Vegetarian Pyramid

If you are thinking about becoming a vegetarian, you might be surprised to know that there is a food pyramid that you can use as a guide just like the food pyramid that is recommended by health professionals for people who do eat meat. The vegetarian pyramid contains recommendations for dairy since vegetarians, unlike vegans, do eat dairy, so if you are wanting to be a vegan, you need to take that into consideration!

At the bottom of the vegetarian pyramid are the basics of a good vegetarian lifestyle. These are foods that you can eat liberally – as many as six to eleven servings per day. The base of the vegetarian pyramid includes whole grain bread, pasta, rice, and cereal.

The second part of the vegetarian pyramid includes foods that can be eaten generously. There are two parts to the second step of the vegetarian pyramid – the vegetable and fruit group. You can have three to five servings a day of this food group and they are good for you as well as good tasting. This part of the vegetarian pyramid includes all types of fruits and vegetables. Keep in mind that fruit contains a large amount of water so you will want to take it a little easy on the fruit so that you don't retain too much water.

Then we take a step up the vegetarian pyramid to the level just below the top. Again, there are two sections to this part of the pyramid and they should be eaten in moderation. That means two to three servings per day. The first part of this step in the vegetarian pyramid is the low-fat and/or no-fat milk, yogurt, fresh cheese, and fortified alternatives such as soy milk and fortified yogurt products. The second part of this step is the meat alternative part of the vegetarian lifestyle which contains your proteins. That means beans, nuts, and seeds.

The final part of the vegetarian pyramid is the one where you want to consume sparingly. That's because even though these ingredients are necessary, if you eat too much of them, it can be detrimental to your health if you eat too much. The top part of the vegetarian pyramid includes vegetable fats, oils, sweets, and salts.

Just like knowing the part of a 'regular' pyramid, knowing the steps of the vegetarian pyramid can be very helpful when you are planning out your vegetarian meals. You need to be sure that you are getting the right amount of servings of foods that will help keep you healthy and keep your body working at its maximum potential – all without meat!


 

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Debunking the Raw Food Diet Myths

As of late, the Raw Food Diet has gained a reputation that has taken it from a diet to a popular lifestyle choice. Celebrities such as Demi Moore, Robin Williams and Alicia Silverstone swear by the raw food diet, and every day more and more people are joining the ranks of those who believe that eating raw fruits and vegetables as the key components of a health regimen is the healthiest way to live.

There are those people, however, who shy away from it, believing that the diet is inconvenient, or expensive or unhealthy. There are many myths out there as to what the Raw Food Diet is and what it isn't. By separating myth from fact, you will be able to properly assess and understand the benefits and drawbacks of the Raw Food diet, and you will be able to decide for yourself whether it is the right lifestyle change for you.

Let's talk about what the Raw Food diet is NOT.

The Raw Food diet is not a diet consisting of 100% raw foods alone. For a person to reap the benefits of raw food eating, he or she needs to eat at least 90% to 95% raw foods. That doesn't mean that you are absolutely not able to eat foods that are cooked or heated. It also doesn't mean that you can't deviate from the diet every once in a while. Of course, as with everything else, dedication and discipline is key in obtaining all you can from developing healthier eating habits. However, there are those who practice an almost raw food diet instead of an entirely raw food diet. Recipes are available all over the Internet that support that.

The Raw Food diet is also NOT an expensive diet. It's true that it seems as though lately, diets that are easy on the body are not so easy on our wallets. One only needs to take a look at the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet, Nutrisystems, Jenny Craig, diet pills, drugs, juices…the list goes on and on. But think about it: a diet consisting of mostly raw fruits, vegetables, seeds, sprouts, grains, seaweed, nuts and other cold pressed raw oils and fermented sauces is not only good for your stomach, but it costs very little. A raw food diet means that you spend your fast food money — the money that you would have spent on that cholesterol-riddled, high-fat cheeseburger– on a healthful salad, packed with nutrients that can help your body release toxins, help you stay trim, and ultimately improve the quality of your life.

Finally, the Raw Food diet is NOT a boring diet, meaning there is no variety. No, this has nothing to do with the health or the vegan aspect of the diet. It does have everything to do with the mentality that you have in approaching a new lifestyle. It's just like every lifestyle change you make; you wouldn't decide to go green without first researching what it means, right? Likewise, you wouldn't make the decision you change your eating habits from one thing to another without checking out how to do it. When you research the Raw Food diet you will find that there are hundreds and hundreds of recipes, food combinations, and methods of preparation that make it not only a diet filled with variety, but one brooding with many, many options on how to go through it. There are completely raw food eaters and there are also those who opt for an almost raw form of dieting. Regardless of the choice made, education, research and a positive, open mind make all of the difference in the way that you approach any new and different lifestyle.

Debunking some of the myths regarding this increasingly popular raw food lifestyle is the first step in educating yourself and ultimately deciding whether the Raw Food life is the right choice for you.


 

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Body Detox Herbs Can Do Wonder in Your Lives

It is a fact that some pesticides, chemicals, and certain fumes are present in the environment that is affecting your immune system and jeopardizing your health. Moreover, the foods that you eat can lead to a toxic atmosphere lowering your overall immunity. Toxic load is the condition of tissues and cells where internal terrain is developed after food consumption of highly processed foods. Your body needs to be cleansed from these unwanted toxins. The process is called detoxification.

Although you have the kidney and liver which are organs considered as natural detoxifiers filtering out the impurities of the bodies, you need to consider other ways to detoxify your body from toxins. Some of the methods can be extreme like long fasting from juice drinks or dialysis.

Take note, your immune system is the defense mechanism of your body. So, disease and infections should be prevented before it affects your whole body through toxin's removal. As you could observe, the illness' frequency of a person is dependent on the immune's system strength which is composed of complex networks of nodes and lymph channels.

There are detox herbs that are beneficial in making your immune system strong. These herbs are the perfect and natural way of removing toxins from your immune systems to minimize acquired illnesses and to develop your general well-being.

Several herbs for detoxifying are much better for improving your immune systems than others. However, there are specific considerations for the detoxification program that you choose. But the following detox herbs can be used according to your needs.

– Psyllium seeds promote healthy bowel movement generally maintaining its good condition. It could be used in helping bowel related problems like diarrhea. This herb is good because it has an absorption property similar to a sponge where it helps in removing the toxins inside your body.

– Cascara Sagrada is generally a good natural laxative flushing the toxins out of your system. It also helps in strengthening your colon and other related muscles. This herb is used together with psyllium seeds.

– Milk thistle is also a very valuable substance used often to simulate the protein synthesis in the liver. It is used effectively in soaking different types of toxins found in drugs and alcohols that can damage your body.

– Nettles are used as a portion of the detox herb mixture in cleansing the urinary systems as well as any part of the body.

– Burdock roots are also perfect for stronger cleansing needs. It is helpful in reducing the heavy metals build-up within your body which causes immune system problems.

– Dandelion roots are detox herbs having strong cleansing properties appropriate for your liver. It is good for removing the gall bladder wastes and also works well for kidneys if used with other compatible detox herbs.

People would really need to detoxify themselves due to the presence of toxins in processed foods and in polluted air. Using herbs is not new in detoxification programs because its cleansing and healing properties have been known for so many years. Thus, it is now being accepted in the detoxification concept treating patients worldwide.

These herbs can effectively flush out unwanted toxins from your immune system allowing you to look and feel great. It can save you from acquiring severe illnesses. Brilliant detox herbs can really do wonders in a person's life.


 

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Vegetarian Protein

If you are a vegetarian or thinking about becoming a vegetarian and are worried about how you will get protein into your diet without meat, don't worry. Believe it or not, there are plenty of non-meat foods that can introduce protein into your vegetarian diet so that you are not lacking in this area of your body's nutritional needs.

Vegetarians should always have as wide a variety of foods as possible to ensure they get enough protein in their diet. If you eat too much of one food, you risk building an intolerance to it over time. That's why you should have a variety of foods that contain a high amount of protein included in your vegetarian diet. Here is a brief list of vegetarian foods that contain protein:

Tofu
Quorn
Peanuts
Lentils
Soy beans
Tinned baked beans
Red kidney beans
Poppy seeds
Sesame seeds
Fortified soy milk
Almonds
Figs
Haricot beans
Spinach
Brazil nuts
Chickpeas
Kale
Broccoli
Spring greens
White cabbage

If you eat dairy product in your vegetarian diet, you will find that a lot of dairy product contain protein as well. Here's a short list of how you can get your daily dose of protein with dairy:

Cheese
Eggs
Milk
Yogurt
Butter
Fromage Frais

Dairy products are higher in calories than the vegan (non dairy) sources of protein so they should be eaten in moderation, particularly if you are trying to lose weight (or keep the same weight!). You can of course buy low fat varieties of cheese and drink semi-skimmed or even skimmed milk, low fat yogurts and spreads.

Protein is essential to human health. Our bodies–hair, muscles, fingernails, and so on–are made up mostly of protein. As suggested by the differences between our muscles and our fingernails, not all proteins are alike. This is because differing combinations of any number of 20 amino acids may constitute a protein. In much the same way that the 26 letters of our alphabet serve to form millions of different words, the 20 amino acids serve to form different proteins.

Amino acids are a fundamental part of our diet. While half of the 20 can be manufactured by the human body, the other 10 cannot. These "essential amino acids" can easily be provided by a balanced vegetarian diet as long as you take the time to research where you can get enough protein in your diet and then incorporate it into your vegetarian lifestyle.


 

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Balancing Ph-ion and Detox to Cleanse the Body

Grow, glow, and go. These are three food types which a person should eat every day in certain amounts in order to eat a healthy and nutritious diet. This is the subject matter in one of the many lessons in science in the elementary grade which increases the awareness of children to eating a healthy and balanced diet.

From the very start, man has been used to eating different food products, as well as beverages. And without actually knowing it, these food products and beverages contain harmful chemicals. Although the body has its own way of removing unwanted toxins in the body, sometimes a build up of these harmful chemicals or acids are inevitable. And this is because of the enormous amount of chemicals or acids found in the body.

Different fluids are found inside the human body. The cells inside the body are often affected by the ph level. The ph level is the measurement of acid-alkaline in the body. The body has its own way of managing the so-called ph level; and when it is unable to do such thing properly, the imbalance affects the whole body.

If you experience stress, tiredness, excess weight, fatigue, aches, pains, poor digestion, and other serious disorders, the ph level inside your body may be too acidic.

The three things that might contribute more to the body to become overly acidic are ingesting acids, creation of acids, and improper acid elimination.

Ingesting foods which are considered acidifying foods as dairy, processed sugar, meat, alcohol, coffee, etc. overloads the ability of your body to neutralize all the acids.

Acidifying toxins are created by microforms and pathogens inside the body. If the body is too acidic, yeasts, microforms, and bad bacteria proliferate. These live organisms create even more toxins, and add up to the already acidic environment.

Some acids are strong, while some are weak. Acid build up occurs when the body systems which eliminate the acids are not functioning properly, and is compromised. Many systems in the body buffer acids which includes mineral reserves, breath, and fat.

Acids are considered toxins, and these toxins need to be removed through detoxification. You have to aid your body in the detoxification process especially when it is not functioning well.

If you want to obtain a well-balanced ph, you must have a proper diet and nutrition. It is wise to follow a detox plan which can greatly help you the detox process. A diet consisting of foods high in alkaline, proper supplementation, and hydrating the body properly can aid the body in detox.

There are also alkalizing products available in stores which augment the ph balance. A well-maintained and balanced ph level will prevent acid build up in the body. If you think that, you're one the many people who has already formed an acid build up or are very acidic, start a detox program now.

A detox program will not only help your body in the detox process, but will also help in balancing the ph level inside the body.

Your body needs detoxification, and that can only be achieved through self discipline and determination. Changing certain things in your life will benefit you and your body more.

Remember, you must keep a balanced ph-ion. You will instantly know that you have an acid build up if you are too acidic, and that is the right time to consult your doctor for proper detoxification.


 

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