Hi my name is Kim and I like meat. The red kind, the white kind, the kind that gobbles, the kind that you even see grazing in your back yard (deer that is, not squirrel but even rabbit is ok).
Even though I like meat, I’ve never been a big believer that you need to eat meat everyday. I do believe in climate change and that raising animals strictly to consume can be tough on the environment. And even though I’m not much of an animal activist (I’ll give you 457 reasons why I’ll never own a dog or cat) I’m not a big fan knowing some corporations are mass producing animals at the cost of less than ideal conditions for something that has a heartbeat.
But ultimately I feel too much meat can be taxing on the body.
Any anti inflammatory diet will tell you start with eliminating meat.
Holistic nutrition guru’s (and wanna be’s) will talk pH levels taunting that red meat especially has a high acid content and will throw your body in a downward health spiral.
Cardiologist that know about nutrition will also tell you a plant based diet at minimum should be a priority just as much as taking a statin. (And unfortunately nutrition beyond one class isn’t necessary for a medical degree which means some doctors even cardiologists don’t know that much about nutrition).
Don’t get me started on the link between processed meats and colon cancer. Some oncology researchers say it’s what cigarettes are to lung cancer.
And then there’s me. And what my body tells me. I enjoy a nice filet every once in a while, cooked walking rare. Yep, mooooove that chunk o meat my way. However, afterward I just feel off. Forget carb comas. Instead of my brain just feeling foggy my whole body just seems stiff. The biggest thing I notice is I sleep awful! It’s like my body is concentrating on all that extra work it has to do just to digest 6oz of flesh.
My husband and I will often go vegetarian Monday thru Friday during lent with meat allowed on the weekends. However, with my alternating years of being pregnant and then nursing, we haven’t done this in a LONG while.
It’s time to stick my toe back in the water of going meatless and what a perfect time than after vacation. Although given the amount of sweet treats I consumed after week 2’s challenge ended, I’d probably do better repeating that week.
NO THANKS! They’ll be a sugar challenge soon enough.
So what version of vegetarianism are we talking here? Well I must admit, I almost lost my marbles and said let’s go VEGAN for a week! Then I smacked myself. That might be a bonus day or two at the end of all this madness. In the mean time, let’s stick with a lacto ovo pesco vegetarian. One who’s diet consists of plant foods, dairy products, eggs, and fish/seafood.
This is the really the “laziest” of the vegetarian types. And I say laziest in the most lovingly way.
After all, most things can easily be turned vegetarian as long as you can keep the cheese, eggs and fish.
Pizza- forget the pepperoni, ham and sausage. Pile on the veggies.
Mexican- black bean, corn and cheddar quesadillas or my favorite Mahi fajitas.
Pasta- replace meatballs with sauteed mushrooms or go with shrimp scampi over linguini
Burgers- portabella mushrooms topped with melted goat cheese, fresh basil and roasted red peppers
Breakfast- step aside sausage and bacon, there’s a spinach and provolone quiche coming your way
Stir fry- use teriyaki glazed salmon with your rice and veggies instead of beef or chicken
There’s 6 dinner ideas without breaking into a kitchen sweat. And most likely what I’ll be serving up to my family between Feb 6- Feb 12.
What are some of your favorite vegetarian dishes??
As always, join me in the facebook group here if you haven’t yet. And don’t forget to spread the word and get others to join along in these 12 weeks of challenges. It’s never too late to start.
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