One woman’s foray into a meatless approach to cooking.
As a journalist, I’ve been following news on the health benefits of meatless eating for years.
Recently I started toying with the idea of shifting toward a meatless diet myself.
Some people skip meat for spiritual reasons.
But today, there’s something else driving people-including me-to move toward a plant-based diet: health.
Meatless Monday programs are thriving in countries such as Korea, Brazil, Croatia and Canada.
You probably know several people who’ve given up meat-maybe dairy and eggs too-every day of the week.
Maybe you’re one of them.
Some 30 percent of Adventists are vegetarian.
In 1974, the researchers began looking at whether their diets might help to explain their better health.
They found that eating less beef was in fact associated with lower risk of coronary heart disease.
Studies in other vegetarian populations have come to similar conclusions.
(People who ate meat occasionally were still 20 percent less likely to die of these diseases.)
At first, I was heartened by these findings.
I would eat more beans.
To be safe, I bought everyone in my family multivitamins.
That night, I cooked Sesame-Crusted Tofu over Vegetables.
I actually craved it the next day and reheated the leftovers for lunch.
The rest of the week was just as tasty.
The Bean & Hominy Potpie-total comfort food-was a particular hit.
They were so good my 3-year-old began asking for one every day.
I love soybeans!"
High cholesterol can contribute to plaque in our arteries, which can lead to heart attacks or strokes.
Our new diet was, most likely, already improving our cholesterol levels, and helping our hearts.
Of course, “vegetarian” doesn’t always mean heart-healthy.
We limited cheeses and ice cream.
I spread peanut butter, instead of regular butter, on toast.
The minor dietary shifts felt so effortless that I began to believe this new way of eating could stick.
My dad, a hardcore carnivore, went back for seconds.
This made it much more difficult to mindlessly consume coconut-coated chocolate Sno Balls or dozens of chocolate chip cookies.
And it tasted good.
Rachael Moeller Gorman is a contributing editor to EatingWell and an award-winning science writer.
