Part-Time Vegetarian

The days of cattle roaming free on grassy fields is mostly a romantic vision of the past. Most animals raised for food these days live in factory farms. Not only are these "meat mills" sometimes inhumane for the cow, chicken or other livestock, but the effects on the environment can be extremely toxic. When I first moved to South Florida, I worked for a vegan restaurant called Sublime for about a year and a half. While there, I experimented with a completely vegetarian diet. After about 6 months, I realized it was not for me.

What I did learn from that attempt at becoming a herbivore...there are lots of options to supplement our diet with high protein vegetables and grains. If everyone in the world would give up meat one day a week, the demand would drop enough that balance would return to our food chain, our health would improve and we help stop the effects of global pollution on Earth.

Most people are familiar with tofu, derived from soybeans. There are also an array of plant-based, high proteins such as the ancient grain, Quinoa. This wonder grain is similar in texture to rice but contains more protein, pound-per-pound, than beef. Quinoa breaks down slower in your system than most carbohydrates, maintaining blood sugar levels. Legumes, nuts and leafy greens like spinach are also good choices when replacing animal protein. Do some experimentation with some of these items and join me as a part-time vegetarian.