Going vegetarian in the New Year

A vegetarian diet might be just the ticket this year for improved health. If you are working on lowering cholesterol, reducing your blood pressure or just plain ole losing weight for better health, eating some meals without meat are worth the consideration.

A landmark study of 96,000 participants, called the Adventist Health Study, finds that eating vegetarian  may reduce your risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancers of the colon, breast and prostate.

Whether you choose to eat meat or not, all meals should be well-balanced and include a threesome: 1) protein, 2) starch and 3) fruit and/or vegetable. A vegan vegetarian diet means no animal protein at all, while a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet includes dairy and egg products. Here are some vegetarian ideas for family-friendly meal planning.  

Breakfast Ideas

• Almond milk on Cheerios with frozen blueberries
• Peanut butter on English muffin w/banana slices
• Poached egg on oatmeal toast with grapefruit sections

Lunch Ideas

• 2% Cheese slices on whole-wheat bread with tomato soup
• Black beans and wild rice in a veggie soup
• Cashew butter on whole-grain tortilla with assorted raw vegetables
• Walnuts and chick peas added to a large veggie salad  

Dinner Ideas

• Marinara sauce on multi-grain pasta, tossed salad
• Edamame soybeans, couscous and steamed broccoli
• Veggie burger on multi-grain bun, oven-roasted squash