It’s Fourth of July week and thoughts go to burgers and brats on the grill.  Here’s a great alternative if you’d rather enjoy a great high-protein, vegetarian alternative.

A thick chunk of marinated and grilled tofu can make a satisfying veggie burger, an entrée to accompany a stir fry or the “steak” to go with the potato salad and baked beans.

Are you familiar with bulgur? If I mentioned tabouli you might say yes. Tabouli is a very healthy Lebanese salad recipe filled with parsley, mint, tomatoes, onions, a light vinaigrette dressing and bulgur wheat.

I recently had the opportunity to read a very interesting book on a possible cause of the obesity facing us today, “Wheat Belly,” by William Davis, MD. It is alleged by Dr. Davis that wheat is a primary underlying cause of much of our obesity as well as a myriad of other health issues plaguing us today. More precisely, it is a complex carbohydrate, Amylopectin A, that is the culprit that causes higher spikes in blood sugar than a candy bar, ice cream or even table sugar itself.

Looking back through history, we see various “ages,” such as Iron, Bronze, Enlightenment, and the depressingly and aptly named, Dark. How will history look back at our present age? One answer may be the Age of Plastic. Looking around us, and how our way of life has changed in the past 100 years, it would be difficult to argue that this isn’t the Age of Plastic. If you still need convincing, walk around your house, your neighborhood, or your grocery store. Envision this walk without any plastic. Going even further, image life after this walk without all this plastic, and think what life would be like.