Thinking about going vegetarian? There is a national movement called Meatless Monday – it began about 10 years ago – it’s an effort to help folks move toward some meatless meals in an easy, non-threatening manner. Hospitals, colleges, restaurants and workplaces are giving their support to this program. Do you want to try this?
Meatless Monday might be a painless way to ease your family into some vegetarian meals. Why is this such a great ideas? It can reduce your intake of artery-clogging saturated fat, and reduce your risk for developing certain cancers, including colorectal, esophagus, lung, and liver cancers.
It’s Meatless Monday – what’s for dinner?
- Hearty lentil soup with a large vegetable salad.
- Black bean burgers served on whole wheat potato buns.
- Whole-grain pancakes topped with a colorful berries.
- Stir fry with tofu cubes, pea pods, slivered carrots and green onions.
- Four-bean veggie chili (replace ground meat with more beans such as kidney, pinto, black and navy beans).
- Meatless lasagna with layers of homemade tomato sauce, whole-grain lasagna noodles, eggplant slices, baby spinach and reduced-fat ricotta cheese (omit if vegan).
Meatless Mondays can have a lasting impact on your family habits. In one large Meatless Monday study, there was a lasting effect, with 40% are incorporating more meatless meals into the rest of their week, 73% are eating more vegetables; 64% eating more fruits, 42% eating more beans; and 47% eating more whole grains.
