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Another Nutrition Decision:



                        Change Your Protein




                                                       By Janice Fields









































          When my oldest daughter, Catie, was in the 8th grade, my   footprint than meat production.
          “meatatarian” turned vegetarian instantly after reading on-
          line about how the animals were mistreated.  I found myself   If you cannot go so drastic, how about replacing half of
          searching for vegetarian recipes, as I was determined my   the ground meat or turkey in your recipes with vegetables?
          daughter would not be a “potato chip vegetarian.”  Thanks   You will decrease meat consumption, yet still enjoy some
          to Catie, our entire family’s eating habits began evolving   of the meaty-flavors. One of my new favorite recipes is a
          into healthier options.  I even joined her in this vegetarian   Mushroom-Beef Taco.
          adventure. Today, we have evolved even further.  Though
          we no longer choose the vegetarian lifestyle, most of our   Serves 8
          foods are plant-based.  We also eat more fish, chicken, and   Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
          turkey.  This is a Mediterranean style of eating.      Serving Size: 4 ounces (½ cup)
                                                                 Total Time:  25-30 minutes
          You can find the following tips and more at medinstead-  Prep Time:  10 minutes
          ofmeds.com,  a  healthy  cooking  program  that  we  offer.
          This researched-based  Med  Way suggests limiting  red   Ingredients:
          meat to no more than 2-3 times per month, with a serving   •  4 cups (approximately 8 ounces) white mushrooms
          size of 4-6 ounces.  That may seem drastic, but changing   •  1 tablespoon vegetable oil
          your protein is arguably the most impactful change you can   •  1 large onion, finely chopped
          make. Eating less meat is why the Mediterranean style of   •  2 tablespoon homemade taco seasoning (or store bought)
          eating is so good for your health.  It is also healthier for   •  4 tablespoons tomato paste
          our planet as plant proteins have a smaller environmental   •  1  pound ground  beef  (97% lean),  cooked  and  well-
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