Vegan Nutrition

Osteoporosis is a very serious disease of your bones that can lead to breakdown of the bone density, causing it to be weak enough that it is susceptible to breakage.  People sometimes do not believe osteoporosis to be serious, since it is a gradual disease with a gradual onset of symptoms. In other words, nobody that gets osteoporosis is metaphorically hit over the head with a crux of issues all at once.  Unlike cancer or another serious illness, there is no immediate life-threatening problem when one develops osteoporosis.  However, being diagnosed with osteoporosis can truly remove the quality of a person’s life. Luckily, there are precautions that can be taken to prevent the development of this disease which generally affects the elderly. It is very important to take measures early in life so as to avoid this progressive disease later on.

Exercise is a great way to fight osteoporosis early in life.  Believe it or not, exercise is critical for the prevention of weak bones and, besides its other positives, this is just another reason why exercise should be a daily part of your routine.  Any weight-bearing exercise is particularly good for osteoporosis, such as weight training, running, or other high-impact sports and activities.  While you have probably heard that running is hard on the knees or hips, in reality your bones are getting stronger the longer one continues this type of activity.  The striking and impact of your foot on the pavement or hard ground actually works to harden the bones to breakage over time.

Weight training is another very popular exercise that is good in preventing osteoporosis.  Weight training has become increasingly more popular over the years, and gym memberships have risen drastically as men, women and children alike can now be found lifting weights for good health.  Weight training also helps to increase bone density, as well as improve your posture, improve your mood, and many report an improvement in self-confidence.

Other than exercise, you can help prevent osteoporosis with certain supplements.  Some of the most common supplements for the prevention of osteoporosis are calcium and vitamin D.  Most people are aware that calcium is important for strong bones and teeth.  They hear it on commercials and their parents tell them from the time they are little to drink their milk. However, most people probably do not take it as seriously as they should.  It really is a good idea to supplement with calcium every day to help prevent osteoporosis down the road.  Calcium supports bone density and bone healing.

While it is true that milk and other dairy products are a good source of calcium, you may not be getting all the calcium you need from these sources.  If you are a vegetarian or vegan especially, who does not consume any dairy products, it is especially important for you to take a calcium supplement.  Broccoli and fortified orange juice contain good amounts of calcium, but you probably cannot stomach enough broccoli to make it worthwhile.

Vitamin D occurs naturally with sunshine, so getting your exercise outdoors can help provide you with the vitamin D you need.  Remember to wear your sunscreen, of course. While outside activity in the sun can be a wonderful and fun source of Vitamin D, you will likely not get enough of it without supplementation.  Some areas of the country are sunnier than others, and then there are the winter months to consider when people tend to stay indoors more often.  With the amount of Vitamin D supplements available, it can easily be incorporated into your daily routine.

In keeping up with your protein consumption, and also increasing your Vitamin C and Vitamin K intake, you can also help keep your bones stronger and prevent osteoporosis.  Again, you can do this by supplementing if you are uncertain as to whether your diet provides sufficient amounts of these important vitamins.

A supplement called glucosamine chondroitin, which is actually two supplements generally sold in a compound as one, is very helpful with joint pain associated with age and increased activity level.  While not directly helpful for the prevention of osteoporosis, it is used to treat osteoarthritis.  You may want to consider adding this supplement to help prevent the aches and pains that sometimes occur in your bones as you age and try to maintain the same level of activity and fitness.

Supplementing with these vitamins, minerals, and aminos can be very beneficial when used in combination with a healthy lifestyle and diet.  Make sure to keep your alcohol consumption in moderation for healthy bones as well as cut out any smoking habit you may have, since smoking and heavy drinking both increase the risk of osteoporosis.  Follow these simple rules and you will increase your chances of having strong, healthy bones for life.

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There are many terms that are misleading in the food advertising industry today. Think of how many times you see the following phrases plastered all over food containers:
* Fat Free
* Reduced Fat
* Low Fat
* Sugar Free
* No Added Sugar
* Diet [Insert Product Name Here]
Let us examine some examples of nasty food that is supposed to be healthy:
1. Diet Soda
Why is it good? A sugar free version of the popular carbonated beverage that you can drink on the go.
Why is it bad? OK, so soda is horrible for you, but take out the sugar and add in carcinogenic artificial sweeteners, combined with the artificial flavors and colors that are in all sodas, and you have a recipe for Tumor in a Can. Then of course we have the caffeine factor, which is linked to hyperactivity, high blood pressure, and can mess with your blood sugar.
Instead choose: filtered water and the occasional glass of milk or goats milk
2. Sushi made with white rice and imitation crab meat or vegetables
Why is it good? Seaweed contains essential nutrients such as selenium, calcium, iodine, and omega-3 fats. Sushi is nearly always wrapped in seaweed.
Why is it bad? This garbage does not deserve to be called sushi. They are just small, compact, high glycemic, high calorie, carbohydrate nuggets. There is not even much protein in these things. Eat 3-4 of them and you’ve had your serving for the day. Aside from that, imitation crab meat is not even good for you. It is mostly just a crab flavored tofu-like substance fortified with sugar, sugar, and more sugar.
Instead choose: In order to get some healthy carbs, some high-quality protein, and the benefits of omega-3 fats, choose real sushi made with salmon or tuna. To make it even healthier, order sashimi instead of white rice.
3. Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter
Why is it good? All peanut butter provides a heart-healthy substantial quantity of monounsaturated fat.
Why is it bad? Most commercial peanut butters are made with the same type of sugar that cake frosting is made with. Reducing the fat makes it even worse because even MORE nasty sugar is added and they contain less healthy fat. I would rather just eat the extra calories.
Instead choose: Choose almonds or all natural organic peanut butter instead. Just remember to pour off the top layer of oil and replace it with olive oil if the resulting peanut brick is too stiff. Olive oil is very low in omega-6 fats.
4. Fat-Free or Reduced Fat Salad Dressing
Why is it good? Less fat means less calories. Plus that salad dressing fat is lard just like mayo and Crisco. Sick.
Why is it bad? Firstly because when fat comes out, sugar goes in. Either that or artificial flavors and sweeteners. Secondly, since many vegetables are fat soluble, taking away the fat from the dressing means fewer of the salad nutrients will be absorbed into your body. This was confirmed by a study at Ohio State University wherein a higher fat salad dressing resulted in an increased uptake of the antioxidants lutein and beta-carotene.
Instead choose: A salad dressing made with olive oil, or just use olive oil and vinegar as your salad dressing. If you try it you might like it.
5. Anything made with Soy
Why is it good? It’s not. But in the spirit of argument: vegetarians and vegans eat the stuff so they can get protein in their diets. Yay ::sarcasm:: Plus the stuff is apparently low in fat and an alternative to whey for the lactose intolerant.
Why is it bad? Straight up, soy is linked to lower testosterone and increased estrogen in males, and is also linked to increased breast cancer in women. Soy also promotes hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer, and infertility. Soy is extremely destructive to infants, as it can effect development in many adverse ways.

Instead choose: any high protein whole food such as brown rice, goats milk, coconut milk, almond milk, whole grains, nuts, seaweeds, seeds, beans, and lentils. As a side note, goats milk is considered one of the healthiest foods on the planet today, so give it a try.
6. Fruit Juice, Dried Fruit, and Fruit Cocktail
Why is it good? Well because fruit is good for you. It has a ton of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants; not to mention fiber.
What is it bad? Fruit juice and fruit cocktail normally have sugar added. Some fruit cocktails come in a thick sugary syrup. You get no fiber from fruit juice, and the stuff usually has preservatives added to it.
Instead choose: eat the whole fruit including the skin if possible, but limit it to one serving of fruit per meal/snack to avoid insulin spikes. If you must have fruit cocktail, choose one that comes packed in its own juices instead of syrup.
7. Smartfood (Cheesy Popcorn)
Why is it good? Because cheesy popcorn is oh so tasty.
Why is it bad? Because you are really just eating the popcorn equivalent of potato chips. Seriously, compare total calories and you will find that you are not saving much on the calorie front by eating Smartfood instead of chips.
Instead choose: get some spray butter, pop some plain popcorn, spray a light coat of spray butter on the popped corn, sprinkle various spices on the corn (but go easy on the salts), and shake it up in a bad. Now you have a low fat tasty treat.
8. Beans packed in sugary syrups such as Boston Baked Beans
Why is it good? Baked beans are good for you because these types of beans are loaded with fiber
Why is it bad? The sugary syrup, just as much as in a can of soda, is just going to spike your blood sugar and insulin levels. This is never good for preventing heart disease or type II onset diabetes.
Instead choose: Red kidney beans. These things are packed with protein and fiber, and can be mixed with any sort of salad or pasta. Sometimes I enjoy kidney beans straight out of the can; no cooking, just wash and chow.
9-15. Granola, White Pasta, Pasta Salad, English Muffins, Bagels, Croutons, and Pretzels
Why is it good? Granola has some fiber, pasta salad has some vegetables, croutons make our salad crunchy, English muffins are one step up from bagels, and pretzels are a quick low-fat snack.
Why is it bad? One word: carbohydrates. All of these foods are made with corn syrup and/or processed white flour. These foods will spike your blood sugar faster than Bruce Lee could have kicked you in the face. You also will not get much nutrition in the way of protein, fiber, vitamins, or minerals from any of these foods.
Instead choose: 100% whole grain or whole wheat pasta and English muffins for increased fiber and protein. Egg salad because, like it or not, eggs are good for you and are high in protein. Almond slices are high in omega-3 fats and are crunchy like croutons. Substitute healthy nuts for white starches whenever you can and you too can receive a 30% less chance of heart disease.

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Even if your reasons for turning toward a vegetarian lifestyle are moral, ethical or religious, it is common to miss the taste of meat especially when you first start your walk as a vegetarian. The first rule to enforce is not to feel guilty about that. Just loving meat doesn’t make you a bad thing. After all, most of us are raised eating pork, chicken, beef and other meats and if our parents did not have scruples about meat consumption, you have that as part of your upbringing.
The good news is there are lots of substitutes for meat and wonderful recipes you can use so you can eliminate meat from your diet and not feel like you are “going without”. The added benefit is that vegetarian eating is much healthier for your body than a diet where meat is a common ingredient. Meat carries such a higher incidence of calories and fats that are harder for your body to digest and assimilate that you are doing your body a big favor switching to a meatless lifestyle.
One way to still enjoy some of the aspects of meat but eliminate the actual animal part is to go with meat substitutes in traditional meat meals. Many restaurants serve veggie burgers where you get the good taste and familiar meal that we all like about hamburgers but you are still staying totally vegetarian. By shopping at markets and groceries that are supportive of the vegetarian lifestyle, you can often find other traditional meat meals prepared entirely without actual meat to help you get past missing that source of protein.
A staple of vegetarian diet planning is Tofu. Tofu is made from Soya beans so it is totally natural and a good fit to your vegetarian meal planning. But it is full of proteins and it is a very flexible ingredient for vegetarian recipes because it reflects the flavors of other foods and herbs and it works well in dishes that use sauces so it can almost be mistaken for a meat dish.
As you set about building your library of vegetarian recipes that are designed to take meat out of the equation, you will often find Tofu as one of the ingredients. That is because it works so well in lots of different recipes and responds well to grilling, baking or any other preparation method. Just be sure you take the time to dry your Tofu by putting it on a towel and removing the excess moisture before using it.
If your commitment to vegetarian living also meals the elimination of animal products such as milk and cheese, soy milk has become increasingly popular in the last few years with vegetarians and meat eaters alike because if its health and diet benefits. Not only is it delicious to drink as a beverage, it can replace milk in recipes just as successfully.
To eliminate animal based cheese from your diet, you might try a product called Tofutti. They offer many varieties of vegan chesses including cheddar and mozzarella so you can enjoy that flavor with a clear conscience. You can even find good substitutes for yogurt that is made from tofu or soy milk so you don’t have to cut popular tastes from your diet entirely.
Tofu is such a great meat substitute and an outstanding nutritional source that you can even use it in traditional egg dishes such as quiches, custard, omelets or any other meals that would emphasize an egg taste. If you mix pureed tofu with your recipe, you could virtually serve an egg dish even to a meat lover and they would not be able to tell that you had them eating vegetarian.
As you continue to explore vegetarian cooking, there are a number of other meat replacements that do well in various cooking contexts.Tempah comes from a soy bean that has been fermented. Tempah works well once you braise it in a sauce for about an hour. Once prepared it can be fried in flower and served with a sauce for flavor and be very satisfying.
One of the big projects of making the change to a vegetarian lifestyle is learning ways to substitute healthy alternatives such as we have discussed to take meat and meat products out of your diet. It will take some learning but that learning can be fun as you reinvent cooking and shopping to fit your new passion for vegetarian eating

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Because the younger generation is often more in touch with world culture than adults, teenagers are in general more attuned to the environmental movement, to issues involving organic farming and with the reasons for becoming a vegetarian.So as more and more teenagers experiment with vegetarianism, the better informed they are about what it really means to live meat free, the better. Then even if they do not continue their lifestyle as a vegetarian, their experience was an educational one and they will be well informed should be chose to continue as a vegetarian in later life.
For parents of teenagers who wish to explore the vegetarian lifestyle, there are more reasons to celebrate than worry. There are numerous health benefits to developing a vegetarian diet and if their new passion reduces the amount of fast food and junk food they eat, that’s a good thing. You will naturally worry if your teenager is getting enough protein if they forgo the eating of meat. By helping them learn about a well rounded vegan or vegetarian diet, they can derive all of their nutritional needs from natural foods and realize the many benefits of a vegetarian life along the way.
A basic level of knowledge your teen should become educated about early on is the various scales of severity that they can “go for” in their move into a vegetarian lifestyle. Many times a teenager just wants to be able to stake the claim to being a vegetarian. In that case, simply giving up meat may be sufficient. It is possible to design a program like that and still enjoy cheese, eggs, fish and diary and the transition to such a diet is not as extreme.
Another word of caution that your teen may take to heart if they seek adult counsel about trying a vegetarian lifestyle is the difficulty of making the transition. Teenagers are naturally impulsive and extreme so they may just “go vegetarian” in one day so they can go to school and lay claim to the title. But they can still have that reward and plan to ease into a vegetarian discipline and avoid the problems that an extreme change of diet can cause, especially for active teen bodies. For example, even if the new teen vegetarian just excludes meat from one meal, that still counts as starting their path toward a meat free life. And if that is not sufficient for your youngster, just cutting meat out of lunch and dinner may be enough.
One of the biggest concerns that you should help your teen be ware of is their vitamin needs in any new diet program. While a switch to a total vegetable diet will have many positive influences, you should make sure they are getting enough protein and other essential vitamins that they used to get from meat in their diet. Calcium, B12, zinc and iron are all essential vitamins especially to young people that must be found elsewhere if they decide to stop eating meat. You can help your teenager enjoy a successful exploration of the vegetarian lifestyle and not face health risks by just being aware of their vitamin needs and making sure they get those vitamins in pill form until their food replacement program gets them way they need.
It’s a tricky walk to guide a teenager through an interest in a vegetarian life because it is possible that many of the new foods they will have to get used to may not have the right tastes which will tempt them to give up the program. While as a parent you can have an influence over making their home life vegetarian diet a success, you may need to help them understand that their choices are limited when eating out so they are prepared to make the sacrifice for the sake of staying within their vegetarian guidelines.
Even though teenagers are compulsive and extreme, deep down they do not want to get sick or eat the wrong things. It’s a balancing act to allow they to try things like becoming a vegetarian and for us as parents to both do all we can to make it a good experience but also to bring the wisdom they count on their elders for so they can explore the vegetarian lifestyle fully and then walk away form it if they wish and have learned a little bit about vegetarians along the way.

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Although fish oil from reputable companies is regarded as safe, long term exposure through supplementation is often feared since trace pollutants from ocean ecosystems contaminate both fresh caught and farm-raised fish that feed on or are fed marine organisms. But now, golden microalgae oil is ready to replace medical fish oil for heart and brain health supplement needs.Some types of fish contain relatively high levels of mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], dioxins and other environmental contaminants. In general, older, larger predatory fish contain the highest level of contaminants. Fish can also contain significant levels of methyl mercury, considered one of the more dangerous food contaminants today. PCBs and methyl mercury are believed to have long half-lives in the body and can accumulate in people who consume fish on a frequent basis. Recommendations currently suggest limiting intake of fish to twice per week.Can docosahexaenoic acid omega-3 (DHA)-rich microalgae oil function as a universal fish oil alternative? Based on the effects and benefits of fish oil, it will be important to know how well DHA-rich oil compares in clinical efficacy. Early clinical indications strongly support equal or greater efficacy of microalgae oil compared to fish oil for many treatments, particularly those related to cardio-protection, Alzheimer’s prevention, and lowering triglycerides.The DHA-rich omega-3 oil produced from microalgae has undergone extensive analysis, showing that the individual components of the extracted oils are all present elsewhere in normal foods consumed by communities. Thus, DHA-rich oil is inherently safe in its fatty acid and sterol components, a fact known since 1997.The oil’s safety is further supported by historically safe use of this oil and fish oils of similar active ingredient compositions. In addition, microalgae oil safety is guaranteed. The knowledge of human metabolism for each individual component in microalgae oil and a lack of adverse reactions are conclusive. There have been no reports in the literature of allergic or toxic responses to microalgae oil, plus it is approved for infant formula, pregnant and nursing mothers, the elderly and people of all ages.It has been shown that its individual ratios of polyunsaturated fatty acids vary according to food source. For DHA-rich microalgae oil from, the key points to note are how this golden colored microalgae oil matches the human body’s direct needs. For example, 9 out of 10 of the omega-3s in the human body are a DHA molecule. Notably the Chromista strain has very high levels of DHA (C22 DHA n-3) for help building up the total omega-3s in the body. For naming purposes, C22 refers to the chain length of 22 carbons and the n-3 refers to the omega-3.C22 chains are abundant in the brain. Also noted is the moderate content of docosapentaenoic acid (C22 DPA n-6) in the concentrated nutritional oil. The n-6 refers to omega-6 form. Brain beneficial C22 DPA n-6 is an important building block, present in a wide variety of foods and it does not have the negative properties of other omega-6 forms. It is also relatively abundant in eggs and breast milk. The ratio of C22 DPA n-6 to C22 DHA n-3 in human breast milk is reported to range normally from 1:1 to 1:6. The ratio of the C22 DPA n-6 (DPA) to C22 DHA n-3 (DHA) in the Chromista oil is 1:3, the median range of breast milk. Still, DPA and DHA are some of the hardest ‘good’ fats to get in the diet without supplementation. Golden microalgae oil provides both of these from one source.C20 chains are abundant in the cardiovascular system. The golden colored oil also has appropriate levels of the ‘good’ anti-inflammatory EPA (C20 EPA n-3) to neutralize inflammatory arachidonic acid (C20 ARA n-6) in the system, which may be elevated in dislipidemic individuals and those with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).Microalgae oil strains have been developed by conventional techniques and no Genetic Modifications were used or needed. An independent panel of experts in the US has concluded that DHA-rich oil from microalgae can be ‘Generally Regarded as Safe’ as a nutritional food ingredient or supplement.

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