"Meatless Monday"

Aside from my post about sugar yesterday, another food-related goal I've decided to implement is to eat vegetarian 2-3 days a week. I originally got this idea from hearing about a movement called "Meatless Monday" (www.meatlessmonday.com). For health and environmental reasons, many people have chosen to follow Meatless Monday, which cuts down their meat consumption by 15%.

There are a couple reasons I want to do this. Health is first and foremost. We Americans tend to see meat as the main dish and relegate vegetables, fruits, and whole grains to side dishes. In fact, diets containing high consumption of meat can lead to higher risks for cancer and heart disease. Going vegetarian even for a couple days a week can be a challenge if you still want to eat healthy. The easiest thing to do is to reach for breads, pasta, cheese, and other not-so-good-for-you items. I'm hoping that by taking this on, it will force me to be a more creative cook by having to find ways to make satisfying, tasty meals that are vegetarian and healthy.



A general note about me and the future of this blog:

Right now, I feel like I'm in a phase of active searching. I have been doing a lot of research and reading about holistic health: physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional. I have become particularly interested in the interaction between Eastern and Western medicine and what the two can teach each other. What's fascinating is that the more I read, the more everything is revealed to be interconnected. I am letting instinct take over: if a certain book seems like it might be interesting, I'll pick it up; if I'm reading online and a link seems pertinent, I'll click it. More often than not, what I find somehow ties into and reinforces everything I've already learned. I realize this paragraph is a little abstract or esoteric. I can't help that now, though, because even I am not yet sure where I'm going with all of this. I hope to use this blog as an outlet to explore some of these thoughts and to share with anyone who is interested what I'm finding out. I do think I'm on an interesting path, and I hope you'll want to come along for the ride!