Page 111 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2016

flavored creamer. This is followed with a smoothie of kale, spinach, strawberries, mango and papaya, and a salad for lunch. Supper is a bowl of homemade vegetable soup.
Keith has even researched what goes into beverages. For example, some beers are strained through gelatin, which is an animal byproduct. Her boyfriend also has adopted the vegan lifestyle.
The Talleys agreed it’s easier with both of them following the same lifestyle. “I don’t think we could have done it and live on the Coast if we didn’t commit together,” Madison said.
The couple does eat local, fresh
caught seafood, which makes them fit into a vegetarian subcategory called pescatarians. Madison’s stepfather shares the seafood he catches, and their grocery bill has decreased because they no longer buy meat.
“When we go grocery shopping, it has become more difficult, yet satisfying at the same time. We are now focused as to the source of the food we are buying,” Mark said.
Registered dietitian Lisa Christopher, clinical dietitian at Ocean Springs
Hospital, said being a vegetarian is healthy as long as the person finds nutrients from other sources once meat is removed from the diet.
“Sometimes people will substitute by eating more sugars and processed foods, and that’s where they can go wrong,” she said. “You must make sure to include a variety of vegetables to get the proper vitamins and minerals which are plant based protein sources.”
The essential vitamin B12 that comes from meat can also come from fortified cereals, and calcium that is found in dairy products can be consumed in
leafy greens. Protein can be obtained from peanut butter, beans and nuts. Christopher recommends visiting the United States Department of Agriculture website for science based information on vegetarianism and nutrition.
Whatever their reasons for cutting meat out of their diets, Keith and the Talleys say they have more energy now.
“I feel a lot less lethargic, which is good because Madison and I are very active people,” Mark said.
“We no longer have that after lunch slump,” Madison agreed.
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net February 2016 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 111
Some reco documentaries and books about veganism & eating healthier
Documentaries
Forks Over Knives Vegucated
Food, Inc.
Food Matters
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days
Books
The China Study
How To Prevent And Reverse Heart Disease
How Not To Die
mmended