So You Want to be a Vegetarian

Author: Stuart Wilson

Science has proven time and again that vegetarians are among the healthiest people on the planet. They live longer and are less prone to chronic diseases. Eating a low fat vegetarian diet can also help in losing excess weight. Obesity can lead to adult onset diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer. Eating a vegetarian type diet can reverse heart disease and other health complaints such as arthritis. In addition, the vegetarian diet can lower blood pressure. Because potassium is plentiful in fruits and vegetables, the vegetarian diet lowers blood pressure by helping the kidneys abolish sodium and modify blood pressure-regulating enzymes.

Why go vegetarian?

Vegetarianism ranks as one the best ways to eat a healthy diet, as simple as eating more salads and another apple every day.

Fanatic devotion, near religious status. Deeply into the animal rights movement, some dedicated vegetarians won't even eat in restaurants that serve animal products.

How do I get started?

It does not matter how you start, a vegetarian diet will produce benefits, so don't worry about doing it wrong, just take that all important first step !

The typical vegetarian diet meets or exceeds the recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals, but if required there are ways of increasing your intake through dietry supplements.

Tips for success

There are various levels of vegetarianism detailed below, choose the one that best suits your lifestyle or start off making small changes and see how it goes.

Vegan (total vegetarian) - Diet includes only food from plants: fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds, and nuts.

Lactovegetarian - Diet as for vegan plus the addition of cheese, milk, yoghurt, and other dairy products.

Lacto-ovovegetarian - Diet as for Lactovegetarian plus the addition of eggs.

Semi-vegetarians - Basically diet consists of everything except Red Meat.

So the decision is yours, gradually eliminate meat products, starting first with red meat or take the plunge and become a vegan.

Try switching your meat and vegetable portions. Make meat the side dish and feature vegetables as the main course. Asians typically eat this way, especially in stir fry dishes.

Watch your calorie consumption, limit sweets and fatty foods, don't let your vegetables swim in cream sauce or cover your fruit in sugar or syrup.

Plan your menu.

A Simple Menu would include - basic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Three vegetable side dishes make a meal. Eat a large salad with shredded vegetables. Serve fresh fruit in a fancy dish for dessert.

A more complex Menu would include - experiment with exotic items such as tempeh, tofu, wheat gluten, or seitan.

Buy most of your groceries in the produce aisle. Visit the dairy aisle if you decide to consume cheese, milk, eggs, or yogurt.
Serve a colorful plate:
yellow corn
green spinach salad with red tomatoes
light brown whole grain bread
red cherries
orange oranges

A great place to shop for vegetarian food is a farmer's market, they will have the freshest produce available, find out if there's one near you.

So now you have read what and how to do it you just need to get started, don't delay start today.

Your body will thank you for it.

Facts About Sports Nutrition For Women

By: Chris Fox

There are many books and manuals out there by nutritionists that help to provide the correct diets for improving strength and endurance. When looking for a guide be sure to read this article first as it is aimed towards female athletes looking to improve performance.

The body system that a women has is totally different to that's of males. That is the main reason why that a woman who is interested in sports will have a completely different set of nutritional needs. And just like men, women are also more than capable of involving themselves in sports.

The sports nutrition for women is different, those that are involved in sports and have regular exercise will have some special nutritional needs. The basic principles however are the same for men and women when it comes to nutrition but there are small differences. Females who are involved in regular sporting activities will have more needs for certain nutrients.

This is mainly due to that fact that woman are more prone to dietary deficiencies. This is not to say that men are completely immune, this is just due to the fact that woman have ongoing cycles taking place inside their body. It is very important to keep the right level of nutrients up to prevent any disorders.

The main nutritional factors in sports nutrition for women would have to be iron and calcium. Another important issue for women is weight control and eating disorders. Calcium and iron are required nutrients to help the body perform at it's peak.

In saying that though there still has been no scientific reason for this, but the simple fact is that women are overly conscious about their weight. By having a normal weight in will help in giving you a healthy psychological system.

Calcium is a mineral that plays an essential role in growth. In sports, muscle and mind coordination is important. It also helps in muscle contraction and transmission of nerve impulses.

Another reason why it is useful is due to the fact that it will aid in the maintenance and development of strong bones. This play an important part in the nutritional intake that women require.

Having adequate amounts of calcium during your childhood and adolescence is important for developing an optimal peak in bone mass by your mid twenty's to your early thirty's. This will then help you reduce your risk of acquiring osteoporosis or the thinning of your bones.

Some women who are into sports are at risk of inadequate calcium intake, while some are at risk of early osteoporosis due to the absence of appropriate amount of calcium, or an irregularity of their menstrual cycle. So conclusively, women should have higher intakes of calcium.

There is a list of recommended dietary intakes of calcium for sports women according to their ages. For girls with ages twelve to fifteen, they must have at least one thousand milligrams of calcium per day. For teenagers with ages sixteen to eighteen, on the other hand, should have a normal calcium intake per day, which is eight hundred milligrams. For women who are having their menstrual periods, they should also take eight hundred milligrams of calcium a day.

Post menopausal women should have at least one thousand milligrams per day of calcium, while women who are pregnant and who are also breast feeding should have one thousand two hundred milligrams per day.

And, not to be the least, sportswomen who have an absent or an irregular menstrual cycle, they should have at least one thousand to one thousand five hundred milligrams in a day. It is detrimental for women to meet their required calcium intake for normal functioning.

What is used to help form hemoglobin is the mineral iron, this is very important in maintaining the oxygen in the blood as it is transported to the different parts of the body. It is also a very important nutrient in helping produce energy and immunity.

Athletes are more prone to iron deficiencies than anyone else in the world. Women are at a bigger risk because they continually lose blood as they undergo the cyclical process of menstruation. Plus, strenuous exercises contribute to the loss of iron through the destruction of red blood cells. Inadequate iron intake are associated with reduced athletic performance. Women will require the nutrient iron in big amounts.

Being able to keep the body's fat levels low is often the main aim of many female athletes. Having excess fats can have a negative effect on performance. However having less fat or none at all can compromise the energy levels of a female athlete. Low energy will affect overall sporting performance, that is why it is so important to keep the right amount of nutrients in the body. The right sports nutrition for women will aid performance in all exercise and sporting activities.

Bowel Cleansing Diet Tips

By: Jason Uvios

If you have been looking around for the information about detoxing, you might have found these words many a places that “detox begins with the healthy bowels”.

Having a regular and healthy bowel movement is the precondition for a problem free life. It is the bowels that are the most potent source of toxins in the body. So at any cost, we should keep the bowels clean, otherwise the whole body will be toxified once again.

Now in the extreme cases of toxicity, tools like enemas or colonic irrigations are used to displace the long impacted fecal matters from the walls of colon and intestine.

But without going through these procedures, you can get the same result through diet. Only it may take a bit longer to produce the same effect as an enema or colonic. Following a detox diet, the normal flora in the intestines may be completely washed out. You should be extremely patient in helping the bowel regenerate them with the help of probiotics to restore that balance.

Constipation and irregular or slow bowel movements are the result of unthinking loading of wrong foods and sedentary lifestyle. If the wastes are not eliminated adequately, the toxins remain in the body and are reabsorbed by the liver for recycling and elimination. This increased toxic level does not only raise the cholesterol level, it also leads to the growth of pathogenic microorganisms which soon outnumber the natural bowel floras.
But once the bowels starts to move properly again, everything else will fall into other things are taken care of.

The simplest way to induce the bowels moving once again is by consuming a high fiber diet. High fiber diet typically consists of fresh fruits and vegetables. If you want to increase the fiber content of your diet, you can have psyllium husk powder by mixing it in one glass of water. The additional fiber contents in the food add volume to the stool on the one hand and on the other hand it helps to reduce the time of bowel movement. This results in better and more toxin elimination. As more amount of toxins start to be flushed out from the system, the overall health improves.

The herbals provide the best solution for improving the bowel functions. There are many types of herbal bowel cleansers. Some of them work as bowel stimulants. Others work as laxatives.

As for example, the slippery elm is a good laxative, while the herbs like cascara sagrada or aloes and senna act as the bowel stimulant.

Herbal bowel combination formulas are considered to be the ideal solution for bowel cleansing, for these products not only encourage the bowels to move, but nourish the natural floras so that bowels resume their normal movement on their own.

Vegetarianism (from Answers.com)

Definition

Vegetarianism is the voluntary abstinence from eating meat. Vegetarians refrain from eating meat for various reasons, including religious, health, and ethical ones. Lacto-ovo vegetarians supplement their diet with dairy (lactose) products and eggs (ovo). Vegans (pronounced vee-guns) do not eat any animal-derived products at all.

Purpose

Vegetarianism is recommended as a dietary therapy for a variety of conditions, including heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and stroke. Vegetarianism is a major dietary therapy in the alternative treatment of cancer. Other conditions treated with a dietary therapy of vegetarianism include obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, allergies, asthma, environmental illness, hypertension, gout, gallstones, hemorrhoids, kidney stones, ulcers, colitis, premenstrual syndrome, anxiety, and depression. Vegetarians often report higher energy levels, better digestion, and mental clarity. Vegetarianism is an economical and easily implemented preventative practice as well.

Description

The term vegetarian was coined in 1847 by the founders of the Vegetarian Society of Great Britain, but vegetarianism has been around as long as people have created diets. Some of the world's oldest cultures advocate a vegetarian diet for health and religious purposes. In India, millions of Hindus are vegetarians because of their religious beliefs. One of the ancient mythological works of Hinduism, the Mahabharata, states that, "Those who desire to possess good memory, beauty, long life with perfect health, and physical, moral and spiritual strength, should abstain from animal foods." The yoga system of living and health is vegetarian, because its dietary practices are based on the belief that healthy food contains prana. Prana is the universal life energy, which yoga experts believe is abundant in fresh fruits, grains, nuts and vegetables, but absent in meat because meat has been killed. Yogis also believe that spiritual health is influenced by the practice of ahimsa, or not harming living beings. The principle of ahimsa (non-violence) appears in the Upanishads (Vedic literature) from c. 600–300 B.C. Taking of animal life or human life under any circumstances is sinful and results in rebirth as a lower organism. It became a fundamental element of Jainism, another religion of India. Some Buddhists in Japan and China are also vegetarian because of spiritual beliefs. In the Christian tradition, the Trappist Monks of the Catholic Church are vegetarian, and some vegetarians argue that there is evidence that Jesus and his early followers were vegetarian. Other traditional cultures, such as those in the Middle East and the Mediterranean regions, have evolved diets that frequently consist of vegetarian foods. The Mediterranean diet, which a Harvard study declared to be one of the world's healthiest, is primarily, although not strictly, vegetarian.

The list of famous vegetarians forms an illustrious group. The ancient Greek philosophers, including Socrates, Plato, and Pythagoras, advocated vegetarianism. In modern times, the word to describe someone who likes to feast on food and wine is "epicure," but it is little known that Epicurus, the ancient philosopher, was himself a diligent vegetarian. Other famous vegetarians include Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton, Leo Tolstoy, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry Thoreau. This century's celebrated vegetarians include Gandhi, the physician Albert Schweitzer, writer George Bernard Shaw, musician Paul McCartney, and champion triathlete Dave Scott. Albert Einstein, although not a strict vegetarian himself, stated that a vegetarian diet would be an evolutionary step for the human race.

Vegetarianism in America received a lot of interest during the last half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, during periods of experimentation with diets and health practices. Vegetarianism has also been a religious practice for some Americans, including the Seventh-day Adventists, whose lacto-ovo vegetarian diets have been studied for their health benefits. Vegetarianism has been steadily gaining acceptance as an alternative to the meat-and-potatoes bias of the traditional American diet. In 1997, Vegetarian Resource Group performed a Roper poll that showed that 13 million Americans, or 5% of the population, identified themselves as vegetarians.

Several factors contribute to the interest in vegetarianism in America. Outbreaks of food poisoning from meat products, as well as increased concern over the additives in meat such as hormones and antibiotics, have led some people and professionals to question meat's safety. There is also an increased awareness of the questionable treatment of farm animals in factory farming. But the growing health consciousness of Americans is probably the major reason for the surge in interest in vegetarianism. Nutrition experts have built up convincing evidence that there are major problems with the conventional American diet, which is centered around meat products that are high in cholesterol and saturated fat and low in fiber. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, which cause 68% of all deaths in America, are all believed to be influenced by this diet. Nutritionists have repeatedly shown in studies that a healthy diet consists of plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, and foods that are high in fiber and low in cholesterol and saturated fat. Vegetarianism, a diet that fulfills all these criteria, has become part of many healthy lifestyles. In alternative medicine, vegetarianism is a cornerstone dietary therapy, used in Ayurvedic medicine, detoxification treatments, macrobiotics, the Ornish diet for heart disease, and in therapies for many chronic conditions.

Vegetarian TV Commercial

A Guide to Detoxifying Herbs

By: Jason Uvios

One of my friends run a popular health food store and according to him in the recent years there has been an incredible interest surrounding the detoxification through herbs. More interestingly, these herbs are increasingly being used in the treatment of cancer.

You can well explain these growing demands for herbal detox if you consider the toxic nature of the tumors that often lead to the development of cancer. This calls for purification of blood and liver and nothing can perform this task of cleansing more wonderfully than herbs.

Why herbal detox?
The herbal detoxifiers are great cleansers. This is evident from the fact that with an herbal detoxification program, you will start to see the result almost immediately. Following an herbal detox program you will experience an improved mental clarity in the very first day. An improved digestion and bowel movement will help you to feel more energetic and lighter. Some patients even reported to have reduction in pain.

Be consistent with the program
When you are undergoing an herbal detox, you should keep one point in mind. With herbal detox you will experience dramatic improvement in the early stage. But gradually the rate of improvement may slow down. In these phases some patients tend to be panicky and either start taking overdoses of herbs or just discontinue with the program in frustration.
Both are wrong approaches.
They should remember that herbal detox program is based on the ideal of ‘slow and steady’. A magical improvement may sound good, but in reality they are not long lasting. Instead you should allow your system to get accustomed to the changes, even if they are in positive direction. Otherwise the whole process may loss momentum after a certain time.

Consultation with an herbal practitioner
The health food stores are the best place to find out the detox herbal formulae. There are also a number of online stores to shop for your herbal detox program. But it will be wiser to consult an herbal practitioner before buying any product.
There is a serious reason behind this.
Most of the products sold by these stores have a common feature; these are all herbal alkaloid based products. You can find common dandelion roots to more uncommon and lesser known herbs of berberines group like barberry, oregon grape root, or goldenseal.
But the problem is; every patient has a specific capacity of assimilation of these herbs and this capacity varies with each patients. Individual patient will require different doses of herbs to treat the similar symptoms. That is why it is essential to consult an herbalist first if you want to get the best result from the detox herbs.