October is the month of ghosts, pumpkins and eating way too much candy. Surprisingly, it is also National Vegetarian Month—a time to celebrate eating vegetables!
A vegetarian is “a person who does not eat meat or fish and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons” (WHRO 2015). There are also pescatarians, who don’t consume meat but do eat fish, lactarians, who eat dairy products but don’t consumer meat and eggs, and other subcategories of vegetarianism.
While the health benefits of abstaining from meat products have, and may continue to be disputed, the benefits of having a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is certain. In the 2010, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released evidence-based recommendations for consumers to incorporate the right amount of fruits and vegetables into their diet.
The benefits of eating enough produce are plentiful—helping reduce the risk of chronic diseases, lowering cholesterol levels, reducing the chance of Type 2 diabetes, and much more.
No matter your eating preferences, at Feeding Texas we strive to help all Texans live longer and healthier lives. Our network of food banks use public and private funds to source fresh produce that is aesthetically unsellable yet equally nutritious.
Our current goal is to double our fresh produce distribution to be a consistent source of fresh produce for all our clients. With enough funding to enable this mission, we will be able to provide an additional 43 million meals to hungry Texans.
We also believe in accompanying produce with knowledge by offering nutrition education to everyone we serve. As the old proverb goes: ‘Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ Education is just one part of our Feeding with Impact strategy that helps clients improve their everyday lives.