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Vegetarian Appeal

About two years ago, after many requests from patrons, I made a

decision to add Meatless Mondays to our hospital's cafeteria menu.

Many resisted the elimination of meat offerings, but we also

discovered that adding vegetarian items to the menu was hugely

popular. After several weeks, we expanded the meatless Monday concept

by providing at least one vegetarian entrée in the cafeteria every

day.

This change in menu was so well-received that we frequently found

ourselves running out of the vegetarian option. We had no idea that

so many people would choose meatless dishes. For me, the most

interesting part was interviewing our customers, who explained in

many cases that they were not full-time vegetarians but had selected

the vegetarian entrée for health reasons or simply for variety.

There are many benefits of being a " vegetarian for a day "

occasionally. Here are just a couple:

Eliminating meat from your diet on a routine basis can decrease your

intake of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat, both of which

increase your risk for heart disease. Did you know that meat is one

of the main sources of saturated fat in the American diet?

Decreased meat consumption will likely result in increased

consumption of other, healthier foods: beans and grains will add

bulk and fiber to your diet; fruits and vegetables will increase the

amounts of disease-fighting phytochemicals you consume; fish and

omega-3 fatty acids will provide a variety of health benefits

including helping you lower cholesterol levels.