Resolutions to keep you and the planet in good shape
FOREGOING the meat for a predominantly plantbased diet in order to stay in shape comes with a pleasant bonus—that of helping conserve precious land that would otherwise have been used for livestock raising and grazing.
There are plenty of healthier substitutes that are less destructive to the environment but are yummier when creatively prepared, such as shiitake mushrooms, langka, banana blossoms, wheat, tofu, nutritional yeast (cheese substitute), and soy.
Check out the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s vegetarian starter kit for more creative preparations (http://veganresolution.org/).
Healthcare expert Neil Nedley, MD, T. Colin Campbell (professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University and Thomas M. Campbell II, MD, (authors of “The China Study”) suggest the following specific resolutions:
1. Try it for a month. “You’ve been eating cheeseburgers your whole life; a month without them won’t kill you,” said Campbell. The Campbells encourage individuals who plan to give up all animal products such as beef, pork, poultry, fish, eggs, cow’s milk, cheese, to give it a try for one month.
2. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains and unsalted nuts in moderation, and other low sodium foods, suggests Nedley.
3. Avoid dill pickles, cured ham, Chinese rice, bouillon, and other highsodium foods. Read the labels.
4. Avoid low-fiber food such as those typically found in meat and dairy products.
5. Eliminate coffee, cola drinks, and alcohol. 6. Stop smoking. 7. Give the salt shaker a rest.
8. Bring your weight down to the recommended level for your height and build.
9. Adopt an aerobic exercise routine, such as brisk walking.
10. Learn to cope with stress.