Give your diet a Spring-cleaning!
For tips on how to eat lighter and healthier for this warmer weather, I called Phillip and Cru Von Holtzendorff –Fehling. This duo recently opened Mama Gaia - a fast-casual restaurant in Crosstown Concourse that offers organic vegetarian fare.
First and foremost, if you eat smarter, you will feel better and be treating your body (and your world) better.
“There have been multiple studies around the globe why a vegetarian and vegan diet is more healthy. You reduce your risk significantly of getting cancer, diabetes, and heart disease if you cut down on meat, and ideally even completely reduce it. You feel more healthy and it is also very good for the environment at the same time.”
Phillip and Cru also stress the importance of eating organic.
“Organic produce is so important because organic produce is more nutritious and it doesn’t have all these chemicals like herbicides and pesticides like conventional produce does.”
A vegetarian diet doesn’t have to be bland – it can even be exciting!
“Nature is very bountiful so it gives us a lot of herbs and spices and seeds that add lots and lots of flavor to vegetarian dishes.”
And it can also be so satisfying that you will never miss the meat!
“So at Mama Gaia we use a lot of quinoa in our dishes. Quinoa is very filling and it’s a super food so it has all the things that you really need and it fills you up quite a bit.”
I’ll never be able to give up meat 100%, but I plan to make veggies the center of my plate at more meals each week this Spring. Try it too!
This is Jennifer Chandler for The Weekly Dish. Bon Appetit!
For more information about Mama Gaia, visit www.mamagaia.net.
