Becoming a Vegetarian

Becoming a vegetarian is easier than you might think.

Vegetarian eating is different but not difficult; it takes commitment, but it isn’t rocket science.

First you have to distinguish what type of vegetarian you are most interested in becoming and, more importantly, why?

People become vegetarians for many reasons. You may convert to vegetarianism because of religion, animal rights, and health and wellness reasons. You must define your reason first so that you know where to turn for motivation and support when you are faced with adversity.

Becoming a vegetarian means not eating meat, which includes beef, poultry, fish or even the by-products of meat like dairy or eggs. Whole foodists do all of that PLUS eat only raw foods like fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts.

Most people make the decision to become a vegetarian because of health and wellness reasons. But Hindu and Buddhists are strict vegetarians and others practice vegetarian eating habits because they are animal activists and abhor the treatment of animals during the slaughter process.

Becoming a vegetarian has gained widespread acceptance in the past 5 years as research is showing that eating a vegetarian diet will lower a persons risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

There is more than one way to eat a vegetarian diet. You should know yourself enough to know if going cold turkey or moving into a vegetarian lifestyle slowly will be more successful. Making the change slowly begins by excluding meat and fish. Some people find that excluding one type of meat a month makes the transition easier.

Recent research has shown that vegetarians live longer and healthier lives. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) states on their website that vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate and antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E.

Becoming a vegetarian also makes it easier to maintain an appropriate weight. Some criticisms include the difficulty that some people have getting all of their essential nutrients. However, eating a normal variety of whole grains, beans, nuts, and vegetables will OFTEN give vegetarians more than adequate amounts of the essential nutrients.

After becoming a vegetarian many people report “feeling better” and having more energy with the diet change. Your daily dietary intake should include vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains in order to maximize your intake of the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body needs to thrive.

Becoming a vegetarian is a choice. Everyday you chose your diet, exercise, stress levels and work patterns. Sometimes we think they are chosen for us but it’s just not the case. We choose. Becoming a vegetarian is a continuum effect. It’s never that you are or you aren’t but rather how much of a vegetarian are you?
RESOURCES

TeensHealth: Becoming a Vegetarian
http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/vegetarian.html

Vegetarian Times: Why Go Veg?
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/article/why-go-veg-learn-about-becoming-a-vegetarian/
PETA: Top Six Tips for Becoming Vegetarian
http://www.peta.org/living/food/making-transition-vegetarian/top-six-tips-vegetarian/
Brown University Health Education: Being a Vegetarian
http://brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/nutrition_&_eating_concerns/being_a_vegetarian.php

Harvard Health Publication: Becoming a Vegetarian
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Womens_Health_Watch/2009/October/becoming-a-vegetarian

ChooseMy Plate: Tips for Vegetarian
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/healthy-eating-tips/tips-for-vegetarian.html

MayoClinic: Vegetarian Diet
http://www.mayoclinic.org/vegetarian-diet/art-20046446

Laxatives and Weight Loss

 

The rate of obesity in the United States is at an all time high. People are searching for the magic pill to make the process of losing weight simple, easy and painless. You may not want to hear this but there is no magic pill. Weight goes ‘on’ the same way it comes off. If you eat more calories than you burn off then its simple- you gain weight. If you eat less than you burn off then you lose weight. Simple. (1)

But while this concept is simple, the practice is not. In this high stress  fast-paced world of ours many of us leave out exercise in order to spend time going to the movies with their children or sitting passively  on the sidelines watching their children play sports. Grabbing a quick hamburger at the local fast food restaurant has taken over from sit down dinners  with vegetables and salad. Do we actually wonder why obesity is at an all time high!

Some of us  in desperation turn to laxatives. Let me start by saying -Laxatives and weight loss are not synonymous….read that again. Laxatives and weight loss are also not healthy or safe. The majority of weight that is lost when we use laxatives is from fluid and the health dangers are significant. (2)

The use of laxatives in an attempt to lose weight is often abused and seems to be common with people who have an eating disorder.

So to understand why it is a bad idea to use laxatives Let’s look at what happens in your body when you take them. After the pill is ingested, the active ingredients in the tablet target the cells of the large intestines. They then irritate the cells and encourage the large intestines to empty, often earlier than the body is ready.

 One of the main functions of the large intestine is to reabsorb water  from the food so that it is not lost from the body as waste.  If you evacuate your bowels too soon you run the risk of dehydration.

The calories from the food you eat are  absorbed in the small intestines and laxatives don’t affect the small intestines. This means that while the intent behind taking laxatives is to decrease the amount of calories absorbed by the food, the only thing that these medications will do is cause the large intestines to evacuate the waste AFTER the small intestines has extracted all of the necessary calories.

After losing fluid from the early bowel movement the body then compensates by retaining fluid. This means laxatives will cause an initial dehydration which makes the person ‘feel’ thin, but within a few hours the body will compensate by retaining the remaining fluid and consequently making the person ‘feel’ bigger.

The body needs fluid to remove the wastes and toxins in the large intestine so retaining fluids will make you feel bad because you can’t get rid of all of the waste products normally evacuated.

Now at this point you might be tempted to take more laxatives to get rid of the full feeling again and so It’s a vicious cycle that sets you up for irritable bowel syndrome and colon tumors. The Prolonged use of laxatives can  lead to cramping, bloating, water retention and the added problem of withdrawal.

Believe me …..the use of laxatives to promote weight loss is just not an option!

All you are doing is  endangering your health and definitely won’t be moving toward achieving your goal.

Ok… so how do you stop using laxatives?

You can stop the abuse of laxatives using several steps.

Unless you have been prescribed by a doctor you should stop using laxatives immediately. This can be easier said than done and may require the help of a mental health professional.

Drink at least 6-10 eight oz glasses of water each day. Do Not have caffeine drinks or alcohol or juices, only water. Get some physical activity each day to encourage regular bowel function.

Make sure you Eat regularly and spread it out over at least 3 meals maybe more. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, which will immediately improve your chances of weight loss and improve normal bowel function. Keep a record every day of your bowel movements so they can be monitored and you can see a pattern. If you find you are constipated for more than 3 days call your doctor – do not treat yourself!

Your colon will react differently than a normal colon after it has been abused by a laxative regimen and of course it depends how long you were on laxatives

Laxatives and weight loss don’t mix. They don’t work.  You can stop the vicious cycle and move on to a more healthy and fit way of losing weight for life!

References

(1) Centers for Disease Control: Adult Obesity Facts
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

(2) Columbia University Health; Go Ask Alice: Laxative Abuse – Any Side Effects?
http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/laxative-abuse-any-side-effects

Using Green Tea to Lose Weight

 

Green tea weight loss supplements are becoming more popular because they reportedly assist people with their weight loss goals. Most experts agree that supplements can significantly help to curb appetite and decrease intake, both of which are needed to lose weight.

Obesity is a significant problem in Western civilization where the Standard Western Diet is full of too much protein, too many fats, too many sugars and not enough fruits and vegetables. Most people don’t have an accurate understanding of an appropriate serving size. A serving of meat is usually 3 oz of lean meat. Measure 3 oz of lean meat. It’s pretty small, about the size of a deck of cards.

The three most commonly used supplements for weight loss are green tea, ephedra and protein. Weight loss products that are purchased over the counter usually contain at least one of these supplements. Protein is used to increase the protein intake of a person and stop using carbohydrates. This puts the body into ketoacidosis which increases the metabolism but places a strain on the kidneys.

Increased protein diets are also fad diets and shouldn’t be maintained for any length of time as they can cause damage to the kidneys and cannot be prolonged for a lifetime.

Ephedra is a common supplement that has been proven to speed metabolism and decrease appetite but it also is linked to significant side effects. Patients have suffered heart attacks and strokes resulting in death using this supplement.

Green tea weight loss supplements have both caffeine and the chemical EGCG. When these two chemicals (part of the production of the supplement) react to each other the metabolism in the body will increase.

There have not been long-term studies using green tea weight loss supplements to document the effectiveness and side effects. Whenever you take any supplements you should consult your doctor to ensure that the supplement will not interfere with any other medications, over the counter medications or health issues you might have.

Green tea weight loss supplements are also full of anti-oxidants that cause an increase energy use in the body, thus burning more calories. Green tea weight loss supplements also stimulate the body to burn fats faster. People who use these supplements in studies will loose approximately 2 ½ pounds per month. (1,2)

Green tea weight loss supplements can also help us to stay healthy by fighting free radicals – oxygen containing molecules that are a by-product of digestion. Free radicals can damage cells, DNA and lead to diseases such as heart disease and cancer. (3)

Although green tea supplements also contain caffeine this does not seem to have the negative effects found in other products with caffeine. Green tea supplements do not usually cause the jitters or speed the heart rate.

Green tea weight loss supplements also contain catechins, an anti-oxidant. These catechins are unfermented in green tea and in their natural state and are believed to suppress fat absorption from the diet. (1)

Theanine is the main amino acid in green tea supplements. Theanine is able to induce relaxation and the release of dopamine which helps to provide a feeling of well-being. Theanine minimizes the effect of caffeine. This might be why green tea doesn’t cause the jitters and increased heart rate.

Green tea weight loss supplements are an option to help people suppress their appetite and eat less while trying to loose weight. Although people who take supplements to lose weight have a higher success rate than those who don’t, people who receive support also have a higher rate of success. The decision to take supplements is yours. Be sure you have all your facts straight before using any supplement.

(1) The Journal of Nutrition: Green Tea Catechin Consumption Enhances Exercise-Induced Abdominal Fat Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/139/2/264.full.pdf

(2) The University of Chicago Medicine: Green Tea Derivative Causes Loss of Appetite, Weight Loss in Rats
http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2000/20000223-tea.html

(3) University of Maryland Medical Center: Green Tea
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/green-tea-000255.htm

natural remedies for health?

i’ve been taking ACV and coconut oil for a while now, but after doing some research on taking ACV internally and the long-term side effects it could cause, I’m a little scared now. what are some tried and true natural remedies I can take internally to help my health without all the nasty long term side effects?
i got the information from livestrong.com
thank you all for your answers. i think i’m going to do what everyone is saying here, and try to eat a more nutritious diet and just take a multivitamin daily. i’ve already been trying to avoid foods with bad ingredients/preservatives, but it’s kind of hard being 17 with no job to buy the foods i want to eat.