Vegetarian Recipes and Lifestyle

Vegetarian diets are increasingly becoming popular due to many reasons including health, religious convictions, and concerns about animal welfare or the use of antibiotics and hormones in livestock.  Regardless of your reasoning, this group is about sharing recipes, pictures, article, asking questions, and having some good discussions.  This group is not about pseudo-diets, pseudo-science, negative “educating”, or anything along those lines.   

Generally speaking, the term vegetarian can have a variety of meanings, but overall, it means excluding meat from one’s diet.....but several different types exist.  For example, lacto-vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish, poultry and eggs, as well as foods that contain them, however, dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt and butter, are included.  Ovo-vegetarian diets exclude meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products, but allow eggs.  Lacto-ovo vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish and poultry, but allow dairy products and eggs.  Pescatarian diets exclude meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs, but allow fish.  And finally, vegan diets exclude meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products — and foods that contain these products. 

Recent studies are confirming the health benefits of meat-free eating. In case you didn’t know, Betty White is vegan.  Maybe that’s one of her secrets for longevity with a working brain 😉  Nowadays, plant-based eating is recognized as not only nutritionally sound, but also as a way to reduce the risk for many chronic illnesses. According to the American Dietetic Association, "appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."  Compared with meat eaters, vegetarians tend to consume less saturated fat and cholesterol.  Vegetarians also consume more vitamins C and E, dietary fiber, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, and phytochemicals (plant chemicals), such as carotenoids and flavonoids. As a result, they're likely to have lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and lower body mass index (BMI), all of which are associated with longevity and a reduced risk for many chronic diseases.   

So, if you’re thinking about becoming a veg-head, are you convinced yet? 

Vegetarians eat the good life. 
Vegetarians know side dishes are your friends! 
Vegetarians live longer to love longer.