Starting Vegan Diet-Tips For Being Healthy With A Vegan Diet

More and more people are contemplating a lifestyle change in terms of the foods they eat. It's no secret that in our fast food society many of us aren't eating as healthy as we should be. All foods that come from animals, not just meat, tend to be loaded with fat and cholesterol. This is one of the reasons why starting vegan diet can be good for your health.

There is a difference between vegan and vegetarian. Veganism is actually quite a bit more strict since you don't take in any animal by products. That means no eggs, cheese or dairy of any kind. Anything that is made from some part of an animal, even its' milk, is off limits if you are starting vegan diet.

Because the diet is so restrictive, it's very important that you make sure you get all the nutrients you need. You don't want to actually be eating more unhealthy than you were before.

Here are some tips that will make your transformation into veganism a little easier and a lot more successful:

1. Decide if you should jump into veganism with both feet or if you would like to gradually make changes in your diet. It really doesn't matter, the most important thing is that you pick the option you will be most likely to stick with. If you are the type of person who makes up their mind and then goes for it, you can probably just become a vegan with no transition time.

But, if you think you may need a little more time to wean yourself off of your current diet, you can do it that way too. Again, it's completely up to you. Just choose the path that you will be most likely to stick with to increase your chances of success.

2. Picking up a good vegan cookbook, or two, may be helpful too. Making sure you have enough variety not only for nutritional reasons but just to keep your taste buds from getting bored is a good idea and will increase your chances of success. Another thing that may help is to take into account many of the vegan meals you are already eating. If you like a lot of salads, for example, you may just be able to add more of them to your diet and it won't even require much of a change.

3. Adding a good multi- vitamin to your daily diet is a great idea too. It's not uncommon for vegans to be deficient in iron, protein, zinc and B-12 unless they are careful to add it back in to their diet. This can be done with supplements or by eating other forms of protein like soy, beans, seeds and nuts.

My daughter has been a vegetarian for many years and recently has decided she was going to go totally vegan. I admire her conviction and self discipline. It can make it a challenge to find places where we can go out for lunch, but she thinks it is the right decision for her. If you are thinking of starting vegan diet do all you can to increase your odds of a successful transformation. Also make sure you get all your nutritional needs met. It's not impossible if you are a vegan but it might take a little extra thought.


 

Posted in Vegan | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
 

Gluten Free Restaurant Guide – Just Another Protein Source Or A Grave Enemy

Not all that many people pay attention to the subject of gluten free foods because it has nothing to do with weight loss, super healthy living or any of those fad diets that already skeletal Hollywood starlets are so fond of. Most people, therefore, do not really take note of a gluten free restaurant guide. This ignorance could never affect their lives but on the other hand, their ignorance could greatly affect someone else's life.

Gluten may not help you lose weight or contribute to an extremely healthy lifestyle but the truth is that gluten can quite easily present a life or death situation for some people. The people who are most likely to know, often thanks to first hand experience, about the dangerous effects of gluten are those who suffer from a wheat allergy or celiac disease.

If you have either celiac disease or a wheat allergy, you know how important a gluten and wheat free diet is to you and how much it can cramp your enjoyment of life. This is where a gluten free restaurant guide can help put a little spice back into your life.

Free Yourself From The Gluten Free Lifestyle Cramp

You may never cure your allergy to wheat or your celiac disease but that does not mean that you have to let your compulsory gluten free diet ruin the fun in your life. A gluten free restaurant guide will be able to give you insight as to which restaurants in your local area sport a gluten free restaurant menu.

A gluten free restaurant guide can effectively offer you the opportunity to enjoy a night out with family and friends. What if you travel frequently? You surely would like to be able to do lunch with friends, family and business associates in other cities and countries. A gluten free restaurant guide to other cities and countries will give you the opportunity to enjoy meals on the run or as part of meetings without having to decline everything on the menu.

People with a wheat allergy can often get away with eating more food types than those with celiac disease, as a wheat allergen is not a gluten allergen. If you suffer from celiac disease, you may find that there are not enough restaurants, which offer a gluten free menu, but something is better than nothing at all. Therefore, with a gluten free restaurant guide in hand you have more freedom and more options than before.


 

Posted in Nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment
 

Are There Diets To Help Your Longevity And Health?

Diets are generally only discussed when one is trying to lose weight – but there are other benefits that should be considered too…

There are many diets to choose from if you want to lose weight, too many to list. But what if you want a good diet that is a way of life, for good health and longevity? There are really only a few credible candidates.

Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet is one of a few diets that have been discovered by observing the good health and long lives of people from a particular part of the world. Those living around the Mediterranean area of Southern Europe have been found to enjoy such benefits.

The diets of people in this area tend to be abundant in fruits and vegetables. Olive oil is used as the main source of fat. Meat consumption is low. Wine consumption is moderate. One of the paradoxes of this diet is that fat consumption is relatively high but cardiovascular rates are low. Salt consumption is also high but with apparently no ill effects.

Why is this diet so healthy despite these paradoxes? It may be that some of the ingredients in this diet confer a protective effect. Ultimately, scientists, doctors and nutritionists do not fully understand why. Activity is also likely to play a part as Mediterranean populations tend to be more physically active.

If you want to try this diet, don’t just pick and choose the foods that you like. See it as a complete lifestyle to try and adopt. If you are not fully committed to it then you may not enjoy the benefits as you had intended.

Okinawa Diet

In a similar vein to the last diet, people from Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan were observed to have one of the highest life expectancies in the world.

Their diet is lower in calories than the typical Japanese diet and is also rich in vegetables (mainly plant based), low in sugar and low in meat. Almost no dairy is consumed.

It is widely regarded that a combination of diet, environment, lifestyle and genetics contributes to the longevity of people from this region. By assuming their diet and lifestyle, you will probably be able to live more healthily than the typical westerner. Whether you can increase your longevity significantly is open to debate.

Calorie Restriction

Animal studies have shown that consuming a reduced amount of calories per day in food can significantly extend lifespan. Research on humans has shown that it can reduce cardiovascular disease and improve memory. Primate studies have shown reduced incidence of diabetes, cancer and other conditions.

Many diets use calorie restriction. For example, the Okinawa Diet is 20% lower in calories compared to the average Japanese diet. The CRON-diet is highly focused on calorie restriction and generally aims to restrict calories by around 20%.

Raw Food Diet

The raw food diet has many forms but the idea behind it is that human biology has not adapted to modern life and that we should be eating like primates i.e. a diet with little or no meat and rich in fruits and/or vegetables (to varying degrees). Raw foodists (and others) believe that meat is unhealthy and does humans far more harm than good.

There are two main variations in the raw food diet. In the first, most calories are obtained from fat and require eating large amounts of nuts and seeds. The other is to eat a diet high in fruit content (up to 90% of calories). This latter diet is considered to be closer to what most primates eat.

Many people turn to raw foodism when they develop serious health conditions such as Type II diabetes, for example. Many claim to be cured by this diet. Nearly all raw foodists claim huge increases in energy and vitality and many swear to never go back to their old eating habits.

It should be noted that the raw food diet is somewhat incompatible with the eating habits of most of the population. It can be difficult to dine with friends as the restrictions may seem excessive to others. It may also increase your frequency of using the toilet.

Before Adopting A Diet

If you are serious about adopting a new diet for longevity and health, you need to start by doing a LOT more research beginning with consulting both your doctor and a certified nutritionist. Not every diet is positive, or even safe, for everyone, and your own specific health issues and situation MUST be taken into account before making any major changes to your dietary regime.

Once your doctor has told you what you must have and what you must avoid, your nutritionist can help you develop a nutrition plan that incorporates your doctor’s advice and your own specific dietary goals. Remember, you’re not just embarking on a short-term weight-loss diet, you’re considering a whole new dietary lifestyle – anything short of complete due diligence on your part is not only foolhardy but can even be deadly.

The good news is that given the caveats above, research suggests you CAN find a suitable diet to extend your longevity and live a healthier lifestyle than most people on the planet currently enjoy!

[tags]nutrition, longevity, health, Mediterranean Diet, Okinawa Diet, Raw Food Diet, calorie restriction[/tags]


 

Posted in Healthy Diet | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment
 

Cost Of Vegan Diet-May Be Worth It No Matter What The Cost

If you are thinking of becoming a vegan, no matter what your reasons are, you will be happy to know that in addition to the potential health benefits you will get, you may also save some money. The cost of vegan diet will vary significantly depending on the types of foods you choose and if you buy more processed pre made food or you prefer to buy the raw food and cook your own meals from scratch.

There are a ton of meat substitutes you can incorporate into you daily diet. They have substitutes that taste like hamburger, hotdogs and breakfast sausage to name just a few. There are several brands available on the market today all you have to do is look around.

You can go to a smaller all organic store for your foods, which I can almost guarantee you will increase the cost of vegan diet, or you can go to some larger chain super markets and find a fairly large variety of organic and vegan options that may be a little lower priced than at the local organic store.

Again, it's up to you. If you choose to prepare most of your foods from scratch, you will probably save money when you become a vegan. When I go to the grocery store, I always find that the two groups of products that always seem to cost the most are cleaning supplies and meat. You will still need to get the cleaning supplies but by not buying meat you can significantly cut your grocery bill in a lot of cases (though if you are cutting out meat but adding the soy imitation meat products you may not see a cost savings, you may actually spend a little bit more).

You also need to be aware of some of the nutritional needs that may not being met with a vegan diet. Protein, zinc and vitamin B12 are some of the most common vitamins and minerals that you may not be getting enough of. This can easily be overcome by adding a quality full spectrum multi vitamin to your diet on a daily basis.

You can also eat more beans (pretty much any type you want but black beans are particularly high in protein) or nuts such as almonds, cashews, pistachios and pecans. Just a small handful of nuts for a snack every day may be all you need to do.

Of course, you will also want to check all the labels of the pre made food you buy. There you will get an idea of how much, if any, protein and other vitamins and minerals it contains. At first, this might be a little time consuming but as you get used to your new diet, you won't have to think twice, it will all come naturally.

The cost of vegan diet can vary quite a bit depending on where you get your food and how much processed food you buy in relation to raw food, but becoming a vegan might pay off in so many
other ways it may still be worth it even if it does cost a little more.


 

Posted in Vegan | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
 

What To Use In Gluten-Free Recipes

If you have celiac disease, then you know that you have to eliminate gluten from your body so you can get healthy again. Gluten is like poison for your body now – it destroys parts of your small intestine, causing all sorts of symptoms that prevent your body from absorbing nutrients from your food. Thankfully, you can find lots of gluten-free recipes on the internet. There are recipes for everything – even gluten-free bread recipes! I bet you never thought you'd be able to have bread again, right? Wrong! All it takes is using a different kind of flour in your gluten-free recipe and you're good to go.

Flour Alternatives

Luckily, there are lots of flour alternatives for anyone who has to stick to a gluten free recipe. Potato starch flour is great for sauces and cream-based soups that usually use wheat flour for thickening. Just mix in a little potato starch instead of flour with the recipe, and it becomes gluten-free as simple as that! Just remember to cut the amount in half. Potato starch can be found in most health food stores.

Tapioca flour is a very light, smooth flour that is best used in gluten-free recipes where you want a chewy texture. It's perfect for recipes for white or French bread. You can even easily combine it with cornstarch or soy flour. Soy flour tastes very nutty and is a great source of protein and fat. It's best used in gluten-free recipes that call for it to be combined with other flours. It also makes great brownies.

Cornstarch comes, of course, from corn. It's great to use as a thickening agent for sauces, puddings and Asian cooking. Like soy flour, it combines well with other flours when you want to use it for baking. Corn flour is excellent for using to make pancakes or waffles and it can be blended with cornmeal to make cornbread or muffins. Cornmeal, like corn flour, is used for pancakes and waffles but can also be a good choice for baking a cake and still sticking to a gluten-free recipe.

There are other types of flours as well, and all of them are perfect for gluten-free recipes. They're easy to find at health food stores.

Gluten Substitutes

All baked goods use wheat flour because it contains gluten. Gluten keeps pies, cakes and cookies from falling apart and keeps air trapped, giving baked goods that great texture. Because you need to retain this structure even when baking without wheat flour, you have to add a gluten substitute like xanthum gum, guar gum or pre-gel starch. Like the types of flour above, it can also be purchased in health food stores. If you use all of these alternatives in your gluten-free recipes, you'll be able to eat delicious food and stay healthy!


 

Posted in Nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment
 

This Flirting With Fitness Nutrition, Diet & Healthy Eating Section sponsorship is currently available:

Sponsor the Nutrition, Diet & Healthy Eating Section Starting Today - Click Here For Info!