October 1 is World Vegetarian Day. It was first established by the North American Vegetarian Society on October 1, 1977. According to their website, “World Vegetarian Day is designed to promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of veganism.” In fact, the whole month of October is World Vegetarian Month, followed by November 1, which is World Vegan Day. So…why not give veganism, or vegetarianism, a try during this fall?
Animal agriculture is one of the top causes of climate change, in addition to resource depletion, overfishing of the oceans, pollution of our waterways, and so much more. Not to mention the suffering of the seventy billion land animals and far more aquatic animals, who are slaughtered each year for our food supply. And…if you choose to eat whole foods, your own health could improve, too!
Testing the waters could be take many forms. Perhaps, you pledge to eat only plants for one day (October 1 or November 1 are good symbolic choices.). Maybe you’d like to go a little further, like one day a week, or one meal a day (breakfast is an easy one!). Or maybe, just maybe, this is the year that you want to give it your all and try it for a month!
Going veg has never been so easy. There are many ways to do so, both healthfully and not so healthy. There are many products out there to support your journey and of course, vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, nuts and seeds are aplenty! Feel free to reach out to me directly, if you would like support, advice or someone to answer your questions.
To get you started, here’s a sample menu (whole foods, plant-based):
- Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with fruit, spices, nuts and/or seeds. I add 1-part oats to 3-parts water. I use an Instant Pot on High Pressure for 5 minutes with Natural Release. Once cooked, I add about ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp nutmeg and a couple pinches of cayenne pepper. I also add ½-1 T of flax seeds, chia seeds and hemp seeds (any or all, whatever I have). I stir all that then add 1 sliced banana, some sliced strawberries, some wild blueberries, or whatever fresh fruit you like. Finally I add walnuts and maybe pumpkin seeds. And on some days…Equal Exchange bittersweet chocolate chips (they’re vegan and on the Food Empowerment list, so no child slave labor either). This is a hearty breakfast!
- Lunch: A HUGE salad! I make mine in a serving bowl. I use 1 romaine heart or several leaves of lettuce (green leaf, red leaf, etc.) I add cucumber, bell peppers in any color, radishes, if you like them, chopped carrots, celery, chopped fresh basil, tomatoes, sliced red or vidalia onions, and any other raw veggies you like. To that I add ½-1 cup of cooked or canned chickpeas or lentils and either boiled cubed potatoes or ½-1 cup of rice or another grain. I also like to add avocado or olives and maybe pistachios. I also add a cubed apple and some raisins. I, personally, don’t use salad dressing because I avoid oil, so I sprinkle my salad with coconut aminos and drizzle with tahini. Then add salt and pepper. This is a HUGE and time-consuming lunch.
- Dinner: For me, easiest is steamed veggies with rice and beans. (I like dinner to be a lighter meal.) You could do pasta with veggies or tomato sauce. There are also many vegan prepared foods, if you are looking for convenience.
- Snacks/Dessert: Fresh fruit is nice!
Happy World Vegetarian Month and happy eating!
Laura Beck for the Green Team (ljbVeganMentor@gmail.com)