Health & Fitness
It's National Vegetarian Week!
National Vegetarian Week ~ May 21st-27th. How will you celebrate?
Yep, that's right, May 21-27 is National Vegetarian Week. Vegetarians not only get a day to celebrate, they get a whole week! Granted, this does not mean that Vegetarians receive a week's paid vacation or a fancy parade with floats. Nope. Nothing. If anything National Vegetarian Week is a week where Vegetarians can proudly proclaim from the highest mountain top, "Yes! I am a Vegetarian! I do not eat animals!" Of course there may be a few individuals who do eat animals that will probably question whether or not a Vegetarian would have enough energy to climb a mountain let alone be able to climb back down - being protein deficient and all. {*Chuckle*Chuckle*}
I became a Vegetarian back in 1996. For me the transition was relatively easy. I was never a big fan of fish or meat. I had one too many nasty encounters with gristly hamburgers and was not saddened to see those go. Now, I did like and enjoy turkey, bacon, scallops, mussels, and a few other animal food products. I can't recall if I went Vegetarian overnight or if it was a slow transition - my memory fails me. Hmmm, maybe I'm deficient in Omega-3s?! I didn't become a Vegetarian because I disliked the taste of a well cooked steak. Pass the A-1 please!
A lot of my reasons for going Vegetarian were, well, at that time I honestly didn't have any solid reasons. I guess at the time it was just a lifestyle change for me. A test to see how much self-control I possessed. A test to see just how creative I can be in the kitchen. Of course the suffering of animals played a part in my decision but not as great as what some would think. My decision to go Vegan had everything to do with the suffering of animals/sentient beings. I now have a better understanding about what occurs on factory farms and I was shocked by what I had learned.
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In keeping with National Vegetarian Week, why not celebrate by skipping meat for a day?! The worst that could happen would be that you might not miss meat all that much. Get creative in the kitchen. Dust off those spice containers and whip up a zesty meal of pasta, rice, veggies, etc. Preparing a meal without meat is not as daunting as it may seem. When the 27th rolls past why not keep the meatless thing going?! How about Meatless Mondays?!
* To help you with meal planning print out this Vegetarian Menu Plan and place it on your refrigerator.
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Photo: Kale & Scallions W/Miso & Carrots