Goodbye to meat

As gardens get greener, farmers markets overflow with produce and our cravings for light, summer foods intensify, there’s that temptation to do the unthinkable: turn that dinner salad into a meal, then a habit. Go all the way —- go vegetarian.

Decatur dietitian Trulie Ankerberg suggests that foodies who are considering a diet change start by bulking up on fruits, and especially nutrient-dense vegetables, gradually adding those while reducing the amount of meat.

“There’s not enough time in the day, not enough room in their stomachs to get it all in,” Ankerberg said. “You have to increase your goal as you go.”

But many vegetarians who cut out meat find they still have an unhealthy diet packed with dairy products and fried foods; pizza, french fries and chocolate cake can be vegetarian, after all. Going with a vegan meal plan —- one that eliminates animal products entirely —- may be where some find the health benefits they’re looking for, Ankerberg said.

Zacoor Israel, an assistant manager at Soul Vegetarian #2, a vegan restaurant in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood, said he became a vegan in 1996, when he weighed close to 200 pounds. Heart disease, diabetes and strokes run in his family and he decided to make a change. Within three months, he was down to 165 pounds and had more energy. His diet became a lifestyle.

“I became more socially conscious,” he said. “When you get meat out of your ears, you start hearing things in another kind of way.”

Ankerberg said a vegan diet won’t work for everybody, but learning to fill the table with fresh foods and meat alternatives can help diversify dinnertime while improving the entire family’s health.

“You don’t have to corner yourself into a label,” she said. “You can find your happy medium and do what you can.”

Jamie Gumbrecht, jgumbrecht@ajc.com