I always think the amount of vegetables you consume is more of a habit than a preference.
I can clearly remember being taken to a restaurant by mum, after getting a 'can't-remember-what-prize' when I was 10. I was excited but didn't know what to choose, so I was offered a big pork-chop and was asked to cut it using my knife and fork. You have to know it's quite new to an oriental girl who always ate small amounts of thinly sliced meat in stir-fries mixed with lots & lots of colourful vegetables. I was in tears with this 'luxurious treat' and feeling quite helpless with a piece of meat that was too big for my little tummy!
That experience didn't make me become vegetarian, but meat to me, and lots of oriental or Asian people, is just a small part of a big meal. We focus more on how this meat, mixed with crunchy shredded veg, is picked up by pointy chopsticks. So the portion is never big or they will all land on the floor or table. My dad used to teach me how to hold the chopsticks correctly, and that good table manners was to eat in small mouthfuls.
These days we know how meat is obtained - chickens held in cages where their heads can never move, except bending down to eat, cows or sheep being fed with certain chemical diets or injected with hormones to boost the weight and size. The phrase 'you are what you eat' comes to mind when I am preparing my family meals, so I have reduced the amount of meat, giving way to vegetables - especially organic ones.
I do believe when humans were created, we were not meant to eat meat - which is why we don't have sharp teeth like lions but have flat teeth to grind down different fruits and vegetables. There are lots of plant-based protein in vegetables which can be enough to make a balanced diet if chosen correctly. Best of all, it's well known that lots of vegetables have a detox effect that can clear our system of the toxins in the food we consume daily.
With easily available recipes and ingredients, our generation is so lucky to be able to choose more vegetables than meat dishes. It's #MeatFreeWeek this week, do you want to join me in trying more vegetables and see how your body reacts? You don't have to give up meat completely, but by slowly introducing more vegetables into your diet, you may find you don't miss it after a while.
We have a great variety of beautifully presented and delicious vegetarian dishes here at Bridges to get you started, as well as our nutritious vegetable juices, come and give it a go!
Find out more about Meat Free Week https://uk.meatfreeweek.org/home
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