Vegetarian Eating Isn’t Just For Vegetarians
Chef Peter curates each week’s menu with care. He always makes sure that each week’s vegetarian entrée is a delectable delight in its own right and not just a “lesser” version of the meaty entrées. Have you tried any of the vegetarian dishes from The Table Catering? Read more from our partner dietitian Amy Slabaugh about how vegetarian eating isn’t just for vegetarians.
Vegetarian Eating Isn’t Just For Vegetarians
Written by Amy Slabaugh, RDN
Are you a carnivore or a vegetarian? Or are you somewhere in the middle? Fortunately, you don’t have to take an all-or-none approach to eating meat. You can still reap many of the health and environmental benefits of foregoing meat by replacing a few of your usual meat-filled meals each week with plant protein instead of animal protein.
Taking a both/and approach to vegetarianism and meat-eating can be very fulfilling. People who enjoy meat can avoid feelings of total deprivation by not forcing themselves to become vegetarians for the sake of the planet or their health, while still enjoying the flavors and textures of plant proteins as well as their health and environmental benefits.
Something important to keep in mind when you forego meat: make sure your meatless meal has plant or non-meat animal protein of some kind. Veggies are a fantastic part of your meal, but they aren’t enough on their own. Your body needs protein too. Explore the wonderful world of legumes: edamame, chickpeas, peas, peanuts, lentils, black beans, black eyed peas, red beans… so many! They have such varied flavors and textures; they can be a lot of fun to eat. Tofu and tempeh are easy and very versatile options. Nuts are also a great source of plant protein - plus they can either give a great crunch or a delightful creaminess to your dish. (Don’t forget to add in the whole grains too!)
Non-meat animal protein can play an important role as well. Eggs and dairy, like cheese, are great options for non-meat animal protein. However, if environmental concerns are driving your desire to go meatless, try not to rely too heavily on dairy for your protein. Dairy production has a much greater negative environmental impact than plant proteins and eggs.
Perhaps you’ve heard of the “Meatless Monday” campaign that encourages people not to eat meat on Mondays. With Chef Peter’s weekly vegetarian entrée option you can easily have a “Meatless Wednesday” (or Thursday) every week, while still enjoying his meat-containing meals! Fill your fridge with his whole lineup of entrées to enjoy the best of both worlds.
For the nights when Chef Peter isn’t cooking, I'd be glad to share my favorite places to look for vegetarian recipes. Please email me and I can share some links.
