That's Fit

When one decides to stop eating meat, it's easy enough to turn to vegetarian recipes. However, many people aren't willing to give up meat in their meals, but would be willing to cut back.

The problem with this is that using half the amount of meat but not changing up the way you look at your meal can leave you feeling hungry -- if meat is still the main dish, but you're eating less, you won't feel satisfied.

Fortunately, The New York Times had a great article on how to eat less meat without feeling like you're missing out. Seven suggestions are made -- for the whole thing, click here, or check out our gallery to get a quick overview. And remember, you don't have to be a vegetarian to give vegetables the starring role in your dish!

PETA is holding is third annual world's sexiest vegetarian contest. Past winners, including Kristen Bell, Carrie Underwood, Alicia Silverstone, and Tobey Maguire are all in the running again. You can cast your vote here.

According to PETA, each vegetarian saves the lives of more than 100 animals per year -- cutting down on the environmental impact of raising animals for food as well as, hopefully, reducing demand and the cruelty that is sometimes practiced in meat production.

PETA also states that, on average, vegetarians are 10 to 20 pounds lighter than those who eat meat. And, PETA's research indicates that many vegetarians state that they feel better, have clearer skin, and have more energy on a vegetarian diet. If you're considering a vegetarian diet, be sure to do your research. It can be a very healthy way of living but it requires taking steps to get enough protein and iron.

I was so disappointed when I first learned what the true definition of "free range" was. I was comfy and secure in my naivete thinking that the chicken I was buying was at least treated ethically while it was alive. But, alas, that's not necessarily the case. And, with the videos that have hit the Internet in recent months, we know that ethical treatment of cows is not necessarily the case, either.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has long promoted vegetarianism. But now, they're offering a $1 million prize to the first person to make in vitro chicken meat and sell it to the public. According to PETA, more than 40 million animals are killed inhumanely each year in the US. In vitro meat production would use animal stem cells to grow an edible meat product without ever having a living animal. A truly humane solution for hard-core carnivores.

Are you trying to live a greener lifestyle? Looking at your diet is a good place to start. Pesticides, food miles, and factory farms are three important issues when we talk about the environment, as are artificial additives, food diversity, and vegetarianism.

The Daily Green has an excellent 30-day guide to greening up your diet. For instance, you could eat one meal a week that comes 100% from local sources. You could buy organic fruits and vegetables, instead of the conventionally grown versions. You could shop at a farmer's market or CSA, find a source of compassionately grown meat, or even make meatless meals twice a week. Finally, you can read books on the subject like Michael Pollen's In Defense of Food and Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food.

Check out the rest of their suggestions and start eating a greener diet today.

I recently wrote about how much protein we need to get each day to eat a nutritious diet. And while getting our protein fix isn't difficult for those of us who eat some sort of meat with most of our meals, it's a bit harder for someone who doesn't eat meat -- or dairy either. Vegan protein sounds like an oxymoron to some people, but it's really not. Fitsugar recently compiled a list of the top 5 vegan proteins:

• Tempeh: (like tofu but different -- read more here). There's 22 g of protein in 4 oz of tempeh.
  
• Tofu: It has 19.9 g of protein per 1/2 cup.
  
• Seitan: (a form of wheat gluten.) There's 19.9 g of protein for each 3oz.
  
• Soy Milk: (the plain variety). It has 11 g of protein for each cup.
  
• Edamame: Eat half a cup and you'll get 10 g of protein.
  
  

Any vegans out there want to share their main sources of protein?

Of all the burgers out there, I think the general consensus is that veggie burgers are the healthiest of the bunch. They're low in saturated fat, and fat in general, plus they're lower in calories than regular beef or chicken burgers. As a non-vegetarian, I always get the same reaction when I order a veggie burger at a restaurant: 'Huh? Are you on a diet or something?' But I suspect that what veggie burgers lack in calories and fat they make up for in add-ons like cheese and sauce. But then again, I could be wrong.

What do you think? Are veggie burgers healthy or not?

Veganism is hip and trendy, but can it be used to sell sex? A Portland, Oregon strip club owner recently tried. The Casa Diablo Gentlemen's Club featured pleather wearing dancers and a soy-based menu. Johnny Diablo is a long-time vegan, and many of his dancers were vegetarians themselves.

The club is up for sale, a sign that perhaps customers just don't care that much if their exotic dancers care about animal rights. (As my spouse pointed out matter-of-factly, "They're strippers. It's what they don't wear that matters.")

But this isn't the first time that the vegans and sexuality have met. In fact, sex is often used to sell the lifestyle, including PETA's naked celebrity ad campaigns and peta2's latest: Ink, Not Mink. It's causing a stir in the vegetarian/vegan world, where many are complaining that women's rights are being trampled on in the effort to support the rights of animals, and that though sex may sell, people become drawn to the lifestyle for the wrong reasons.

The NYT has an excellent article on the topic. Learn more here. What do you think?

Can differing dietary habits drive a wedge between relationships? This omnivore dated an ovo-lacto vegetarian for three years and then married him. Without kids it was pretty easy to accommodate our differences. At home we prepared vegetarian dinners, but meat was fine to have in the house -- I made turkey sandwiches for lunch and he'd pile on veggies/cheese. Dinners out were a celebration for me, I could order anything with meat. He had absolutely no issues about my meat intake. In a good-hearted effort I even jumped on the ovo-lacto veggie bandwagon for five months after our son was born. But I became devoid of energy, didn't feel myself and returned to chicken breasts, grilled fish, turkey burgers, turkey and the sporadic burger or steak.

Then I became pregnant again. As our son turned toddler and my littte bump grew, I knew there was a problem when as soon as my husband left town for a conference I immediately grilled up two giant, juicy steaks for dinner with a barely two-year-old. I was getting plain tired of veggie-only meals and didn't have the previous energy to cook a separate dish for myself at times. Raising children was also getting in the way of dinners out, we simply ate more at home. My husband eventually returned to the land of the omnivore. I have no idea why he one day announced, "Let's roast a chicken once a week like my grandmother did." I just nodded my head in secret amazement and roasted that chicken. Now we're almost-flexitarians, eating many vegetarian meals weekly. We still love veggie -- just not 100 percent of the time.

What about the vegetarian who cannot tolerate the smell of meat in the kitchen? Could they love an omnivore long-term? Or the 'vegangelical' -- first time I ever heard that label -- would pepperoni and cheese on half the pizza send them into relationship despair? According to this article, all sorts of people have ended relationships thanks to contradictory food preferences. A gluten-free woman shared one man liked bread too much to date her. Many vegetarians swear off omnivore-dating and some vegans (eat nothing animal) are seriously averse to smooching an omelette-lover. One psychiatrist weighed in that food has a strong subconscious link to love and a partner can feel rejected if their eating habits are under attack. Marital therapists agree tolerance and compromise are key to all healthy relationships, even those facing major food differences. Could you tolerate and accept a partner with a markedly different diet?

I'm amazed at how many people, upon learning that I don't eat meat or poultry, tell me that they tried to be a vegetarian, but it made them so tired, or gave them headaches, or they got sick of eating pasta, blah, blah, blah.

I can tell you why it didn't work for those people -- they did it wrong. I'm sure they had great intentions (whether it was for ethical or health reasons), but they didn't consume the nutrition their bodies desperately needed. As Fitz recently pointed out with a post on Tony Gonzalez, meat and dairy aren't necessary for peak athletic performance, but I will say from experience that it sometimes is a little tougher to get the right nutrition when you've restricted your diet. With a bit of research, though, athletes can be successful in their sport and at the dinner table.

I just returned from ESPN the Weekend, at Disney World's Hollywood Studios. One of the highlights for me was when I stumbled across an interesting conversation between football all-stars Donovan McNabb, Chris Carter, Tony Gonzalez and a few others. The men were on an open stage being interviewed my Mike Greenberg of the Mike and Mike Show. What caught my attention was the taunting of Tony Gonzalez with strange veggie jokes. Why were they poking fun at this "lettuce man"? Little Miss Fitzness had to stop and listen.

The taunting was followed by Kansas City Chief tight-end Tony defending his vegan lifestyle. I was both surprised and impressed. Tony was bragging about his ability to jump rope and hit the weight room while his teammates were stuck in the mud the day after a game. He's beaten lethargy, increased his energy, and found many more fascinating benefits since he changed his eating habits. The nearly 250 pound tight end is not someone anyone would guess to be a vegan, but I think that's why he's so neat.

Soy products are a great way to incorporate lean protein into your diet, and you don't have to be vegetarian to appreciate the benefits. However, while many people are familiar with tofu, I get a lot of puzzled looks when I mention tempeh. While both are made from soybeans, they're as different as salmon and steak.

This chart breaks down the differences between tempeh and tofu, and basically it makes the conclusion that tempeh is less processed than tofu, contains more protein and fiber, and therefore is somewhat better for you. And, to be honest, I actually prefer the taste and texture of tempeh to tofu. However, if you're used to cooking with tofu, you can't just substitute tempeh instead.

Click through the gallery for some recipes including tempeh. If you have a favorite recipe of your own, be sure to leave a comment!

I grew up in rancher's country, where the profiles of cows and cowboys dot the horizon and anyone who doesn't enjoy a good steak is considered a hippy. And that person was me -- even though we ate red meat at almost every dinner, I always filled up more on the side dishes than the main course, even as a kid. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that as an adult, I rarely buy, prepare or eat red meat -- or meat of any kind, except for fish. I'm not a vegetarian but I'm not a meat fiend either -- I'm somewhere in the middle, a 'flexitarian.' Meaning? I eat everything but i'm as comfortable around tofu as I am around a chicken breast.

Enough about me though - I want to know about you. Are you a meat eater? A vegan? Other? What are the reasons behind your decision?

A new trend is hitting California, the home of all thing chic and urban when it comes to food. It has to do with marketing the food at restaurants. Entrees are boasting certain markings on the menu which claim they help boost immune systems for people consuming the food.

Many people in the region are flocking to do whatever they can to boost their immune systems. Ever heard of Jamba Juice? Those guys helped spur on the movement a while back. Now, restaurants are taking on the charge by marketing certain foods over others as being better for your immunity. Some establishments even take a crack at cancer by loading up dinners with minerals and phytochemicals.

Even certain alcoholic beverages boast healthy benefits (antioxidants from goji berries, for example). Does this make it a marketing fad? Perhaps not, but a professor at Harvard contests the claims by saying there's no proof that any single food can boost people's immune system. At least you'll know which items are healthier than the others on the menu!

I married a man who has mad vacuuming skills and voluntarily scrubs down the bathtub, but who has no interest in cooking. In return for having all of his dinners cooked for him, he eats without complaint and especially likes it when I cook something new and unusual. It's fun to cook for someone who will try anything, even the mostly vegetarian meals I've been trying out lately (though if I threw a sirloin down in front of him, I think it would go over equally well).

So when I read this article from the NYT about food standing in the way of love, I had a hard time relating. A lot of the dietary changes I've made personally are for ethical reasons, but I can't imagine those choices causing a rift between my spouse and myself. Maybe I'm just not built to be hardcore, but it just seems like there are more important things to worry about in life than what my love is having for dinner.

On the other hand, we've been together for 10 years now. If I was a vegetarian or vegan and found new love with a habitual meat eater, would it give me pause? I guess I can't answer that question. What about you? Do you give a person's eating habits weight when considering a relationship with them?