with pea nut butter. A quick veggie burger for lunch with some salads. Then for dinner, you will have a veggie and nuts salad, peanut stir-fry that has garbanzo beans instead of chicken or shrimp. For snacks,you can have these salt and pepper pita chips that you can  make along with a chocolate mousse with tofu and raspberries, which is easy to make. It's like a really fun choose-your-own-adventure and you can really go in there and try any of the recipes and start your journey. what is interesting to know is that a vegetarian or an occasional vegetarian actually weigh less. Yes. Many of the research studies done have shown that even people who call themselves vegetarians are really flexitarians in disguise. Only about one in three people who call themselves a vegetarian really is a vegetarian. Most people who follow this flexitarian lifestyle. When you look at flexitarians, or people who eat a plant based diet, they weigh 15% less than their meat eating counterparts.

5 Steps to a Lower Carbon Diet

 Odds are that you've put some thought recently into trying to reduce your carbon footprint. It's the latest buzzword, and from transportation options, to energy consumption, to politics, everybody's talking about it. But did you know that even your diet can impact your carbon footprint? Here's how choosing the right foods can make a positive impact on the environment.

5 Steps to a Lower Carbon Diet

1. Buy Local. Local farmers' markets are the perfect places to purchase local foods. Local foods do not have to travel a long distance on freight, so they're a lower carbon choice than imports. Some grocery store chains now identify the origin of the fresh produce and meat so you can choose.
   
   Need one more reason to buy local? Nutrient loss happens during transportation, so local produce retains more nutrients than long-distance produce!

2.Go Seasonal and Choose Less Hot-House Produce. Crops and produce items thrive in specific weather conditions. Hot houses are used to simulate the natural climate of each crop to grow produce in locations, or at times of year, that they otherwise wouldn't grow. Powering a hot-house operation takes lots of energy, which may produce more carbon emissions.

3.Be Mindful of High Carbon Foods. Not all local foods are necessarily low carbon. Meat and dairy, in particular, are considered high carbon foods.Livestock production contributes to 18% of the world's greenhouse gases. Ruminants (cows, sheep, and goats) naturally emit methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

You don't need to be a vegan to live an eco-friendly life, but you should watch your meat portion size.

4.Use Fewer Packaged Foods. Processing and packaging both require high energy power. Refrigerated and frozen packaged foods require even more energy for chilled transportation. Some food manufacturers are ahead of others in reducing their impact on global warming.

5.Doggybag All Leftovers. Waste heading to the landfill contributes to potent methane emissions. So it makes perfect sense to save all leftovers for later use.

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Five Simple Steps to a healthy you in new year

At the beginning of every year, many of us rush to adopt New Year's resolutions, only to drop them within weeks. Forget overly lofty and unrealistic goals and take a look at these achievable resolutions instead. Here are the top 5 picks for simple steps that you can start doing right now, and always, on the road to a healthier you.

Top 5 Strategies for Better Health in the New Year

Bring one piece of fruit to work or school. Many of us could stand to add one (or more) servings of fruit to our diets each day. Fortunately, it is the easiest thing to get ready - no cooking required. Pack a piece of fruit to eat with your lunch, or to have as a snack. If you feel you don't have the time to peel or cut whole fruits, many stores now offer pre-cut ones to go. Remember, go with the option that will result in you actually eating the fruit. A ripe, juicy melon that sits uncut and grows moldy in your fridge does nothing good for your health, or your wallet. Replace one of your favorite grain products with its whole wheat version. If you bake frequently, replace some of the white flour in your muffin or bread recipes with whole wheat flour. You can usually substitute anywhere from one-third to one-half of the flour with no noticeable difference in the end product. And don't turn your nose up at whole wheat pastas - today's whole wheat versions have come a long way and taste just as great as regular "white" pastas. There is also a growing number of whole wheat noodles on the market. Try a do-it-yourself meal instead of a take-out meal. If you eat out frequently, choose one night a week (the least busy night) to make something at home. Not a cook? No problem. There are so many products available now that help you shortcut your way to a home-cooked meal without spending hours in the kitchen. One more thing: when cooking for yourself, make extra so you have leftovers to freeze or pack as lunch for work or school the next day. No more sodas, whether they are regular or diet. If you drink several cans a day, start by drinking one fewer can each day. Regular soda fills you with sugar, and nothing else. Diet soda is no better; some studies suggest that diet soda drinkers have a higher risk of obesity and other health problems. Skip the sodas and reach for a calcium-rich beverage like milk, or other fortified non-dairy alternatives like soy milk and orange juice. When you feel like something a little sweet, brew up some tea and add a little fruit juice to it for your very own homemade iced tea. Carry a water bottle with you and sip from it throughout the day. Feed yourself within two hours of waking up. Eating breakfast regularly will set you up for better food choices during the rest of the day. If you are not a breakfast eater, start with something simple like a piece of fruit. If you eat breakfast regularly but are getting tired of the same old things, experiment and don't let the traditional definition of breakfast limit your choices. Leftovers from last night's dinner make a perfectly good breakfast the next day.

The Bottom Line
Why wait to get started? Start living your New Year's resolutions by incorporating these simple strategies into your family routine today.

Kitchen Makeover

For many of us, junk food is much more tempting when it's within easy reach. If it's out of sight, it is probably out of mind - and won't be calling your name every time you walk past it. So go take a deep dive into your kitchen and get rid of all the junk that your body doesn't need, and trade up for something healthier that is deserving of permanent citizenship in your home!

Grain Products

Toss these:	Why?	Stock these instead:
Commercially baked products (e.g., store-bought muffins and pies)	high in fat and sugar likely contains trans fats low in vitamins and minerals	100% whole wheat bread (4g fiber per serving would be ideal)
Sugar-laden cereals (e.g., fruit flavored hoops, "frosted" cereal)	high in sugar likely to be low in fiber	quick-cooking oatmeal whole grain cereal (ideally less than 4g sugar and more than 5g fiber per serving)
Instant noodles	high in sodium likely high in fat low in any nutrients	non-fried noodles (e.g., multi-grain)
Ready-to-bake mixes	likely contains trans fat lots of additives	whole wheat flour (to make your own from scratch)
Boxed macaroni	high in fat high in sodium likely contains trans fat	whole wheat pasta

Meat and Alternatives

Toss these:	Why?	Stock these instead:
Deli meats (e.g., salami, bologna, pepperoni)	very high in sodium very high in total and saturated fat	frozen cooked meat (e.g., chicken breast) fat-free turkey breast (enjoy occasionally due to high sodium content)
Frozen beef patties	high in total and saturated fat	extra-lean ground turkey extra-lean ground beef veggie burger patties
Wieners and other sausages	high in total and saturated fat high in sodium	fat-free 100% turkey or beef franks extra-lean turkey bacon, lean smoked turkey sausage, or lean turkey kielbasa (all items in this category are high in sodium, so serve occasionally)
Luncheon meat, corned beef	high in sodium high in total and saturated fat	frozen cooked meat canned baked beans (choose lower sodium varieties)
Regular bacon	high in sodium high in total and saturated fat	extra-lean turkey bacon
Fish canned in oil	high in fat	low-sodium fish canned in water

Dairy and Alternatives

Toss these:	Why?	Stock these instead:
Yogurts made with more than 5g sugar per oz	high in sugar	plain yogurt + fresh fruits
Sweetened non-dairy beverages (e.g., soy, rice, almond, hemp, etc)	high in sugar	unsweetened non-dairy beverages
Whipped dessert topping	likely source of trans fat may contain high fructose corn syrup lots of additives	use real whipping cream if you must, and use sparingly
Processed cheese	high in sodium lots of additives	frozen cooked meat natural cheese

Fruits and Vegetables

Toss these:	Why?	Stock these instead:
Fruits canned in thick syrup	high in added sugar	fresh fruits dried fruits frozen fruits fruits canned in water or juice
Pickled or preserved vegetables	high in sodium	fresh vegetables frozen vegetables

Snacks

Toss these:	Why?	Stock these instead:
Chips	high in calories high in fat high in sodium likely contains trans fat	baked chips or baked tortilla chips unsalted nuts and seeds plain popcorn
Crackers and cookies	possible source of trans fat can be high in sodium high in calories high in fat high in sugar	low-fat whole grain crackers brown rice cakes (unsalted or lightly salted)
Candies	empty calories high in sugar	dried fruits
Chocolate and candy bars	high in calories high in sugar high in fat likely a source of trans fat lower in antioxidants than dark chocolates	pure dark chocolate squares
Flavored microwave popcorn	high in sodium lots of additives high in fat	plain popcorn
Fruit bars	contain more sugar than real fruit	fresh fruits

Condiments

Toss these:	Why?	Stock these instead:
Shortening, or margarine that contains hydrogenated fats	contains trans fat	margarine made with non-hydrogenated fats olive oil + balsamic vinegar
Coffee whitener and other artificial coffee creamers	contain trans fat lots of additives	skim milk dried skim milk powder

Beverages

Toss these:	Why?	Stock these instead:
Fruit drinks	high in added sugar contain artificial flavoring and coloring	100% fruit juices
Sodas	very high in sugar may contain high fructose corn syrup contain artificial flavoring and coloring	sparkling water 100% fruit juices
Sweetened drink mixes (e.g., iced tea mixes, flavored coffee mixes, and 3-in-1 coffee mixes)	high in sugar may contain trans fats (for flavored coffee mixes) contain artificial flavoring and coloring	tea leaves/bags coffee

The Bottom Line

The less often you choose processed foods the better, but if you must buy them for convenience, choose ones with the least number of ingredients. Don't forget to also check the label for total fat, trans fat (or the presence of hydrogenated fats/oils in ingredients list), sodium, and sugar - less is truly more.