The week before Christmas, I ate only on a vegetarian diet. This experience has definitely been interesting. I feel like there aren’t as many recipes for vegetarian meals as there are meals with meat. I embarked on a week without meat because I wanted to see if I would feel any different and to challenge myself to find foods I would like. 

Although I did struggle to find recipes I thought I’d like, I did find a select few tasty ones. I found recipes for dumpling soup, black bean burgers, buffalo cauliflower wings, vegetarian fajitas with rice, and zucchini ricotta roll- ups (links to recipes below). I would have to say that my favorite was the zucchini ricotta rolls; they were so cheesy and delicious.

Because plants are high in antioxidants, the diet has made me feel more energized and less stressed. According to PubMed, “The benefits [of a vegetarian diet] arise from lower intakes of saturated fat, cholesterol and animal protein as well as higher intakes of complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C and E, carotenoids and other phytochemicals.” Having a vegetarian diet can make your mind and body more healthy. It reduces illness, lowers the risk of heart disease and blood pressure, and promotes bone health.

Although it is good to try and encourage others to join the community of vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians and so on, some people have to eat meat for health reasons. A portion of people have to get that extra protein because they don’t get enough nutrients from just plants. Another reason is because some people just enjoy eating meat, which is totally fine. 

I will definitely be adding more of a vegetarian diet to my everyday life because during this diet, I found out that I enjoy certain meals without meat and I enjoy knowing what benefits I get with eating a plant-based diet. 

If you are thinking about trying a plant-based diet, below are some recipes I enjoyed. These are outside links that have no affiliation to the SunDevil Times:

Sizzling vegetarian Fajitas: Bell pepper, tomato, onion, portobello mushrooms, and fajita spice mix.

Tomato onion rice: Rice, onion, tomato paste, salt and pepper.

Cheesy zucchini ricotta roll-ups: Zucchini, ricotta, parmigiano, basil, salt, olive oil,  marinara sauce, mozzarella.

Crispy black bean burgers: black bean burger, tomato, mayonnaise, cheese, lettuce, onion, and burger buns.

Spicy Buffalo cauliflower wings: Cauliflower, buffalo sauce, flower, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Warm dumpling stew: Dumplings: Flower, salt, mixing powder, milk, water. Soup: Yellow onion, garlic, carrot, celery, potato, spinach, mushroom, spices, broth/water.