YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR DIET. It's easier than you think! You can take the steps that will lead you to a diet which is better for you, for the planet, and the animals.

OPTIONS

Of course, it depends on what kind of diet you want to adopt. Here are some basic choices:
1. Less meat consumption
2. No beef or other red meat
3. No meat except fish
4. No meat of any kind; may include dairy products or eggs (vegetarian)
5. No meat, dairy, or other animal products of any kind (vegan)

All of the above options will benefit the planet and your health to some degree; of course, eliminating all meat would have the most benefit.

WHAT TO EAT -- HOW TO FIND AND PREPARE FOODS

What do you eat if you don't eat meat? Eat high-quality foods! Make fresh vegetables, whole grains, and beans the central part of your diet; limit the use of fatty foods, vegetable oils, and refined foods. If you need a snack, try fruits, popcorn, nuts, and seeds.  You should have no problem getting enough protein, calcium, and iron. It's almost impossible to be protein deficient on a
calorically adequate diet.

If you're getting enough calories, you need about 8-9% of your calories as protein, according to the government RDA. Most plant foods have this much or more protein. Brown rice has 8% of calories as protein; potatoes, 11%; beans, from 20-30%; wheat, 17%; carrots, 15%; and so forth. There is no need for "mixing proteins" or "protein complementarity"; the vast
majority of all plant foods have all of the eight essential amino acids in sufficient quantity to sustain healthy adults. 

Calcium is a concern for many because of the problem of osteoporosis (or softening of the bones). Calcium is present in milk, but it is also present in dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli. Studies indicate that the cause of much osteoporosis is not inadequate calcium so much as excess protein. If you are getting too much protein, you will suffer from osteoporosis no matter how much calcium you take in. Eskimos get three times the US RDA of calcium and suffer from rampant osteoporosis; the Bantu get only 25-50% of the US RDA, and have healthy bones. The difference is that the Eskimos have a very high-protein diet (due to all the fish they consume), while the Bantu live largely on plant foods. 

Iron is also abundant on a vegetarian diet. Broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, and most beans and peas all have plenty of iron. Many persons are promoting beef as a source of easily absorbed iron ("heme iron," found in meat but not in plant foods). But nonheme iron can also be absorbed and there is a factor which dramatically increases the absorbability of nonheme iron: this is vitamin C, which is widely available in fruits and vegetables, and which most vegetarians have little trouble in getting.

Many people think that to be a vegetarian you have to eat exotic foods like tofu, miso, and so forth. There's nothing wrong with these "specialty" foods, but you do not need them to be a vegetarian. EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR A HEALTHY VEGETARIAN DIET IS AVAILABLE IN ORDINARY GROCERY STORES.

How do you prepare a palatable vegetarian meal? Fortunately there are now many vegetarian cookbooks available. Some favorites are:

	The Cookbook for People Who Love Animals by Gentle World
	The McDougall Health-Supporting Cookbooks, Volumes I and II, by Mary McDougall
	The New Laurel's Kitchen by Laurel Robertson, Carol Flinders, and Brian Ruppenthal
	Meatless Meals for Working People by Charles Stahler and Debra Wasserman

The New Laurel's Kitchen can be found in bookstores. The others are available from the VSC.
Vegetarian cooking classes are offered in many different cities; for information about cooking classes in the Colorado area, read Vegetarian Living (our bimonthly publication) or give us a call.

THE ADJUSTMENT PERIOD

When you make the choice to alter your diet in some way, you should expect changes in your life and there may be an adjustment period during which you and your body will get used to your new
diet. Some people will get used to their new diet very quickly; for others it may take many months. "Adjusting" doesn't merely mean that your body gets used to the new diet, but that you become accustomed to the new foods and the new way of thinking which your diet entails. Here are some changes you may encounter:

1. Eating larger amounts of food - If you eliminate or cut down on meat and instead substitute vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and so forth, you may actually have to increase the total volume of food you consume. That's because you'll be eating less fat. Fat is a very concentrated source of calories, and meat is a high-fat, concentrated source of calories. Meat is the leading source of fat in the American diet.  Also, meat has no fiber, and fiber (while beneficial) supplies no calories. A healthy diet just takes a bit longer to eat. You should be prepared for the reality that healthy food, high in fiber and low in fat, contains fewer calories per unit volume than does a steak or other piece of animal flesh.

2. Weight loss (if overweight) - This is usually a welcome "adjustment" and is a result of the fact that healthy vegetarian food is less concentrated in fat and calories. If you eat these kinds of healthy foods, you will be able to eat the same amount (or more!) and lose unwanted pounds.  Weight loss is one of the most common and pleasant "side effects" of a plant-based diet when overweight people make this transition. If you are not overweight, you may have simply gained the ability to eat as much as you want and still not become overweight.

3. Less constipation - Many Americans are constipated without knowing it. Sometimes persons who adopt a more healthy, meatless diet will fear that they are developing "diarrhea," when actually they are just having normal bowel movements after years of constipation!  Studies have consistently shown that if you adopt a more plant-based diet, high in whole grains and vegetables, your stools will be both larger and more regular than on a meat-oriented diet. This is because such a diet is significantly higher in fiber. Meat has zero fiber; almost all plant foods have fiber, if they haven't had it processed out (as in white bread, white sugar, and other "white" things).

4. Social pressure from meat-eaters - This may actually be the most serious problem you will have!  Well-meaning family or friends may try to "reason" with you about your food choices. Or, they may make fun of you, or get angry and offended that you are not eating meat. (They may be feeling guilt, envy, or confusion themselves). Or, the pressure may be more subtle, unconscious, or unintentional. This may occur when your friends discuss where to eat out and want to eat at "Mr. Steak"; or when you are a guest in someone's home and are offered meat.  The correct response when you are offered meat (or anything else you don't want to eat, for any reason) is "No, thank you." You needn't launch into a discussion of factory farming or the chemicals and poisons in meat. What you eat is in such a situation a significant statement in itself; and if someone does want to discuss meat-eating with you, they can certainly raise the topic with you.

5. Temptations -- craving for meat - All right; you've kicked the meat habit for a month. You're walking past a local fast food establishment, and suddenly the urge hits: "I want a double cheeseburger with all the trimmings!" says your stomach.  You don't need to make your diet so rigid and unappealing that you become unhappy with it. There is such a thing as "meatless fast food." There are many ways of creating satisfying fast food that will get you over and beyond the craving for meat. There are tofu "hot dogs", a large selection of "veggie burgers," vegetarian jerky, chili with textured vegetable protein (TVP), and tempeh. These are satisfying and tasty alternatives to the usual greasy animal foods you find in fast food establishments.  When eating out, ethnic restaurants offer many non-meat options, especially Mexican, Indian, Italian, and Middle Eastern. Other options are salad bars with lots of vegetables, baked potatoes, pizza, pastas, and salads. You need to be clear and precise about what you do, and do not eat. Many restaurants don't have a clear idea what a vegetarian is and will assume, for example, that you eat fish when you really don't eat fish at all. Don't be embarrassed to express your needs; you're paying for it, so the least you can expect is that they tell you just exactly what's in the food.  It is also helpful to remind yourself of why you became a vegetarian. People become vegetarians for different reasons, but you might want to go over with yourself the reasons that apply for you. If you are motivated by ethical concerns, think about the slaughterhouse. Think of the thousands, the millions of animals who are slaughtered for their flesh; the lives they endure and the deaths they die. Factory farms are an enduring reality; they are not less real just because we don't see them.   Ecological concerns motivate many today. If this is one of your concerns, think about the rain forests chopped down for cattle grazing; think of the groundwater squandered on irrigated crops for livestock; above all, think of the millions of human beings who die each year while the plenty of the earth is channeled into feeding meat to a small minority of the world's citizens.  If your motivations are more health-oriented, there is an even easier line of thought to follow. Just read the obituary column of your local newspaper! Many papers list the cause of death in their obituary columns. You will doubtless see many deaths at fairly early ages -- certainly before they had to die of old age -- due to heart disease and cancer, the two leading diet-related killers.

AFTER THE ADJUSTMENT PERIOD
You may experience many new benefits after the adoption of a meatless diet, such as --
--Less illness; sometimes allergies disappear
--Less craving for food; less difficulty with weight control
--An end to constipation
--Lower blood cholesterol
--Calmer disposition; more self-confidence; feeling of being in control of your life
--Food bills substantially lower
--The satisfaction of living a healthy, ecological lifestyle

Congratulations on your new healthy, ecological, ethical lifestyle -- we wish you luck as a vegetarian. . . . .