Meatless Monday: Follow Health Guidelines and Live Longer

One Step At a Time...

You Can Go Meatless

For All Three Meals

Compared to the latest fad diets that boast amazing results, experts’ healthy eating advice doesn’t seem very exciting—or promising. However, it’s important to be aware that many health and government organizations, such as the American Institute for Cancer Research and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines Committee bring together panels of scientists and experts to review hundreds—sometimes thousands—of studies before they issue diet and lifestyle guidelines. And this advice actually may be worth something, according to a landmark study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May 2013. The study investigated the diets and lifestyles of about 380,000 people in nine European countries over 12 years, finding that people who adhered to health guidelines issued by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) reduced their risk of death from respiratory disease by 50 percent, from circulatory disease by 44 percent, and from cancer by 20 percent, compared with people who were the least compliant. The WCRF-AICR guidelines, which include being physically active, eating foods mostly of plant origin, cutting back on red and processed meats, and maintaining a healthy weight, may be viewed at www.dietandcancerreport.org.

Healthy Meatless Recipe:

Roasted Garbanzo and Vegetable Salad with Garlic, Feta, Olives, and Basil

(Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen)

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, rinsed well with cold water and drained
• 2 large red bell peppers, seeds and stem removed and chopped into pieces about 3/4 inch square
• 1 large red onion, peeled and chopped into pieces about 3/4 inch square
• 2 T olive oil (plus more for brushing roasting sheet if you don't use non-stick spray)
• 1 T minced garlic
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup crumbled Feta
• 1 can (6 oz. drained weight) black olives, drained and cut in half
• 3/4 cup sliced fresh basil leaves (or use 1/2 cup chopped parsley if you don't have basil)

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 T red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 T olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Put garbanzo beans in a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water until no more foam appears, then let drain well. (You can blot dry with paper towels if you need to speed up the draining step.)

While garbanzos drain, chop red bell peppers and red onion. Toss drained garbanzos, chopped red bell pepper, chopped red onion, minced garlic, and olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet that you've sprayed with olive oil or non-stick spray. Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Roast the beans and vegetables about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are starting to soften.

While garbanzos and vegetables roast, crumble the feta, drain the olives and slice in half, and wash the basil, spin dry, and slice into strips.

When garbanzos and vegetables are done, put back into the bowl and toss with dressing, then let cool for about 10-15 minutes. When cooled, stir in the Feta and sliced olives. Add the strips of basil (or chopped parsley) and stir gently to combine. Season again with salt and fresh ground black pepper (to taste; I don't add much salt). Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Healthy Weekly Motivator:

No Competition Required

You don’t need athletic prowess to be active! There are plenty of solo and team activities that emphasize fun and fitness, rather than competition or scoring points.


Try playing games with like- minded friends, taking a class, or going for a run, bike ride, or swim.

Find your personal motivation this week and try an activity that reflects your interests. Instead of keeping score, consider the physical and mental benefits of your new activity.

Remember Green Goes With Everything

This week go into your bathroom and take stock of all your lotions and potions. Read the labels. Start with shampoo, makeup, or moisturizer. Notice how much fragrance is in your products, and ask yourself, “Do I really need scent in these products?” Pick one product a week to replace with a safer, greener choice, or make a clean sweep. Look in the mirror and see yourself glow... just not from harmful chemicals. If you need help in selecting safer products please contact me.

Have a great week and remember a better tomorrow starts with what you eat today!

Do you have a favorite meatless recipe you would like to share with us? Send it my way!

Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,

Lisa

LQ WELLNESS

Professional Wellness Coach

973-383-0955

lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com

Interested in Optimal Wellness? Take a look at products available here!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Pinterest

"Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.”

~ Mark Twain ~

Meatless Monday:Does Eating Less Meat Give You A Longer Life

One Step At a Time...

You Can Go Meatless

For All Three Meals

What’s the healthiest human diet? With so many trending options — vegetarian, pescotarian, semi-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, vegan, vegan before six — it’s hard to decide what’s best for our bodies. Recently, though, we were given a little insight. , which looked at a range of different diets, decreasing meat consumption means improving health. 

Conducted at Loma Linda University in California and led by Michael J. Orlich, MD, the medical study analyzed over 70,000 Seventh-day Adventists, who practice vegetarianism. The study found that vegetarians demonstrated a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. With that, vegetarians were determined twelve percent less likely to die from all-cause mortality than were meat-eaters.

Because researchers defined the vegetarian category as having four dietary patterns — including those who eat fish and those who eat meat no more than once a week — the results suggest that there is a growing accessibility to a vegetarian lifestyle, in addition to the increased benefits of having one.

However, according to Robert B. Baron, MD, MS, who responded to the research in the JAMA Internal Medicine, it is important to note the nature of the study and remember that “like all observational studies, this one provides associations, not cause-and-effect evidence.” While the study concluded that vegetarians are less likely to develop certain diseases, it did not determine whether this pattern is caused by their specific diet or their overall lifestyle.

The bottom line is, they’re doing something right, and a few less hamburgers never hurt anyone, anyways.

Many people are turning to a healthier lifestyle and the vegetarian recipes you find on this blog will be a delicious addition to your recipe collection.

If you think that a diet of vegetarian food will be somewhat difficult to incorporate into your lifestyle, LQ Wellness thinks you will be surprised at the variety of easy recipes you will find here.

Vegetarian cuisine is not only healthy, these recipes show you how delicious a vegetarian diet can be.

Give them a try.

Even if you have no desire to convert from a meat eating diet, you'll see that it is easy and tasty to incorporate meat free days into your current diet.Making your meals meat free one day a week can help you feel good about yourself, and you’ll be sure to find some tasty new recipes along the way.

If you are already a vegetarian, I think you will enjoy the variety of new recipes you will find here.

Healthy Meatless Recipe:

Baked Eggplant Marinara

(Adapted from Patricia Conte )

Eggplant is a versatile vegetable that's terrific stuffed, grilled, pureed for a dip or baked. Give this recipe for baked eggplant marinara a try for a fabulous Meatless Monday meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch round slices
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 cups Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs (maybe more if you run low when breading)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups of marinara sauce (a bit more to use when serving)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Red pepper flakes (to season the marinara sauce)

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
• After you slice the eggplant into one-quarter-inch rounds, salt them to drain off some of their liquid (this helps to eliminate any bitterness). Place the slices in a colander over the sink and sprinkle them with salt. Allow them to remain in the colander for about 30 minutes, then pat them dry with paper towels.
• In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together and set aside.
• In another shallow bowl add the flour, salt and pepper and set aside.
• In a third shallow bowl, add the breadcrumbs mixed together with one-quarter cup of the Parmesan cheese, and set aside with the others.
• Spread about one-quarter cup of the marinara sauce across the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, or enough to coat the bottom, and set aside.
• Gather your shallow bowls together in the same area as your baking sheets. First dip the eggplant slices in the flour mixture and cover both sides. Next, dredge them in the egg and milk mixture and allow the excess liquid to drip off, and finally coat them on both sides in the breadcrumb/Parmesan mixture.
• Arrange each of the eggplant slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. You'll need two baking sheets.
• Bake for about 10 minutes, then flip them over for another 10 minutes, until they become golden.
• Remove, set aside and lower your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the eggplant slices to your prepared baking dish. To the top of the first layer, add some of the marinara sauce to lightly cover them. Double layer the slices, overlapping, if you have too many slices for a single layer.
• When all the slices are in the baking pan, top them with about three-quarters cup of marinara sauce and sprinkle with one-quarter cup of Parmesan cheese.
• Bake, covered with aluminum foil for about 15 minutes. Remove the pan, top the slices with the mozzarella cheese, and put them back in the oven, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes, or until the eggplant slices are cooked, and the cheese is bubbly.
• Serve warm with extra sauce.

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Healthy Weekly Motivator:

Makeover Your Meal Experience

Often, mealtimes are anything but relaxing; the chaos of everyday life leaves hardly any time to enjoy dinner! However, studies show that a relaxing dinner experience is beneficial to everyone, whether you’re eating alone or with your family.

In order to create a positive dining atmosphere, turn off all technology and eat at a table with place settings.

This week, schedule at least one relaxing dinner to enjoy time with your family and/or friends. The dinner doesn’t have to be perfect, either. As long as you’re enjoying the meal, there’s no need to stress about any mistakes that occurred while planning, preparing, or cooking.

Have a great week everyone and remember a better tomorrow starts with what you eat today!

Do you have a favorite meatless recipe you would like to share with us? Send it my way!

Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,

Lisa

LQ WELLNESS

Professional Wellness Coach

973-383-0955

lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com

Interested in Optimal Wellness? Take a look at products available here!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Pinterest

“The way you think, the way you behave, the way you eat, can influence your life by 30 to 50 years.”

~Deepak Chopra~