So, we're going Meat-less, not meatless. Notice the subtle difference. Why? I'll give you the ten peso version. I've been having joint pain on and off for the past four to five years, not to mention a few other bug-a-boos that I was way to young to experience. The last six months got a little bit worse and I was sure as heck not ready to start seeing a doctor for some of these issues. I had seen a doctor four years ago and was tested for lupus, but it was negative. I stopped drinking milk because of my allergies, and when I tried it again my body rebelled.
Enter my friend Elaine. I knew she and her family ate very little meat and dairy so we discussed some of the reasons and she told me about The China Study.
The author of the book grew up on a dairy farm, and fully expected a career in science devoted to extolling the virtues of a high protein, animal-based diet. After working in the Philippines with children dying of liver cancer, he unexpectedly found a link between the disease and high intake of animal-based protein. As his research grew, everything he thought about nutrition began to crumble. He studied many different counties in China and compared them to each other and the Western diet. What he found is that certain diseases don't really exist in China, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and several autoimmune diseases. The main difference in diet is the amount of animal-based protein consumed by the different counties and cultures.
I was so impressed by the data and research that I decided to make a huge change to our family's diet. We were eating meat at least twice a day every day. We started with baby steps and the kids aren't always thrilled with it, but I do allow them small amounts of cheese and one meat-based meal every week. So far, they've enjoyed most of our meals and they love green smoothies (a daily treat). Even though the book suggests cutting animal based food out completely, we prefer a more moderate take - and it is working well for us.
Two main questions people ask are, "Where do you get your protein?" and "What do you eat?" Protein can be found in beans (we love black beans and garbanzo beans), greens (spinach and kale) and whole grains (wheat, brown rice, couscous, and quinoa). There are a lot of great recipes on http://www.nutritionwise.org/ and you can always adjust recipes you already eat. We love tacos with brown rice, black beans, tomatoes and corn. Spagetti and pizza are great without all the added grease from meat (we use a little cheese).
The basic premise of the book is that as long as you are eating a large variety of fruit, vegetables and whole grains, your body will get what it needs. That's not to say it's easy, especially for kids, but I can tell you my entire family can tell a difference in how they feel (my 2-year-old stopped having diarrhea after cutting out milk completely), and they are learning they actually like a lot things they didn't think they did. I have been amazed at how far they have come in just a month! If you decide to go completely meatless, you should take a vitamin B12 supplement. Almond and rice milk are great milk substitutes. We haven't tried soy because I am allergic to it.
Here are a few of our favorite recipes.
Lentil Burgers (from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook) - a little time-consuming, but grocery stores carry black bean and veggie burgers that taste good too.
2 1/2 cup water
1/2 chopped onion
1/3 cup brown rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup lentils, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup regular rolled oats
2 slightly beaten egg whites
1/2 cup snipped fresh basil or 1 1/2 t dried basil, crushed
1 T worchestershire sauce
2 dashes bottled hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds, toasted
8 whole wheat hamburger buns
1. In a medium saucepan combine water, onion, uncooked brown rice, and garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Add lentils. Cover and simmer 25 minutes more or until rice and lentils are tender. Remove from heat.
2. Add garbanzo beans to saucepan; mash the mixture. Stir in oats. Let stand 5 minutes.
3. Combine the egg whites, basil, Worchestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional); add to mixture in pan, stirring to combine. Stir in nuts.
4. Using about 1/2 cup of mixture for each, shape into eight 1/2 inch-think patties. Spray a 12-inch skillet with nonstick spray coating. Cook the patties over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes or till light brown, turning once. Serve the patties on buns. Top spinach, lettuce, onion, ketchup, mustard, etc.
Potato wraps
1 package spring roll wrappers (found in the asian section)
5-7 potatoes
1-2 carrots, grated
garlic salt
canola oil
Preheat oven to 475. Clean, cube and boil potatoes until tender. Mash potatoes and add 1-2 teaspoons garlic salt. Put 1/2 -1 inch of warm water in a dish large enough to fit spring roll wrapper. Place a wrapper in the water 5-10 seconds, then carefully spread a large spoonful of potatoes on wrapper. Sprinkle grated carrot on top and roll like and egg roll (directions on package) and place on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat until you have enough for your family (2-3 a piece). Lightly brush with canola oil and bake until golden (do not burn). It should take between 5-10 minutes, just watch them. We like to dip them in sweet and sour sauce, but they are good plain also.
Black bean and Fire Roasted Tomato Burritos
1 T canola oil
1/2 diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes (canned tomatoes have a high salt content so I try not to use them often, but the flavor makes the whole dish!)
1 can corn, drained and rinsed (my kids don't love corn so we leave it out).
1 t cumin
1 t. chili powder
whole wheat tortillas (If you are lucky enough to live near an HEB their fresh whole wheat tortillas are amazing!)
guacamole (see my recipe in earlier posts)
Saute garlic and onion in canola oil for a few minutes. Add black beans, tomatoes, corn (if desired), cumin and chili powder. Heat through. Serve on tortillas with guacamole. I usually let my kids have a little shredded cheese with this one.
Tasty brown rice
Brown rice tends to be a turn off for the kids, but this is a way to add some flavor.
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon (or sub some water for vegetable stock- watch the sodium content)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 diced onion
1 can diced green chiles
Add all ingredients to a large pot and boil until done.
Hopefully these will become some of your family favorites!
