Quirky Baby Steps on Living a Vegetarian Lifestyle

Okay – you are not really that enthusiastic about becoming a straight vegetarian or the more serious vegan, are you? Maybe you are not THAT ready yet, or you have not thought that the benefits would outweigh your fears (unless it helps you to save cash or calories)?

In this article, we will tackle on quirky alternatives or baby steps on living a vegetarian lifestyle. At the same time, these tips will help you reduce costs and calorie consumption.

3 Baby Steps on Living a Vegetarian Lifestyle

1. Eat Less Beef

Especially when you’re from the US or any Western country, your favorite would have to be McDonald’s burger—the Big Mac. Right? If you can only sacrifice that crave and switch to the fish fillet burger instead, you would be more on the right course.

According to a Japanese people research, consuming meat is more dangerous to the surroundings than generating a car. The research revealed that the development of 2.2 weight of meat led to natural house gas pollutants comparative to the same amount that would be produced by generating a car for 250km at 80 kmph. In other terms, consuming a McDonald’s 1/4 pounder for one week’s time is more destructive to the surroundings than driving yourself from the house to your office place for instance.

Also think about the calories that a Big Mac can give you. Did you know that one order contains about 704 calories? That is already double that of the fish fillet burger that only consists of like 380 calories.

Then when you become accustomed to this, you may be more prepared to eat faux meat for your vegetarian diet. :-)

2. Use Eco-bags

Being vegan does not mean only eating vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds and no meat. It also counts on the things you use every day. If you have been meaning to buy that Louis Vuitton bag that is made of snake skin or crocodile skin, opt to stay free of animal products and choose environmental friendly totes, please.

Bring around several of them when you go shopping and discover how helpful they are! Using eco-totes does not have to be unpleasant and inconvenient. It can have designs such as animal prints which mimic the original leather so you would have likely similar appeal with similar colors and patterns. Do not use plastic bags as well because they are not eco-friendly.

3. Say No to Bacon

Notice that what the “banned” items here are most people’s comfort food. Bacon is one of the most consumed snacks in the world, and it’s also one that contains hefty of calories particularly when you ingest the oil coming from the fats. 

How to cut the calories and the crave? The answer is to not tempt yourself to buy frozen bacon from the grocery and not order a dish with bacon whenever you go to a restaurant. Since there are still plenty of choices on the menu, attack those dishes you have not tried before. Stick to those seafood and vegetarian entrees—and if you can—go for a full-vegan meal.

When you can’t, take only half the portion of your non-vegetarian meal. Or if that’s a pasta dish, pizza or anything with meaty toppings, ask the staff to cut down the toppings significantly to also cut down on the calories. Another way is to bring a friend who can eat all your “leftovers.” Give all the meaty deposits and fats to friends and spare the waistline.

Categories: Vegetarian Diet

“To Adopt or Not to Adopt the Blood Type Diet?” is the Question

I have learned that our blood types are connected to how our bodies react to the food we eat. 

For instance, several accounts say that when you have blood type A (like me), you are much fitted to be a vegetarian. If your blood type is O, you are better off as a meat-eater. If your blood type is B, you can be a balanced omnivore – you’re somewhere in the middle. And if you have the special blood type AB, you are so lucky because you can have a mixed diet in moderation.

Should we adopt the blood type diet? 

Should you eat according to your blood type?

Facts About the Blood Type Diet

Peter J. D'Adamo created the brainchild of the blood type diet theory. He wrote in his book Eat Right For Your Type about dietary choices that people should adhere to. But public commotion has resulted from his lack of evidences that support his outrageous claims.

To paraphrase D'Adamo, if you’re blood type A and you drink milk, your body will reject it and blood will start the agglutination process in the vascular system immediately. He glues it to the fact that those who do drink massive quantities of milk suffer from stroke and emboli. But he offers no proof in pictures and people’s accounts based on scientific studies of doctors.

Another is Type B's are dairy-eating omnivores. But systems of blood type B people who are Asians (note the special race here) adjust whenever they take in dairy products. He recommends that they are lactase-intolerant, and there is normal disappearance of lactase enzymes in their intestinal cells. Those who consume too much lactase in will experience abdominal cramps and diarrhea. True or not?

For Type O’s, D'Adamo suggests that if you finish a bowl of bean chili or lentil stew, lectin proteins are deposited in your muscle tissues, thereby altering their functions and acidity. The result is that you’ll have a reduced capability for physical action. Scary much, huh?

Lectins, if you’re not aware, are sugar-containing proteins found on the surface of certain food that can cause various molecules and some types of cells to stick together. More serious effects, when taken in abundant amounts, are cirrhosis and kidney failure.

Yet again, D'Adamo’s research and speculations are not backed up with strong corroborating pieces of confirmation on his own or by the trusted health organizations.

For the hunter-caveman type (blood type O people), “your body does not tolerate whole wheat products at all,” he adds. But can you attest that you have actually fallen off the ground while eating whole wheat crackers or whole wheat bread? Have you vomited and suffered brain damage because of wheat consumption? Or do you know of anyone who can prove his points? 

For the record, there has not been news or true stories that reported this.

Which Blood Type Are You?

Type A

Type A folks are more prone to have diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. They can particularly survive and live in good health if they are vegetarians. If your blood type is A, you will tend to be naturally thin. Even if you eat or binge on lots of food, you will not get fat easily. In the same way, even if you eat tons of meat, when compared to people with other blood types, you have the advantage of losing weight faster. This is because your system removes toxic from the food you take more efficiently.

The bad side of possessing blood type A is that the acid content in your stomach is low. This is the reason why you’re suited to be a vegetarian or a follower of vegan diet – you have a hard time in digesting meat and dairy products (including cultured and fermented ones)! You should avoid eating vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam, cabbage, tomatoes and pepper and fruits like mangoes, papaya and oranges. These food will only worsen the condition of your delicate digestive tract.

If you’re blood type A and happen to be a pretty faithful and solid carnivore, you have more metabolic slowdowns versus meat-eaters who have other blood types.

Type O

Having blood type O is almost synonymous to having a free ticket to eat meat healthily. This is because only type O’s have acidic muscle tissues. These people can metabolize meat as they have acidic stomachs. In contrast, they can hardly digest grains, beans, breads, legumes, and dairy products. These food get in the way with insulin which affect the metabolism rate.

If you’re a vegetarian who has blood type O, avoid eating the following vegetables: cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and mustard green. These food inhibit the thyroid function and weaken blood-clotting. To balance off the acidity in your stomach, eat alkaline-based fruits like plums and berries.

Type B

If you have blood type B, you are the luckiest! You are the least likely to encounter heart disease and cancer (opposite Type A). That is, if you live on a balanced and wholesome diet. On the other hand though, more likely you will not resist having all the immune system disorders: multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome and lupus.

To block off being inflicted with these diseases, avoid eating chicken and shellfish. Chicken (poultry) meat and shellfish disrupt your bloodstream and agglutinates lectin in your muscle tissues, attacking your immune system. Also not suggested for you to eat are nuts, seeds which hinder production of insulin in your body.

Type AB

Like the Type A’s, Type AB’s are best when are vegetarians because their bodies also are not programmed to metabolize and digest meat. Their stomachs have low acidity levels and their muscle tissues are slightly alkaline. 

But unlike the Type A’s, they can tolerate dairy food very well. If you belong to this group, it is advisable to consume vegetables which are high in phytocheicals and the more alkaline fruits, as you have a weaker immune system.

Like the Type B’s, Type AB’s should watch out on eating chicken meat and nuts, seeds and beans as well for the same reasons.

Blood Type Diet and Vegetarian Nutrition: My Say

I’m not a scientist, herbalist, any medical practitioner, or nutritionist or dietician. But I get the impression that the theory behind the blood type diet is grounded on myths and quaking info. Every one of us has different nutritional needs based on the activities we do and the lifestyle we are accustomed to. 

Bottom line is that I don’t believe that these differences are significantly determined by blood type. I think what’s important is to take note of the food, supplements, and other stuff that get through your stomach and see how your body reacts to them.

Categories: Vegetarian Diet

THE BIG PICTURE: Pros and Cons of Eating Vegetarian Fake Meat (Mock Meat)

The fact is that I like hotdogs, ham, burger, bacon…and other usual favorite comfort food of the average person. But here’s the twist: My version is made with soy. It’s called mock meat, pretend meat, or veggie meat—which is clearly a substitute to the real meat.

Now you’d probably question how vegetarian mock meats are processed, how safe they are, how they taste like and just why vegetarians eat fake meat. In this article, I welcome your curiosity. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of eating mock meat.

Pros of Eating Mock Meat

1. You can be sure you’re not eating some pretty dubious meat-based products.

Mock meats are the lesser evil than the real meat. You can view these processed food substances as an electric cigarette which can free you from nicotine and still experience the fun. True enough, veggie meats do not contain saturated fats and animal hormones which many of the sicknesses and diseases today are inherited from.

2. Free yourself from guilt.

Just why vegetarians eat mock meat? By replicating animal-based food with mock meat, you free yourself from the guilt of eating cooked dead animals. With each bite of faux meat, you’d miss the thought of animal cruelty substantially. 

For instance, if you miss eating chicken but don’t actually want to succumb to this hunger, you can eat pretend chicken meat as alternative. Veggie meats are delicious after all; they are not bad-tasting and they are just chewy as the real ones. So you can totally give up the idea of eating actual animal meat.

3. Mock meats guide your transition to vegetarianism.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), a society defending veganism and vegetarianism, calls mock meat as “transitional food.” When you were not born as a vegetarian or you have only adapted to the vegetarian diet recently, you must be craving sometimes for the taste and texture of meat. Mock meats are a great gateway to vegetarianism. By eating mock meat, you can have a faster transition from being a strong meat-eater to a vegetarian starter.

Another idea is to better convince your non-vegetarian friends and relatives to be vegetarians! You can invite them as guests to your home and prepare nice dinner with mock meat. The trick is to present with really nice plating with abundant of colors. Make sure it tastes luscious. And don't tell them it's fake, not until they ask. They will just be surprised to know the truth!

Cons of Eating Mock Meat

1. Faux meat-like substances are mostly made of soy products.

While you can be safe by not consuming actual animal fats, much cholesterol, triglycerides and others, by eating mock meats, you are also getting your body prone to some risks.

Some reports indicate that too much in soy may cause cancer. But there are also those scientific studies which affirm this to be a sham, proving it wrong by counting the number of benefits soy protein provide to our bodies, especially to vegetarians. 

The fact remains a fact, though: eating mock meats every day in every meal may just be harmful to your body. Also, soy sends mixed messages about protein. You can absolutely easily get enough protein from whole foods: grains, legumes, fruit and veggies.

2. Eating fake meat is not really healthy.

In relation to the above statement, consuming mock meat frequently is not good. Compared to eating fresh vegetables and sticking to a plant-based diet, eating mock meat does not constitute to a healthier lifestyle. Rather, it can be pointed out as a contradiction to the reason why you became a vegetarian (if your reason is for health concerns and not religion, ethics, etc.).  

Veggie meats contain many artificial ingredients and preservatives such as sodium, MSG and a large amount of salt. They are processed whole vegan foods as opposed to whole vegan foods. It sends mixed messages about what vegans really want to eat (meat or cruelty free vegan food?)

2. The processing of mock meats damage the environment a lot.

There can be devastating loss of rainforest as a result of farming soy. This is because growing and harvesting soy to create mock meat requires the usage of chemical hexane to isolate soy protein. This is very toxic for the natural environment, indeed.

Conclusion

I’m all for eating real vegetables but not against eating mock meat as well. My conviction is to balance everything. If you haven’t tried mock meat, going for one today may excite your taste buds for a new adventure. 

For vegetarians and vegans, do not think that you are limited to only vegetables, fruits, nuts and other meat-less stuff. Embrace other varieties available – adding mock meats into your plate from time to time is not evil!

Categories: Eating Vegetarian Food

Vegetarian Diet During Pregnancy

Worried that you won't get the right amount of nutrients while you're pregnant? Whether or not you're a vegetarian, your body needs a lot more nutrition for the development and growth of your baby.

 There is no general rule in diet as there are a lot of vegetarian meal plans. But you should follow good eating habits during pregnancy. Find them here:

1. Always stock up proteins in your diet.

If you're a vegan or a vegetarian who does not eat fish, eggs, poultry and dairy products, your best sources of protein are nuts, legumes, peanut butter, quinoa, tofu and soy products.

2. Eat food high in fiber and starch.

Fiber-rich food includes whole-grain and wheat bread, cereals, pasta, brown rice, fruits and leafy green vegetables. Note though that starch is high in calories. Maintain calorie intake of less than 300 your daily typical meal in your last six months of pregnancy to help your baby grow healthier. When in doubt, just be careful not to eat way more than you can handle.

3. Load your body and bones with calcium!

You know that pregnant women are often associated with having osteoporosis because of the lack of calcium. To deviate from the deadly sickness, consume at least four servings of food rich in calcium daily. This will help to ensure that you are getting 1200 mg. of calcium in your diet per day. You can get calcium from dairy products, seafood, dried beans or peas, tofu and again, leafy green vegetables.

4. Get daily dose of iron.

If you feel lethargic, anemic and out of energy, you must be deficient in iron. To feel normal and more energetic, eat at least three servings of iron-rich food daily. This should consist of about 27 mg. of iron in your daily diet. Sources of iron are rice and grains, raisins and prunes, eggs, leafy green vegetables, dried beans and peas, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and peanuts.

5. Include Vitamin A, B12, C and D into your daily diet.

Choose at least one source of vitamin A every other day. Common sources consist of the yellow and orange food such as carrot, pumpkin/squash, sweet potato and apricot. If you want green food, you can be nourished with Vitamin A by consuming cantaloupe, spinach, turnip greens and beet greens.

As a vegetarian, never go without taking B12 as part of your diet. If you’re not eating eggs, dairy products, fish and shellfish, consult a dietician for a good B12 supplementation.

For Vitamin C, choose to eat at least one of the following: orange, grapefruit, strawberries, honeydew, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green peppers, tomatoes and mustard greens.

To aid your body absorb calcium, you need adequate amounts of Vitamin D. You can do this by exposing yourself to direct sunlight for about 15 minutes thrice a week. For meals, take on food like fortified milk, eggs, and fish or consult your health care provider for the right Vitamin D food supplement.

6. Say yes to folic acid.

You need at least one source of folic acid every day. You can choose from dark, green, leafy vegetables, and legumes such as lima beans, black beans, black-eyed peas and chickpeas.

7. No Alcohol. No Caffeine. No Artificial Sweeteners.

If you are pregnant and consuming alcoholic drinks, be wary that your baby might grow premature or be very low in weight upon delivery. Also, your baby’s growth might be affected with too much consumption of coffee, tea, soda and other carbonated drinks with caffeine. You can still have coffee but limit it with no more than 300 mg. a day.

Content in non-nutritive artificial sweeteners called saccharin is not acceptable during pregnancy because it can cross your placenta and might remain in fetal tissues. So avoid those food; better be safe than sorry.

8. Limit your intake of salty food.

No matter how much you crave on eating salty food, refrain from them. Although there is no documented risk to mother or baby, salt causes your body to retain water and this will make you feel overly bloated.

9. Pass up on fat and cholesterol.
Do not constrict your diet during pregnancy but also do not take fatty food and food high in cholesterol. Both you and your baby need the proper nutrients in order to be healthy. But fat should be 30 percent of less than that of your total daily supply of calories. You need good cholesterol as well but try to limit your intake to about 300 mg. or less per day.

10. Boost up on omega 3.

Omega 3 is good for your heart, and it can be mostly taken from fish. If you don't eat fish, you can your omega-3s naturally from food like flax seed, walnuts, dark leafy green vegetables, kidney and pinto beans, squash, canola oil, broccoli, cauliflower and papaya. In addition, you can check the labels of food fortified with algae-based for omega-3 DHA content. These include food such as eggs, margarine, milk, bread and cereals. For drinks, you can have soy beverages, pure orange juice and yogurt.

Categories: Vegetarian Diet

How to Feed Your Vegetarian Baby

Most parents who are vegetarians would want to raise their babies as vegetarians as well. Of course, apples will not produce oranges and vice versa, right? Unfortunately however, most parents now are misinformed about the right way of feeding vegetarian babies. The result is that vegetarian babies don't get the right nutrition their body needs. Especially for newborns, every meal (and this means breastfed milk) is important.

In this article, read on the cardinal rules on how to feed your vegetarian babies from their first month to their first few years of living the vegetarian lifestyle and diet.

First to Sixth Months

For both vegetarian or non-vegetarians alike, newborn infants should be fed with breast milk from the mother exclusively. Early at this point, breast milk should not be replaced with soy milk, rice milk, or any other commercial and homemade infant milk formulas. These alternatives are not suffice in terms of giving your baby the proper ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrates. 

Breast milk is the only one that can provide your baby with enough vitamins and minerals that boost the immune system. It works to protect your baby against infections and reduce the risks of having allergies. Breast milk comes from humans and not animals. So it is not considered as an animal product or byproduct. If you're a vegetarian or a vegan mother though, you should make sure that you're getting enough vitamin B12 when breastfeeding because this vitamin is significant adding to the milk's nutrition.

Sixth to Ninth Months

When your baby is sixth to ninth months old, introducing organic fruit juices, mixed or blended puréed fruits and vegetables to his/her diet would be perfectly safe. Also, ensure your infant receives at least 30 minutes of exposure to sunlight once a week. This is to help stimulate your baby's body to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D, since human milk contains very low levels of it.

Nine Month to First Year

When your baby reaches nine months to first year of age, you can offer rice cereal as the soft first food. Rice cereals are iron-fortified meals and you can mix a bowl of this with expressed breast milk or soy formula so the consistency is fairly thin.

Formula or breast milk feedings should continue as usual. Start with one cereal feeding daily and work up to two meals daily or 1/3 to 1/2 cup. Oats, barley, corn, and other grains can be ground in a blender and then cooked until very soft and smooth. These cereals can be introduced one at a time. However, they do not contain much iron, so iron supplements should be continued.

When your baby reaches the first year of age, you can proceeding with feeding solid food (some finger food and soft table food). This is especially apt if your baby grows milk teeth. But you can still continue breastfeeding or combine the breast milk with soy formula as supplementing alternative. Soy formulated milk is just as good as cow's milk. For some babies, it is even better because it does not have any allergic reactions compared to the regular milk formula.

Don't Worry About Your Baby's Vegan Diet

There are many vegan and vegetarian babies who continue to be just as health or even healthier than meat-eating ones until they reach adulthood and beyond. This is to say that meat and animal products are not necessary to be included in our diet at all. A well-planned vegan diet is suffice for us to acquire all the nutrients we need. Also, nowadays, vegan substitutes exist for almost everything. So be rest assured that vegetarian diet is safe for babies. 

Categories: Eating Vegetarian Food

The Best Vegetarian Diet Plan to Lose Weight is...

Contrary to popular belief, being a vegetarian is not tantamount to being thin and fit. If you consume too much carbohydrates, sweets and calories without exercising much and spending time to do activities to maintain good body fitness, chances are, you will also become fat or worse, overweight. If you are you an overweight vegetarian or one who wants to shed off unwanted pounds, read on this article to know the best vegetarian diet for weight loss.

 Even though vegetarian diet for weight-loss is the very best way of losing weight, you should have the diet plan that will bring you all the healthy elements you need to sustain fitness and wellness. Here are some of the golden suggestions you should follow:

1. Avoid white bread and sugar 

A complete package deal of food plan is ready solely when it consists of all kinds of vegetables, fruits and dry fruit nuts. Since excess of vegetarian weight loss program includes pasta and bread, you must remember that as an alternative of shedding weight, you are not among the ones who gain it. Food low in sugar does not equate that they are low in nutrient content!

Not eating white bread and sugary food could stop from an increase of fats in your physique to about 60 to 70 percent in calories. They could be thought of because the vegetarian but far-off from the ones who would want to shed extra pounds by the conversion.

2. Go for greens

Greens generally is a good supply for all types of dishes irrespective of if it's a snack or a each day meal. Green vegetables mostly consist of fiber, a crucial component that will help you decrease a great deal of weight from your system. There are a bounty of vegetarian recipes you can make that will fill you with the right consumption of green vegetables.

3. Eat full meals

Make sure that you eat full meals three times a day; that is, breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is to suppress your appetite and prevent you from casually eating snacks that would usually consist of rather unhealthy stuff like pastries, bread and pasta even if they are made from vegan or vegetarian ingredients. Just obtain the healthy requirements of the food your system is crafted for. The rule is that if you feel full, stop eating. Steer off meals other than those containing high levels of blood potassium, magnesium, sugars and calcium. 

4. Have a balanced diet

A correct balance has to be maintained to realize the correct quantity of weight loss. An inaccurate perception is that vegetarian diet for weight-loss entails only unpalatable and boring meals. Another one is restraining yourself to only light food which is often tasteless. But lo and behold, there are lots of vegetarian recipe websites where you can get access to millions of wonderful and delicious recipes. 

For instance, you can go to 101Cookbooks and AllRecipes and try to prepare  sumptuous low-fat vegetarian meals. Get the ones that consist of all the nutrients like necessary protein and iron to keep you strong. By this way, you can be more sure that you'll have a balanced diet. This type of diet will  really help you in burning down body fats.

Conclusion

Many individuals in today's world are opting for a vegetarian diet plan since it has proved to be efficient in weight loss. A vegetarian diet will not only support you in gaining your ideal body weight but also help sustain the wellness of your system and decrease the risks of illnesses such as heart-related illnesses and certain types of cancer.

To get your copy of the cookbook, Quick Easy Chinese Vegetarian Cooking, CLICK HERE!  Buy now as stocks are limited!

Categories: Vegetarian Diet

3 Easy Steps to Go Green For Starters

You don't have to compromise your lifestyle and the things your love when you've decided to finally be a vegetarian and live the green lifestyle. Going green takes little efforts that go a long way. In this post, you can learn about three ways on how to live green and carry it out fashionably.

1. Change Your Appliances

More and more people are now are getting concerned about health and healthy lifestyle. Green-living is becoming the buzz of the globe nowadays. Aside from turning into vegetarians, people consider eco-friendly gadgets and appliances in their homes. You might think that this is time-consuming. But think that changing these items is for the greater good ultimately. Your contributions can provide positive impact to the earth and generations to come. So why not spend ample energy and time doing it? 

The first step is to replace your appliances with greener alternatives. Are you feeling accountable about not clinging out the laundry? Buy a front running washing machine. The machine will use just a one fourth of the water your old top running machine used, and leave your outfits clothing hair dryer. That means less quantity of time in the outfits hair dryer. The water and power benefits will pay for the new equipment, and you can experience much better about using your outfits hair dryer.

If you are not up for new equipment, simply clean your clothes on cold. Most of the power used to clean fabric goes to heating the water, and the hot water doesn't add much cleaning power.

2. Choose Organic

Eat various meats and dairy—but very little. A new study by Cornell shows that, because gardening for vegetarian products requires top quality land while animal and milk products gardening can be done almost anywhere, eating a bit of various meats and milk products, 2 or less oz. per day, is the most ecologically correct option.

Buy natural. It doesn't take any more a chance to drop a box of natural cereals into your shopping wagon solution application, but it can make a significant difference. While traditional gardening places an incredible number of plenty of bug sprays, weed killers, and chemical plant foods into our delicate environment every year, natural gardening is maintainable and excellent for the planet.

3. Think Vintage

Buy used. Whether you're referring to outfits, furnishings, or furniture, 'vintage' is the new black, and its simple to see why. With amazing styles and one-of-a-kind reduces, you'll never again have to worry about someone else dressed in the same clothing. As a advantage, it keeps used outfits out of the rubbish and reduces down on the quantity of bug sprays produced in pure cotton gardening.

As you can see, it is simple being natural, and it's a strong, maintainable choice you can experience much better about. If everyone methods sluggish ecosystem, we can avoid excessive global warming without taking excessive actions.

Categories: Vegetarian Diet