Area residents are invited to try something different and enter the world of holistic health through a natural lifestyle vegetarian cooking seminar to be held at Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 820 S. West End Blvd.

The program will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 19 and 26 and May 3, 10 and 17.

Through videotaped lectures, Mark and Ernestine Finely of California will teach guests a practical, down-to-earth approach to healthful cooking.

Those attending the vegetarian cooking classes will learn the relationship of diet to disease, and discover the art of making nutritious, homemade bread, new ways of making breakfast and nutritionally balance meals. Also taught will be ideas on how to satisfy cravings for sweets without feeling guilty.

Each session will be approximately two hours long and will feature cooking demonstrations.

"You will discover how to increase our life expectancy, decrease your risk of cancer and heart disease, lower the number of colds you get each year, improve your entire outlook on life as well as your mental efficiency and create an atmosphere of joy during meals," said Vic Van Schaik, pastor of Seventh-Day Adventist Church. "You'll learn to reduce your blood pressure and probably lose some weight. We do this as a service to the community, to try to educate people on proper diets."

Van Schaik, a vegetarian for nearly 11 years, also hopes to do away with some of the myths associated with vegetarian lifestyles. Being a vegetarian is not hard to get used to, doesn't mean being hungry all the time and doesn't mean worrying about becoming ill from a lack of meat, he said.

"There are quite a few incorrect beliefs out there about vegetarians. I can assure you as a vegetarian you get all the nutrition you need. There is scientific evidence that shows that it is good for you. You get nutrition and protein from fruits, nuts, vegetables and grains that our creator made," said Van Schaik.

He said there is more to a vegetarian's diet than eating vegetables. Instructors will teach how to convert a meat dish into a vegetarian dish simply by making a few substitutions. As an example, he said lentil beans could be substituted for meat in soups, loafs, stews and burgers. he said many supermarkets carry meatless substitute products. Also, sugar can be substituted with honey and fruit.

"People wonder how you eat, how you cook and how you shop, and we're going to tell you. Not only will we carry main courses in this seminar, but we'll have one whole evening dedicated to breakfast items and one for just desserts. It's going to be a lot of fun and very informative."

A $10 registration fee will cover the workbook, textbook, handouts, recipes and food samples. To pre-register call 335-8445 or 334-1957.