Perhaps you have heard of Meatless Monday. It is an international campaign to encourage people to go meatless on Mondays in the hopes of having an overall positive effect on people and the planet’s health. For various reasons, we go meatless a couple days a week and while there are many positive effects of that choice, my favorite is that those are the days that my fruit and vegetable intake skyrocket and I always feel so much more healthy and conscious of how my decisions impact my wellness.
I have said before on this blog that food is medicine and while I won’t preach about just one way to eat (as I don’t have just one way to eat and certainly don’t know what is best for you given your health and circumstances), I do think that raising our awareness about the way we fuel our body in terms of drinking water, eating foods that make us feel good, getting enough rest, taking any supplements our body might need, etc is really essential in promoting an overall sense of wellbeing. And an overall sense of wellbeing really boosts our self-acceptance because we know that we are doing what we can for where we are right now and that’s pretty awesome.
Today: If your health needs allow you to do so, go meatless. If you aren’t able to go completely meatless, up your fruit and veggie servings to at least 9 (the recommended daily amount). If you need help with recipes, you can certainly check out the Meatless Monday website or even try some of my favorite vegetarian fare like spinach ravioli casserole, black bean and corn tortilla pie, stuffed zucchini, kale avocado carrot salad, and corn blueberry salad (0f note: some of these recipes do have dairy). Make sure that in going meatless you actually up your fruit and veggie intake, too (I mean, because I could go totally go meatless on a diet of Fritos but that wouldn’t necessarily make me feel good inside when I was all done).
1. How did going meatless go? What food choices did you make? What fruits and veggies showed up in your diet?
2. A. How did it feel to go meatless? How did your food choices today make you feel?
B. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, how does going meatless impact your sense of self-care?
3. Could you see yourself going meatless periodically on a regular basis as part of your self-care? Would it work for you in a positive way?
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We go meatless around every second day. We just need it to feel good (probably also a digestive effect), and we much more appreciate the meals with meat when they are not daily.
Today I’ll have (menus planed): apples, both raw and cooked, prunes, sweet pepper, and a big soup with oignons, carots, potatoes, tomatoes, leaf beets, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini … don’t remember all what we harvested for this soup… No new veggie/fruit, but everything seasonal. We’ll also have bread with diverse cereals and nuts, yeast dough and almonds (backed wih the prunes), cheese/yoghurts, pasta, rice. We regularly cook with beans too.
I was surprised by the “9 servings of fruits and veggies”. Here in Europe, at least France and Germany, we hear about “5 portions” – a portion is about a handful, just use your open hand like a very big spoon and fill it as much as you can. As far as I know, the 5 portions don’t include anything starchy, means potatoes or beans.
I’m curious: How are the 9 servings defined?
Cecile, yummy things are planned for your plate! Here in the US, the dietary guidelines recommend that half of all the food we eat at each meal be fruits or veggies. A serving is typically, depending on what it is, about 1/2 cup and a portion would likely end up being about the same size recommended in France, Germany. I think, in fact, 9 servings was the old recommendation and now they just say half your plate at every meal as that is an easier visual for everyone. Here is a link to our food chart: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/index.html
Wow, this is a really great link! I’ve just found information I was looking for, about seafood during pregnancy. Thank you very much!
Yes, the half of one’s plate filled with fruits/veggies is also an image used here. I also loved the menu propositions of your link. Some new ideas for me on how to cook healthy!
Sometimes I think I am so close to vegetarian already. I don’t miss meat if I don’t eat it and it is close to the last thing I will eat on my plate (I’ll eat the salad or the sides first). That said, I don’t eat all whole foods and can even get skimpy on the fruits and veggies. When I try to have fruits/veggies at every meal, I feel like I am taking better care of myself. 9 servings seems daunting! At any rate, I do think I’ll be more purposeful with the meatless days, as well as add more fruits/veggies.
Jamie, 9 servings is about 4.5 cups when it comes down to it– that feels a little less daunting when you think about big ole sales you might fix loaded with some veggies. Good luck!
1. How did going meatless go? What food choices did you make? What fruits and veggies showed up in your diet?
I didn’t to it today – I had a meatless day yesterday. I aim to have one or two meatless days a week, and to eat fish once too. Yesterday I made a mushroom ragout, with blue cheese, in the evening, and I had a salad for lunch, and yoghurt with goji berries for breakfast.
2. How did it feel to go meatless? How did your food choices today make you feel?
I love it. I do it for dietary and environmental reasons, and it feels good.
3. Could you see yourself going meatless periodically on a regular basis as part of your self-care? Would it work for you in a positive way?
Yes, I already have, and it works well for me. I feel healthier and lighter. I can’t go meatless more often, because mr S likes his meat. And I do too, but one or two days a week feels pretty good, and I feel much less bloated after eating.
Oh that Mushroom ragout sounds amazing, Susannah. I am just wild about mushrooms (and yogurt loaded with berries is another favorite!).
I have never been a big meat eater and over the past few years the amount of meat I eat has dwindled to maybe twice a week. It just isn’t appetizing to me. So, going meatless isn’t hard for me. Often I have cereal or ciabatta toast for breakfast with fruit or hot chocolate made from real milk, lunch is usually a ginormous salad with some cheese and lots of veggies, and supper is usually rice or potatoes, some cheese, and right now, lots of garden tomatoes. I eat grilled cheese sandwiches also for supper sometimes.
My food choices today are like most other days…far from perfect, but a work in progress. I know I could make it a goal to eat more fruits and veggies, and to aim toward a little less sugar in my diet because I feel better when I do this.
Going meatless is easy for me, but I do still have to cook meat based dishes for my husband. In the winter it is especially easy, because I make a big pot of soup and just have that for my lunch every day until it is gone. Then I make another one! I love soup full of veggies.
I am with you on soup, Valerie. I could eat a bowl everyday. You’ll have to share some of your favorite recipes!
I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years. Well, I guess i cannot still call myself a complete vegetarian anymore. Bad dietary habits made me protein deficient, pre-diabetic and kind of chunky. I had become more of a carb-o-tarian. Now i incorporate seafood into my diet for protein & really work on maintaining a healthy balanced diet….. most days.
But i feel the best on days when i am able to get the brunt of my nutrients from fruits, vegetables and whole grains. This past winter my hubby and i fell in love w/kale. It is now a staple in our house and has replaced lettuce in our salads.
By not eating, or limiting animal products, i feel that i am making a positive choice for both myself and the planet.
Really thoughtful reflection, Jenn. And I am with you on Kale. I posted a Kale, avocado, peppers recipe on the blog a couple months ago if you want to search for it (just enter Kale in the search).
I often eat close to meatless–I have a quinoa black bean salad that is a staple for me. I can load it up with all kinds of veggies, garnish my bowl with fresh avocado, and get a balance protein at the same time. It feels lovely.