Veg Onward

I came across an excellent article this morning entitled "Low Carb Diet Rich in Animal Fat and Protein Increases Risk of Death" .

For all of you out there who shun carbs, stop! This article is just another example of how we should be eating more plant based foods and less animal products. Okay, so I'm talking about whole grain carbs, not just any old carbs. Interestingly enough, carbs are plant based. Here is a listing of 15 grains that we should eat more of. Guess what! Wheat berries are on the list!

Did you know that animal products are the main source of cholesterol in our diets? Plants contain virtually no cholesterol. Our bodies produce enough cholesterol on their own, so we don't really need to get it from food. If you're truly interested in the science behind it, go here.

I am by no means a strict vegetarian. In fact, I'm probably that person that vegetarians hate because I'm mostly vegetarian, but I'll eat seafood. And sometimes meat, like on Thanksgiving. I don't eat this way for one specific reason, but for a variety of reasons.

Reason #1:
I've never been a big meat eater. So when I found out through a variety of sources that there are multiple reasons to eliminate meat from our diets, it didn't take much to convince me. I recommend both of these books if you want some follow-up reading. The Omnivore's Dilemma takes some time to really get into, but it's worth it. Michaol Pollan gives excellent examples that really opened my eyes. Skinny Bitch is a lighter read, but they are very vocal with their beliefs, so read it with an open mind.

Reason #2:
I like happy cows. I don't like thinking about my meat being processed, contaminated, dirtied, recalled, or anything of the sort. And I don't want to consider how the animals were treated before they were killed. It's not that I have a problem with eating animals. I have a problem with the animals not being raised in the way God intended.














Reason #3:
My health. I feel better eating a vegetable based diet. It's easy to get the proper amount of protein, which is the main concern of most people. The list of vegetables is quite lengthy. And delicious!

I also found a cool website that lets you search foods by the nutritional needs that you have. It searches for foods by highest and lowest in each nutrient. Very useful if you find you're deficient in something.