Five Myths About The "NMP" (No Meat Or Poultry) Eating StyleWritten by Melanie Jordan
Are you being held back from choosing a healthier lifestyle because you believe one of many myths about going meatless? Many people who could greatly benefit from going what I call "NMP" (no meat or poultry, yes to fish, dairy products and eggs), whether full-time, or from time-to-time, do not do so because they are misinformed. That's too bad, because eating more of a plant-based diet, is being pointed to more and more as a great way to maintain good health or lessen severity of illness or disease when it does strike. So let's dispel some of those myths right now!Myth 1: A diet without meat and poultry is boring and hard to stick with. Not true! Forget everything you've heard about going meatless either full-time, or from time-to-time. I follow an "NMP" eating style full-time, and I regularly eat delicious food like cheeseburgers, chicken parmesan, tacos, BLTs and chicken caesar salad (in their non-meat/poultry versions of course). Myth 2: When you go "NMP", you have trouble getting enough protein. The trouble with "Typical American Diet" is that most people think protein means just red meat, poultry, pork or fish. There are lots of great ways for someone who follows "NMP" eating style to easily get essential protein that they need to be healthy. For example, some great sources of protein without meat and poultry include: fish, soy-based meat and poultry substitute products, high-protein pasta, beans, nuts, fat-free and low-fat dairy products and eggs (ideally just egg whites) and vegetable- based protein powders. Myth 3: Any food that I find in my natural foods/health food store is healthy. Just because an item is available for sale in a natural foods/health food store, does not mean that you can assume it is right for you. A frozen food entrée may have too much fat, salt or sugar even if it does not contain meat or poultry. There will still be white bread and white pastas, when whole grain would be healthier. A baked item could have partially-hydrogenated oil (trans-fat) in it. Nothing demonstrates better fact that you still have to be on your guard at a health food store, than fact that such major chains as Whole Foods Markets and Wild Oats Markets sell Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
| | Yes, You Can Have Your Cheeseburger And Keep Your Health Too!Written by Melanie Jordan
I still get a kick out of looks of disbelief I get when I tell people that as part of my healthy, meatless diet, I eat cheeseburgers every chance I get. They tell me, "that's ridiculous--if you eat cheeseburgers, of course you're eating meat". Wrong!I had been a healthy eater for years, but when I took next step and decided to go what I call "NMP" (no meat or poultry), I knew that if making that transition was going to work, I had to find a way to eat food I'd actually heard of and wanted to eat. I didn't see myself regularly eating tofu. I didn't want to eat like a rabbit. I was a child when fast food franchising really came into its own, and today we live in a world where you can have four branches of exact same fast food chain within six miles, and twelve different places to buy a hamburger in one mile's distance! I also had my favorites from family dinners, restaurants and clipped magazine recipes. It took some time, but I eventually came to realize that virtually anything I wanted to eat, had a more healthful non-meat/poultry version. Forget everything you've heard about going meatless either full-time, or from time-to-time. I follow an "NMP" eating style full-time, and I regularly eat delicious food like cheeseburgers, chicken parmesan, tacos, BLTs and chicken caesar salad (in their non-meat/poultry versions of course). I feel that one of big reasons that most people will not consider going without meat and poultry, or that those who try it do not successfully stick with it, is because they try to make themselves eat things they don't enjoy, and toss a lot of their old favorites out window. This goes against many of their natural eating patterns, so it ends up being only a matter of time before they can't stand it anymore and go back to what was familiar and enjoyable. Add to that what I call "meat and poultry eaters peer pressure" from friends, family and co- workers, and "NMP" lifestyle becomes too difficult.
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