I recently discovered the label "Part Time Vegetarian" and find it useful and empowering as a sort of half step to a healthier diet. Eating healthier is a process that is easy to start and with just a little effort can be very rewarding.
When most people think of "Vegetarian" they automatically think either/or. You either are or you are not a vegetarian. When I heard the phrase "part time vegetarian" I immediately thought "Yes! this is me!" I have been in the process of refining my diet (moving away from mainly meat to more vegetables, whole grains and legumes) for at least 5 years. I now eat 3-4 dinner meals a week that are vegetarian. It has taken me 5 years of steady progress to get to this point and I am a chef!
Millions and perhaps billions have been made on the "diet craze" because people buy into the assumption that change happens with little or no work! Good Health and Dis-ease are both Habits! Getting from point A to point K then to point X has many steps along the way. Each of those steps takes work and commitment.
In a time when "change" is a huge buzzword and pretty much anything we want is practically at our fingertips, I would like to point out two observations that most people seem to overlook: 1) Change is a Process! and 2) Lasting change only happens when you change the cause behind the effects. The cause we need to change is our eating Habits.
Change is a Process.
At the core of change are habits; habits of thinking and doing and being.
To change we must replace old habits with new habits.
We can do this by slowly making adjustments to what we eat.
If you have extra weight, you did not put it on in a short period of time and you will not keep it off for the long term unless you change your eating habits.
I will probably never stop eating Meat. I Love a nice juicy Hamburger! I Love all kinds of Fish! I Love slow roasted BBQ pork, a perfectly cooked T-Bone steak, a tender roast chicken cooked over root vegetables, garlic and apples! And the list goes on......
But, now, fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes and nuts are the mainstay of my diet and I Love eating this way!
I feel better, I have more energy, and my diet is lowering the impact I have on my planet.
It is Easy to start the Process!
1) Eat more vegetables or fruit today
2) Eat less meat (have a 6 oz. burger instead of an 8 oz. one)
3) Try something new one day a week (a new fruit, vegetable, or whole grain)
Start the Process!
Take the first step today!
Before you know it You too may be a "Part Time Vegetarian"!
Remember: You are what you eat!
For more in depth information go here.
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