Today is the Great American Meatout, a day meant to raise awareness of the benefits of eating a diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. To translate, that means that today—the first day of spring—people around the country can take a pledge to eat vegan for the day, once a week, or even for good.
The goal of Meatout is to raise awareness of the benefits of a
plant-based diet, and encourage people to eat a vegan diet for their
health, the planet, and for animals (the day is coordinated by the
non-profit group FARM, the Farm Animal Rights Movement)
.
Though parting ways with your morning scrambled eggs or a steak
dinner may seem hard to imagine, Meatout wants to prove that being vegan
isn’t as hard as people think.
And the group notes that there are some major health benefits.
Cutting out dairy and meat that is high in saturated fat and eating more
veggies is associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, several common cancers, and other chronic diseases.
Want to try a vegan diet but don’t know where to start or what to
eat? We’ve got a full days worth of recipes to get you started…plus they
taste good and fill you up! If you think all vegans just munch on carrot sticks and kale
all day, you may be surprised that blueberry muffins and burritos are
still on the menu. (I made my pledge already, so I will be enjoying
some vegan burritos right along with you!)
Vegan Blueberry-Lemon Muffins
(Note: You can make any muffin recipe vegan by using soy or almond milk
instead of cow’s milk, vegan spread instead of butter, and a vegan “flax
egg”–1 tablespoon flax meal, plus 3 tablespoons water–in place of
regular eggs. Using whole-wheat flour and cutting down on sugar will
yield a deliciously healthy muffin!)
Red Cabbage and Apple Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette:
Ingredients: apple cider vinegar, ginger, Dijon mustard, honey
(not all vegans eat honey, so you can cut this ingredient out), garlic,
olive oil, red and Napa cabbage, Granny Smith apple, lemon juice, golden
raisins and sunflower seeds
Calories: 215
Spicy Black Bean Burritos
Ingredients: black beans, red onion, garlic, cumin, tofu, olive oil, whole wheat tortillas, iceberg lettuce, white or brown rice
Calories: 355
Craving dessert?
Check out our favorite better-for-you chocolate…two of them are vegan!
sumber: health
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