There are many forms being a vegetarian can take. And they all have a slightly different effect on our health. We thought we'd explore this today.

We believe that we are born to thrive. And we've experienced this first hand that our bodies have an enormous capacity to restore health when a condition develops and impairs that sense of thriving. The main ingredient in that regeneration is food.

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It looks to us, from our experience and from the research we've read and heard about, that one of the main culprits in poor health today is excessive meat consumption. And that idea seems to be catching on, with more and more people becoming vegetarian.

The main aspect of being vegetarian is that there is no meat in the diet. But there are many forms vegetarianism can take. Some eliminate the meat, but continue to include animal products like milk, dairy and cheese (lactovegetarian), or eggs (ovo-vegetarian), while others exclude all animal products as well (vegan).

I was lactovegetarian for 15 years before meeting Connie and thought (this is back in the 80s) that simply dropping the meat and being vegetarian was a healthy diet. With this diet I didn't think I would develop any of the chronic conditions so prevalent in our culture like heart disease, diabetes or arthritis.

But to my surprise I began to experience severe arthritic pain and when Connie saw how much dairy and processed foods (think pizza, cheese cake, bread and butter and ice cream) she suggested I drop the dairy. To my surprise, 2 weeks after dropping all the dairy and most of the processed foods, my pain had subsided at least 60%. That got my attention and I haven't looked back since. The pain completely disappeared and never returned.

So, I basically became vegan. No more animal products. But a person can be vegan and, like I experienced with being lactovegetarian, still develop challenging health conditions because it includes processed foods that can tax our bodies health, particularly the ultra-processed foods, high in salt, oil and sugar.

To provide our bodies with what they need to thrive, we've seen Whole Foods Plant Based (WFPB) eating seems to be the ticket. By eating food in its whole form, we get all the nutrients packed into the food, just the way nature packaged them. And the same way our ancient ancestors got their nutrients. By eating food in it's whole form.

And the latest step we've taken in the last few years that goes beyond just being whole, is to go SOS-free.this means we don't add any Salt, Oil or Sugar to the meals or recipes we make. Surprisingly, this made quite a change in how we feel and particularly how the food tastes, not to mention Connie dropped a whole dress size. We weren't aware of how much the added salt and oil (we haven't added sugar to our food for years) impact our health and mask the delicate and abundant flavours in the food we're eating.

At first the meals tasted rather flat and bland, but as our taste buds adjusted, these same meals became more delicious than ever before. It was definitely worth the change.

To hear more about SOS-free you can read our blog here. And there are a number of other blogs on how we do SOS-free breakfasts, lunches and dinners as well. Just click on the little magnifying glass icon in the top right of each page and type in SOS Free.

So, there are lots of ways to be vegetarian and the more we tend toward the whole food form of the food we eat without adding more to it, like the salt, oil and sugar, the more our bodies have the nutrients they need to thrive.

The recipe this week is an Instant Pot Green Lentil dish that is delicious. Full of robust flavour of the lentils with carrots, celery, onion, garlic and roasted tomatoes, this has been a hit in our house.

To your Amazing Health,
Connie and Bill

Instant Pot Green Lentils (Serves 4) adapted from Molly Patrick

• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 6 large garlic cloves
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups green lentils, washed and drained
• 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon no-salt seasoning
• Ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup fresh parsley, diced

Optional:

• 1 Jalapeño, seeded and diced
• ½ to 1 red pepper, diced

In an Instant Pot

Set Instant Pot to “Sauté” setting and add onion and garlic with 3 tablespoons of the vegetable stock (needed to prevent sticking.) Sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Add carrots and celery and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Press the cooker’s “Cancel” button to end the sauté, and add 6 cups vegetable stock and the lentils and tomatoes, the no-salt seasoning and pepper. (Also add Jalapeño and red pepper if using.)

Lock the cooker’s lid in place and adjust setting to “Pressure Cook” for 10 minutes.

Open lid carefully when the cooking is finished and the steam has come down and add parsley and black pepper.

Serve and enjoy.

On the stove top

In a fry pan, sauté onion and garlic with 3 tablespoons of the vegetable stock (needed to prevent sticking) for 2-3 minutes.

Add carrots and celery and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently.

In a large pot, add 6 cups vegetable stock, the sautéed veggies and the lentils and tomatoes, the no-salt seasoning and pepper. (Also add Jalapeño and red pepper if using.)

Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer and cook for 45-60 minutes.

Serve and enjoy.