Entry bubble Vegetarian Awareness Month

By: Jess | October 22, 2009 | Category: Health

Fruits and vegetablesI know to many Americans the thought of living without meat seems practically impossible. But there's an entire group of people in the country who do it and love it. Vegetarianism has many forms, from the super flexible flexitarian, who eats meat on occasion, to the extremely strict vegan, who doesn't buy any product that was tested on animals or contains any animal products.

The North American Vegetarian Society dubbed October as Vegetarian Awareness Month to teach people some of the benefits of not eating meat. Don't worry, the group isn't trying to convert you. It just wants to show you that it's possible to go a day, a week or even a month without eating meat and still have plenty of yummy and healthy options.

Personally, I consider myself a flexitarian. I only eat meat if it's served to me or if I'm at a restaurant and the vegetarian options aren't that great. Or on that rare occasion when I just want a turkey sandwich. For me it wasn't a big moment when I realized eating meat was wrong, or anything like that. Touching raw meat in the kitchen just kind of grosses me out.

So in honor of Vegetarian Awareness Month, I present you with a challenge. Check out some of the great vegetarian resources from USA.gov and explore some vegetarian recipes and lifecycle information available. Pick a recipe and try it. You might be surprised to find that a diet based in fruits, vegetables and healthy grains tastes better than you expected.

Do you consider yourself a vegetarian? 

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Entry bubble National Nutrition Month

By: Colleen | March 05, 2008 | Category: Health

March has it going on:

  • NCAA basketball tourney, aka "March Madness". By far, my FAVORITE time of the year. P-I-T-T- let's go Pitt! (Had to plug for my Panthers)
  • St. Patty's day - a pretty big deal for a gal whose moniker means "Irish girl." In addition, Shamrock Shakes are available all month long at McDonald's. Amazing.
  • "In like a lion, out like a lamb." Bring on Spring!

Besides all this great stuff, March is also National Nutrition Month! I confess to being a raging chocoholic, but I am aware of the importance of a healthy diet.

There is an overwhelming amount of information out there concerning healthy eating habits. The newly re-designed food pyramid suggests a diet heavy in whole grains, veggies, fruit, lean protein, and low-fat dairy.

Some tricks for sneaking some extra nutrition into your daily eating habits:

  • Replace soda with fruit juice or water. H2O  too bland? Squeeze a slice of lemon for added flavor.
  • Use ground turkey in favor of ground beef for cooking. Much less fat and calories and tastes just the same (I swear)!
  • Substitute whole-grain breads for white bread in sandwiches.
  • Try salsa in place of ketchup. The salsa has much less sugar and more lycopene than ketchup.
  • Remove the yolks from your eggs for omelets - spare yourself the cholesterol and fat.

Healthy eating doesn't have to be a chore. And you can always have your favorite treats in moderation. I for one, will be enjoying a Shamrock Shake.

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