Meatless Monday can help you live longer

Wanna lose weight? Stop eating carbs, eat meat instead! So say many followers of a diet fad popular over the last thirty years. But why does low-carb mean high meat? What about plant foods?

Recent Harvard research has shown that high meat consumption leads to reduced longevity and higher cancer rates.

The folks at meatlessmonday.com reported that a 26 year study of 130,000 dieters found that there was a “direct association” between animal-based low-carbohydrate diets in men and an increase in cancer deaths, particularly colorectal and lung cancer.

Half of the study participants increased their plant foods instead of animal foods. In their case, researchers found that a plant-based low-carb diet was associated with lower risk of cancer, heart disease and overall death.

So if you want to cut carbs to lose weight, add plant foods, not meat to your diet! Meatless Monday is a great way to do that, as you explore plant-based food options.

Try today's recipe with Veat meat substitute and plenty of veggies for that end of summer barbeque.

Cherry Tomato Shish Kabobs 

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. Veat nuggets
• 1 can pineapple chunks, drained
• White button mushrooms, peeled
• Shallots, cut into chunks
• 1 green bell pepper, cut in pieces
• Cherry tomatoes

Sauce:

• 1/3 cup honey
• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. powdered ginger

Instructions

1. Combine sauce ingredients together in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
2. Add Veat, pineapple and veggies, leaving the cherry tomatoes aside and toss until evenly coated.
3. Pour mixture into a casserole dish and marinate overnight.
4. Arrange on kabob sticks and bake at 350 degrees for 7 – 10 minutes, brushing occasionally with remaining sauce, or grill outdoors.

Today's Veggie Quote

"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."

Immanuel Kant