Lean Plate Club: Planting a New Habit

By Sally Squires

Washington Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, August 19, 2003; Page HE03

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Meatless Mondays.

That's what a national consortium of 28 schools of public health want consumers to try as a step toward healthier eating habits, particularly reduction of saturated fat.

"The basic concept is to get people to think about what they are eating," says Alfred Sommer, dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, which is leading the effort. "Maybe that will spill over to controlling calories as well."

The proven health benefits of eating a largely plant-based diet include a lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and some types of cancer. It's no wonder the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, the American Heart Association, the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Diabetes Association all recommend consuming a largely plant-based diet. The idea of going meatless for some meals will also sound familiar to Lean Plate Club members: That was one of the goals of the Everyday Challenge, launched in January 2002.

Need more incentive? Consider this: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's DASH diet -- the acronym stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/) -- is rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, nuts and, yes, a few meatless meals per week.

But if you take out the meat, what's left? That's a question that surfaces from time to time on the Lean Plate Club weekly Web chat. Here are some ways to help you go meatless for a day -- or longer.

Build your meals around fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and low-fat dairyproducts. These foods offer variety, taste, fiber, complex carbohydrates, healthy fat (such as omega-3 fatty acids) and protein.

Rethink breakfast. Instead of bacon, sausage links, eggs or high-fat doughnuts, consider soy sausage, egg substitutes, low-fat cheese, whole wheat English muffins or bagels, whole grain cereals, nuts and low-fat or nonfat yogurt and skim milk. Or try a fruit wrap, developed by the American Institute of Cancer Research (www.aicr.org/publications/nap/nap2.lasso). Take a whole wheat tortilla and fill with two tablespoons of reduced-fat ricotta cheese, two teaspoons of fruit-only preserves, half a cup of fresh fruit and two tablespoons of sliced almonds. Voilà, a quick meal ready to eat on the go.

Add beans. They're filled with fiber, complex carbohydrates and protein and are generally high in vitamins and minerals, especially iron. Find free bean recipes created by famous chefs at www.northarvestbean.org/html/chefrecipes.cfm.

Lunch on meatless salads and soups. They provide variety, taste and volume, which will help you feel fuller with fewer calories.

Expand your culinary horizons. Dip into Mediterranean, Asian and Middle Eastern menus, all of which rely largely on plant-based cuisine.

Dine on pasta. Consider whole wheat, artichoke and other whole grain varieties. Brown rice, whole wheat couscous, quinoa and other whole grains can also provide a good starting point for a nightly meal. Experiment by adding vegetables, tomato sauce, low-fat cheese, seafood or chopped nuts, plus some healthy fat, such as olive oil.

Additional resources

• U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrition Information Center: warp.nal.usda.gov/fnic/pubs/bibs/gen/vegetarian.htm#6

• Meatless Monday! (www.meatlessmonday.com) offers recipes, games, coupons and more.

• Vegetarian Resource Group: www.vrg.org.

-- Sally Squires