February 24, 6:40 PM

by Mila Lowery, Baltimore Healthy Living Examiner

The latest diet generating buzz is the Engine 2 Diet created by Texas firefighter Rip Esselstyn. Determined to get his co-workers into better shape, Esselstyn created this diet plan to help them lower their cholesterol levels and lose weight. Everyone who participated was successful; one person’s cholesterol went from 344 to 196.

Impressive? Sure. But is it groundbreaking? Not really. This diet is essentially the vegan way of eating, just repackaged with a firefighter angle. Veganism is nothing new. It’s been around for quite a while — since 1944, in fact.

It’s no secret that plant-based foods are healthy and can help you lose weight and lower cholesterol levels. But can the average person stick with this diet plan in the long term?

The diet challenges you to try it for 28 days. For people who already embrace the vegan lifestyle, this diet would be a piece of (vegan) cake because they are already used to this way of eating. Diligent dieters, too, will likely be able to stick with it for 28 days, which isn’t such a long time in the grand scheme of things.

But then what? If you are truly ready to embrace the idea of eating only plant-based foods for the rest of your life (sans even olive oil), this book would be a good start. However, if you’re just looking for a quick way to lose the pounds (as the vast majority of dieters are) it’s likely you’ll grow tired of the plan’s  restrictions and soon be on your way to the next diet book you see. In  a few years, this book will likely end up in the bargain bin at the bookstore for $1. Such is the vicious cycle of dieting, and it’s what keeps the diet book industry humming along.

What do you think? Do you plan to try this diet? Leave a comment or send me an e-mail at healthylivingexaminer@gmail.com.

Popularity: 52% [?]

Technorati Tags: eating vegan, vegan, vegan lifestyle, veganism

Having a baby is a very exciting time in the lives of most people and trying to stay healthy is something that is at the forefront of most people’s minds.  Trying to carry a successful pregnancy while following a vegan lifestyle might seem extremely difficult, but for the average woman who is healthy during pregnancy it is completely possible to do.  However, there are a few considerations that you should take into account in order to obtain the best results possible.

The average woman going through a normal pregnancy has very few complications.  Yet at the same time, this seems eerily like a wonderful dream that may not actually describe your situation.  Most women have at least some mild problems during their pregnancy, which makes it a bit difficult to have the perfect smooth pregnancy that they have dreamed of.  You are certainly not alone if you have experienced some complications, but if you are Vegan, it is very important to ensure that you are giving yourself, as well as your baby the nutrients that are needed.

It is vitally important that you tell your doctor that you are vegan when you first start seeking prenatal care.  This will help your doctor to discuss your specific nutritional needs and also closely monitor you and your baby to be positive that you are getting the results that are needed.  Many women are able to gain the proper amount of weight with no problems, however many others need Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 39% [?]

Technorati Tags: vegan, vegan lifestyle, veganism, veganism and pregnancy

Triwik Kurniasari ,  THE JAKARTA POST ,  JAKARTA   |  Tue, 02/17/2009 2:05 PM  |  City

Religion and health are no longer the main reasons why people start to opt for meat-free dishes.

For many people, being a vegetarian is a simple way of saving the world.

"Many people do not know that livestock is a major threat to the environment," said Susianto, a nutritionist and head of the Indonesia Vegetarian Society (IVS).

According to report published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2006, he said, livestock production was one of the major causes of the world*s most pressing environmental problems, including global warming, land degradation, and air and water pollution.

"So, which causes more greenhouse gas emissions: rearing cattle or driving cars?" he said.

"This might surprise you, but according to the report, about 18 percent of greenhouse gas emission is caused by livestock sector, while transport *only’ generates 13 percent," Susianto said.

The livestock sector also creates 65 percent of nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2. Most of this comes from fertilizer.

It produces 37 percent of methane (23 times as warming as CO2), which is largely produced by the digestive system of ruminants, and 64 percent of ammonia, which contributes significantly to acid rain.

With increased prosperity, people are consuming more meat and dairy products every year.

The survey indicates that expanding population and incomes worldwide, along with changing food preferences, are stimulating a rapid increase in the demand for meat, milk and eggs.

The FAO reported that global meat production in 2050 will be more than double, from 229 million tons in 1999/2001 to 465 million tons, while milk output is set to climb from 580 million to 1,043 million tons.

However, the report says, the livestock sector*s potential contribution to solving environmental problems is equally large, and major improvements could be achieved at a reasonable cost.

"So, that’s why being a vegetarian is a good and cheap solution to saving our world and preventing global warming," Susianto said.

Popularity: 41% [?]

Technorati Tags: veganism, Vegetarianism

Have you stopped to consider exactly what it is that you specifically can do to help improve the earth?  Most people never really stop to consider the options that are open to them.  Rather they simply read an article or see a clip on the news that looks interesting and decide to become involved in whatever they just read about or observed.  Little time is typically taken to even ensure that the chosen activity is a proper event and typically even less time is taken to actually participate in the activity as well.  Veganism has been considered by many to fit into this description, after all how many people actually choose to knowingly avoid eating all animal products?

In reality, there are a lot of people who choose to avoid eating animal products.  The United States has been well known as a melting pot for many years, and this extends far beyond ethnic cultures.  The number of different diets that are consumed in the United States is incredible, Vegan is just one of the many choices that are available to people and it certainly is not the most popular.  Anybody who has ever done much research is well aware that there is a huge plethora of options available; however, some are easier to handle than others are.

In the United States the push towards a Vegan lifestyle has primarily been attributed towards trying to be much more Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 35% [?]

Technorati Tags: vegan, vegan lifestyle, veganism

By Mel Fabrikant   Tuesday, February 03 2009, 05:04 PM EST

It took over a year for www.ParamusPost.com to get together with Deirdre Imus, but the wait was well worth it. This vivacious, pretty and knowledgeable woman was able to cover a wide variety of subjects from vegan and green material to the Imus Ranch. We chatted for over an hour, never rushed; never boring.

For those who are unaware of Ms Imus’ passions, her lifestyle is that of a healthy aspect. The foods that she eats are not only vegetarian, a plant based diet, but she insists that they be organically grown, pesticide, herbicide and chemical free. Having done an extensive study, she knows which farms adhere to healthy ecosystems. Among them is the Deirdre and Don Imus Ranch in Ribera, New Mexico.

The 4,000 acre Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer was built from the ground up with ecology in mind. The Imus’s have developed a method of caring for these cancer stricken youngsters ranging up to 17 years of age. They have ten children visit the ranch at a time for nine days. Each group comes with a doctor and medical staff. Every 10 days the ranch has a new group of visitors.

The practice at the Ribera, New Mexico ranch is to have each one of their young visitors be self-sustaining. They rotate chores among them with one group gardening, another group grooming and riding horses. Instead of pity, they offer self-respect and that seems to be working. Ms. Imus mentioned that it has helped cure some of their guests, at the least; it has given them a high self-esteem.

Her eyes lit up as she described some of the ranch area. They built a Western town where the hospital has a sign saying ‘Saloon’. The patient goes through regular saloon swinging doors to enter. There is a Sheriff’s office which, if memory serves me, is for medications. And everything is built of nature’s materials, green!

Always alert for a way to keep toxic chemicals and food away from her diet, she was thrilled to know that Fairway Markets will be opening in Paramus in March. She commented to me and to Bonnie Eskenazi, her managing director, that they carry a lot of products that she endorses.

For more information, her new book ‘The Essential green you!’ Volume three published by Simon & Schuster Paperbacks is now available.

Popularity: 37% [?]

Technorati Tags: becoming vegan, vegan, vegan lifestyle, veganism