Vegetarian Inspiration
Need a little motivation? These posts celebrate the people, ideas and small steps that make plant-powered eating stick: the 7 Days to Veg challenge, interviews with vegetarian dietitians, chefs and athletes, the environmental side of going veg, and honest takes on being a part-time, "pizza" or reducetarian vegetarian.
- May 5, 2017
[Read it!] The Reducetarian Solution
If you’ve read The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian, you know that we do not promote an “all or nothing” approach to plant-based eating. That’s why I was so excited a few years back when I…
- November 16, 2016
Spotlight on: Sharon Palmer, RDN, The Plant-Powered Dietitian
Sharon Palmer, RDN, the Plant-Powered Dietitian chats with us about avoiding labels when it comes to plant-based eating, keeping the conversation positive, and making various dietary preferences work…
- January 20, 2016
7 Days to Veg! Day 7: Go Vegan For A Day
Today's mission is temporary, but it will help you move toward a more plant-centric diet on the whole: Go vegan for a day. Here's why.
- January 11, 2016
7 Days to Veg! Day 6: Viva Veggies
Now, you don’t need to like vegetables to be a vegetarian, and many a vegetarian has existed on pizza and fries alone. But…would you be surprised to hear that we don't recommend that (nah, we didn’t…
- January 8, 2016
7 Days To Veg! Day 5: Try a New (Veggie) Restaurant
Congrats! You’ve made it to Friday of The Smart Girl’s Guide To Going Vegetarian’s 7 Days To Veg! Now that it’s almost the weekend, we have a totally fun assignment for you that we hope you will be…
- January 7, 2016
7 Days To Veg! Day 4: Make Room for Mushrooms
With a savory, rich flavor, mushrooms can give meals the hearty flavor you may be craving—especially when you first give up meat. Here's how you can use them to add texture and umami* to your meals.…
- January 6, 2016
7 Days To Veg! Day 3: Embrace the International Year of Pulses
2016, as proclaimed by the United Nations, is the International Year of Pulses. Get on board and you’ll be well on your way to a more plant-powered diet. So what, exactly are these precious pulses?…
- January 5, 2016
7 Days To Veg! Day 2: Plant-Power Your Pantry
How is being a smart-girl vegetarian a lot like being a Boy Scout? Each knows it’s always best to "Be Prepared." Stocking your pantry with plant-strong foods that will help keep you satisfied is one…
- January 4, 2016
7 Days To Veg! Day 1: Celebrate Meatless Monday
Happy New Year! Wondering how you can plant power your diet in 2016? We created a 7-day starter guide that will give you tangible tips to help you eat more plants and less meat. Try a new goal out…
- December 7, 2015
Celebrity spotlight: Chef Chloe Coscarelli
Have you heard about the hot new vegan restaurant in NYC's West Village, by CHLOE.? At its helm is 28-year-old Chloe Coscarelli, a smart girl if we ever met one. We were lucky enough to interview…
- April 30, 2015
Waste Not! Six Ways to Make Your Meals Even More Sustainable.
Today is the last day of Earth Month. And while we haven’t a huge big deal about it—after all, eating in a more sustainable, environmentally beneficial way is always on our minds here at SmartGirlVeg…
- April 27, 2015
School Spotlight: NYC's The Peck Slip School, P.S. 343—The Second Plant-Powered Public School Cafeteria!
SmartGirlVeg spent a lunch period at The Peck Slip School—one of the only public schools with a vegetarian cafeteria in the country. Will elementary school kids choose chickpeas in place of chicken…
- April 14, 2015
Will Going Veg Help End the Drought?
Should you give up meat to help save water? Let's take a look at some of the startling statistics we've seen—and our take on whether or not your actions will have consequences.
- March 31, 2015
Spotlight on: Marni Sumbal—triathlete, dietitian, vegetarian, and all-around rockstar (plus CLIF and LUNA bar giveaway!)
Marni Sumbal tells us how going veg at age 10 powered her to become a competitive endurance athlete, along with her top tips for plant-strong students who do sports. Plus, a CLIF and LUNA bar…
- January 16, 2015
On-Screen Veg: The Top Ten Plant-Powered TV and Movie Characters
Now, I've heard a lot of fascinating stories from the real people I met when I was writing The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian, not to mention the many teen vegetarians (present and former!)…
- January 7, 2015
Veggie Vocab Words: Reducetarian and Veganuary
The @SmartGirlVeg Twitter feed is buzzing with two newly introduced words that every veghead may want to consider adding to their lexicon. What they are, and how you might want to use them in 2015.
- December 31, 2014
New Year's Vegolution! Five Things Every Newbie Teen Vegetarian Should Know
Resolving to eat less meat in 2015? You’re not alone. Loads of people make the decision to revamp their diets once the new calendar begins, with “lose weight,” “improve health,” and “eat healthier”…
- December 12, 2014
Most vegetarians go back to eating meat—so should you even bother?
Are you a vegetarian, former vegetarian, or VIP (Vegetarian-In-Progress)? And does it really matter? Check out our thoughts on a new study that finds most vegetarians eventually go back to eating…
- October 6, 2014
[#LinkLove!] This Week in Veggies
We were so busy with work (deadlines!), fun (National Kale Day!), and interviews (we chatted about vegetarian teenagers, secret smoothie ingredients, hemp seeds showing up on drug tests with Samantha…
- September 9, 2014
Eight Great Brown Bag Ideas for Veggie Teens
The school year is in full swing, and by now you’ve probably remembered that school lunches aren't always so good to the vegetarian teenagers out there. Here are eight toss-in-your-bag meals that…
- August 19, 2014
Celebrity spotlight: Acacia Courtney, Miss Connecticut 2014
Miss Connecticut 2014 dishes with us about why she went veg, how she's spreading the word about Meatless Monday, her must-have stay-healthy (and swimsuit competition-ready) snacks, and more as she…
- July 2, 2014
Can you eat meat and still be a VegHead?
Yes! Our intern, Kat, learned after considering—and deciding against—going veg.
- June 18, 2014
California Dreamin' (SmartGirlVeg style): Part 2
Part two of our California adventure, including the best roadside food we've ever found.
- June 4, 2014
California Dreamin’ (SmartGirlVeg style): Part 1
Let’s be honest: California VegHeads tend to have it easier than non meat-eaters in the rest of the country. The state leads the way in produce production—nearly half of the vegetables, fruits, and…
- April 23, 2014
Go Veg, Save the Planet? Yep!
There are lots of myths about there about vegetarianism, and vegetarians in general. But is going veg really a more environmentally friendly way of eating? Read on to find out.
- March 13, 2014
[recipe!] The Smart Girl’s Take on McDonald’s Shamrock Shake
It's March, which means it's Shamrock Shake season at McDonald's restaurants across the United States (Canada and Ireland too, we're told). Each year, the seasonal St. Patrick’s Day offering—a bright…
- March 3, 2014
Is it OK to be a "Pizza Vegetarian"?
Are you a "pizza vegetarian”? You know, someone who doesn't eat meat, but subsists mainly on foods like pizza, french fries, and nachos? Someone who eats no meat—but is also allergic to vegetables?
- December 10, 2013
That moment you went veg.
As someone who has been veg for a long while, people often ask me "what made you give up meat?" Of course, there are lots of reasons. I never really liked the taste of meat. I love animals. I'm…