Why go vegetarian?

• Your health. Vegetarianism ranks as one the best ways to eat a healthy diet--as simple as eating more salads and another apple every day.
• Want to follow a trend? For instance, Hollywood stars jumping on the bandwagon.
• Fanatic devotion, near religious status. Deeply into the animal rights movement, some dedicated vegetarians won't even eat in restaurants that serve animal products.

A vegetarian diet produces benefits no matter how you approach it, so don't worry about doing it wrong.

Your body will appreciate any fruit or vegetable you send down! Just take that all-important first step!

If you currently consume lots of high-fat, high-sugar junk food, it doesn't make sense to debate the merits of vegetables versus meat.

The typical vegetarian diet meets or exceeds the recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals, anyway.

Tips for success

1. Decide what version of vegetarianism suits you:
   • Vegan or total vegetarian - Includes only foods from plants: fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds, and nuts.
   • Lactovegetarian - Adds cheese, milk, yogurt, and other dairy products.
   • Lacto-ovovegetarian - Also includes eggs.
   • Semi-vegetarians - No red meat, but includes chicken and fish.
2. Start all at once or gradually - totally your choice. Sick and tired of meat? Just dump it all together! Or, gradually eliminate meat products, starting first with red meat.

   Try switching your meat and vegetable portions. Make meat the side dish and feature vegetables as the main course. Asians typically eat this way, especially in stir fry dishes.

3. Watch total calories - limit sweets and fats. Don't let your veggies swim in cream sauce or your fruits smother in sugary syrups.
4. Plan your menu. Either:
   • Simple--stick with basic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Three vegetable side dishes make a meal. Eat a large salad with shredded vegetables. Serve fresh fruit in a fancy dish for dessert.
   or
   • Complicated--experiment with exotic items such as tempeh, tofu, wheat gluten, or seitan.
5. Buy most of your groceries in the produce aisle. Visit the dairy aisle if you decide to consume cheese, milk, eggs, or yogurt.
6. Serve a colorful plate:
   • yellow corn
   • green spinach salad with red tomatoes
   • light brown whole grain bread
   • red cherries
   • orange oranges
7. Find out if your community hosts a farmer's market.
   • Farmer's markets create a fun shopping experience, almost carnival-like.
   • You'll find the freshest produce available - probably just picked that day.
   • Feel good about supporting your local economy.

Looking for diet and weight loss tips? Kathy Ferneau has created an excellent resource for information on diets, healthy eating, and exercise. Click here: http://www.lose-weight-diets.com

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