Spring Is A Great Time To Eat More Meatless Meals!

By Carole Bartolotto, MA, RD

Eating less meat is becoming more popular than ever. Even Oprah’s staff went vegan (no animal products) for a week. While avoiding meat entirely is not for everyone, eating meatless meals several times a week is good for your health, your wallet, and the planet.

Research to Support Eating a Plant-Based Diet
Eating a diet with few or no animal products and lots of plant foods has long been associated with lower rates of disease. Dr. Dean Ornish’s research showed that a low-fat vegan diet and other lifestyle changes could, in fact, reverse heart disease. Many other physicians also use a similar diet with significant improvements for people with heart disease and diabetes.

The Mediterranean diet has also been linked with significantly lower rates of heart disease. The Lyon Diet Heart Study found a 73 percent decrease in coronary events, like a heart attack, and a 70 percent decrease in the risk of dying. It is not a vegetarian diet but it does recommend red meat (beef, pork, and lamb) only once or twice a month, if at all, and fatty fish twice a week. It is also plant-based with lots of fruits, vegetables, and beans in place of other foods.

A plant-based diet is also linked with lower rates of cancer. Guidelines created by the American Cancer Society, the World Cancer Research Fund, and the American Institute for Cancer Research all recommend eating a mostly plant-based diet. This includes more fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. The guidelines also recommend eating less red meat and processed meats. Current research has found a 15 to 20 percent increased risk of colon and rectal cancer with each 3½ ounces of red meat eaten per day.

A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests a link between red meat, disease, and death. Each daily 3-ounce serving of red meat was associated with a 12 percent increased risk of dying overall, a 16 percent increase risk of a dying from heart disease, and a 10 percent greater risk of dying from cancer. There was an even higher risk from eating processed meats like bacon, with a 20 percent increased risk of dying, a 21 percent increased risk of heart disease, and a 16 percent increased risk of cancer. This increased risk may be from the saturated fat, cholesterol, or iron found in red meat, or nitrates and sodium found in processed meats. Also, cancer-causing substances are created when red meat is cooked at high temperatures.

No matter how you slice it, eating less meat is good for you. Here are some tips to eat more meatless meals and a few meatless recipes you can try.

Easy Meatless Meals
Breakfast
• Oatmeal with walnuts, blueberries, and soy milk
• A handful of almonds and a banana
• Low-fat Greek yogurt and sliced strawberries
• Whole-grain toast with almond butter and a cup of raspberries
• Banana, strawberry, and almond milk smoothie

Lunch and Dinner
• Bean burrito with canned low-fat refried beans, tomatoes, salsa, and cilantro on a whole-wheat tortilla
• Hummus on a whole-wheat pita with carrots, tomatoes, and red onion
• Veggie burger with grilled onions and tomato on a whole-grain bun
• Stir-fry vegetables and tofu with brown rice

Easy Meatless Recipes
Both of these recipes are tasty and easy to make. Pair them with a salad and fruit for dessert for a delicious and healthy meal.

Curry Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin powder or seed
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon coriander
6 cups water
1 cube vegetarian bouillon (or use vegetable stock instead of water)
1 pound lentils

Directions:
1. Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil on medium-high heat until soft and slightly brown.
2. Add the spices and sauté for 1 minute.
3. Add water, vegetarian bouillon cube, and lentils.
4. Cook until lentils are tender, about 1 hour.

Tasty Veggie Chili
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and minced
1½ teaspoons cumin powder
1 15-ounce can of black beans
2 15-ounce cans of pinto beans
1 16-ounce package of organic frozen corn*
1 27-ounce can of stewed tomatoes
2 cups of water
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
Pepper

Directions:
1. Sauté the onion, garlic, cumin, and red bell pepper in the oil on medium high heat, stirring frequently until soft and slightly brown.
2. Add the jalapeño pepper and stir for a minute.
3. Add the beans with juice, corn, stewed tomatoes with juice, and water, and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquid is reduced, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and simmer for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Add pepper to taste.
*All corn is genetically modified unless it is organic.

More Recipes
Need more help finding vegetarian recipes? Check out these websites:
–foodforhealth.kaiserpermanente.org
–eatingwell.com
–realsimple.com
–fatfreevegan.com

What Are You Willing to Do?
Take a moment to think about what you are willing to do. Perhaps you can go meatless for three meals or even three days a week? Need more convincing? Check out the film “Forks Over Knives” for an in-depth and interesting look at the benefits of a plant-based diet.

This article was originally published by Kaiser Permanente Healthy Workforce. Used with permission.