"Lose weight" tends to make a whole lot of Americans' lists of New Year's resolutions. But Mark Bittman has a news flash for you: What we all really need to do is not obsess over dieting, but "eat better." And to do so, all we need to do is turn a little bit vegan. If the thought of avoiding all animal products, from meat to eggs to honey, strikes fear into your heart, don't worry: First of all, if you've ever eaten peanut butter and jelly for lunch, you've eaten a vegan meal. And going "semi-vegan" is as easy as cutting meat out of your meal once a week, writes Bittman for the New York Times.
"Once a week, let bean burgers stand in for hamburgers, leave the meat out of your pasta sauce, make a risotto the likes of which you’ve probably never had—and you may just find yourself eating 'better,'" Bittman notes. "This is not a gimmick or even a diet. It’s a path, and the smart resolution might be to get on it." Click to see (and try?) his 10 recipes for the semi-vegan. (More Mark Bittman stories.)