Lisa Barwise

It’s Olympic fever and I thought I would boast about something that I believe in that has already been awarded gold- 28 times! The Juiceplus+ Product is the most proven nutritional product in history with 28 Gold Standard studies. The only nutritional supplement clinically proven to provide the protection that athletes need is Juice Plus+. This is why Juice Plus+ is the official nutritional support for the German, Swiss and Austrian teams competing in the 2012 Olympics in London, as well as many other Olympic and world class athletes around the world including: The US Olympic Gymnastics Team Melanie Knosher Irish swimmer from Northern Ireland qualified for London 2012 US Jo Brigden-Jones Sprint Kayak qualified for London 2012 Scott Evans Irish Singles Men Badminton qualified for Olympics Juice Plus+ is the most thoroughly studied and proven nutritional product in history, and has been tested on elite athletes in several different environments. You can read an overview of the research here. Two articles published in the Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise and the Journal of Nutrition, documented an in-depth study of 41 highly trained men (Austrian special forces, the ‘Cobras’) consuming Juice Plus+ for 28 weeks. Juice…

Everything starts with a choice and then a little baby step. I think we can get too hung up on what something means or being labelled as ‘this’ or ‘that’. If you have ever thought about being vegetarian, for whatever reason, it can start with one simple meal and then maybe once a week. I’m an all or nothing kinda girl, which comes across as either highly ethical and unwielding in my principles or just plain stubborn, but it doesn’t have to start for you that way. In fact, sometimes, dipping your toe in and giving it a try can be a pleasant experience as there is no grand announcement and people watching in anticipation. Maybe you are trying to lose weight, then this is a perfect way to continue to eat a healthy diet but without a lot of the saturated fat that exists in meat. You could start by simply using a meat substitute. Making your usual meals and replacing some elements. Or you could be more creative and try new recipes like Chickpea Curry, Three Bean Chilli or Vegetarian Paella. These meals are featured in my Healthy Vegetarian Handbook. Let’s take for example, eating out. Why not…

About five per cent of the UK population consider themselves to be vegetarian, according to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. That’s about 3 million people, with women more likely to call themselves vegetarian than men. The figure for vegans is smaller – consumer surveys suggest they make up about one per cent of the UK population. People choose to follow vegetarian and vegan diets for a variety of social, religious, lifestyle, moral, environmental and health reasons. Why be a Vegetarian? Firstly, let me state that vegetarianism isn’t for everyone. If you are fanatically devoted to meat, you might not be interested. If you already eat healthy, or you’re not interested in your health, you might not be interested. However, if you want to make changes to your lifestyle, perhaps lose weight, reduce your cholestrol, get leaner, save money, save the slaugherting of animals or support non violence in the world. Here are some reasons others have chosen to do it: I really enjoyed the reasons presented by Zen Habits which he resourced from Goveggie.com amongst other sources, plus a few of my own. See if you can see yours in there too. Cut the fat. While meat provides a…

Here is Part 3 for you finally… 8. Can vegetarian diets lead to some nutritional deficiencies? Only strict vegans are at risk of deficiencies in some nutrients. Lacto-ovo vegetarians and pesco vegetarians (who also eat eggs and dairy products) are unlikely to suffer from nutrient deficiencies, as long as they have a balanced diet, since there are no essential nutrients in meat that are not also found in eggs, dairy, and fish. Yet these are the nutrients at risk: Vitamin B-12 deficiency (which can lead to loss of peripheral nerve function) is of some concern for vegans, since animal foods are still the best source of vitamin B-12. Plant foods do not naturally contain B- 12. Soy foods, such as some forms of tempeh, may contain vitamin B-12, but soy B-12 is not as biologically active as the vitamin B-12 in animal foods. Check the B-12 content of soy products on the package label. Vegans need to consume foods fortified with vitamin B-12, such as tempeh, cereals, or brewer’s yeast, or take B-12 supplements. Don’t worry about suddenly developing a vitamin B-12 deficiency after becoming a vegan. The liver stores so much B-12 that it would take years to become…

  If you are like me, you will have heard both your mother and grandmother tell you to “eat your vegetables” and if like me, at the age of 5 you thought, “why do I need to eat my vegetables? I don’t want to!” and perhaps hid them under your bread or fed them to the dog! Well, now science can now prove what your granny and mother already knew. That eating vegetables were not only good for you (i.e. keep you healthy, grow strong bones, give you energy) but are essential for fighting off some of the world’s most deadly diseases. Scientists now know that many food plants are rich in pharmacological substances which are as effective as any drug prescribed by a doctor, and without side effects. So, what I am saying here is that vegetables are essential for living a long, healthy and fun life. Vegetables could save your life! Let me tell you a bit more about why you need to eat them so that the knowledge will make it easier for you to eat them! Vegetables are super foods, extra rich sources of the natural goodness we all need. Treat these foods as extra insurance…

Absolutely, positively, yes! Even though nutritionists seem to disagree on many topics, all agree that plant-eaters and fish-eaters tend to live longer and healthier lives than do animal eaters. In every way, the brocolli-munchers tend to be healthier than the beef-eaters: Vegetarians have a lower incidence of cancer, especially colon, stomach, mouth, esophagus, lung, prostate, bladder, and breast cancers. The protection against intestinal cancers is probably due to the fiber in a plant-based diet. In fact, vegetarians have a lower incidence of nearly all intestinal diseases and discomforts, especially constipation and diverticulosis. The phytonutrients in plant foods, especially antioxidants, flavanoids, and carotenoids, may also contribute to protection against cancer. Plant food is better for your heart, since it is low in cholesterol and saturated fat, and high in fiber. Vegetarians have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, namely heart attacks and stroke. A study of 25,000 Seventh-Day Adventists showed that these vegetarians had one-third the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than a comparable meat-eating population. Another study showed that death from cardiovascular disease was fifty percent less in vegetarians. These statistics may be the result of more than just diet; vegetarians tend to have healthier overall lifestyles. Plant eaters…

As a vegetarian for more than…ahem 23 years…I am often asked many questions about it or feel I need to inform people of misconceptions and reinforce the benefits I know to be true. So in this way, I felt it important to write my 12 frequently asked questions about being a vegetarian to inform, educate and perhaps inspire others. Here you go, one question at a time… 1. What does a “vegetarian diet” mean? The term “vegetarian” is really not an accurate description, since vegetarians eat more than just vegetables. Vegetarian simply means a plant-based diet. There are several kinds of vegetarian diets, defined by what types of foods are consumed. A strict vegetarian, a vegan, avoids all foods of animal origin, including meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and eggs. Lacto-vegetarians include dairy products in their diet. Lacto-ovo- vegetarians also eat dairy products and eggs. Pesco-vegetarians eat fish, dairy products, and eggs along with plant foods. Finally, there are semi-vegetarians, who cheat a little and eat a little poultry along with fish, as well as dairy products and eggs. Most veggie lovers are not strict vegans. Want More? View Question No 2 here

Fruit & Veg can save your life!  No joke… and let me tell you why. Experts who carried out one of the largest diet and heart studies conducted, found the potent mixture of these everyday foods can have a major impact on long-term health. Eating high levels of the combination of fruit and vegetables daily has been shown to dramatically weaken the effects of a key gene in the body which is a big cause of heart disease. In a major breakthrough, their analysis found that those who ate a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables significantly reduced the influence of the gene, effectively protecting them from developing the killer disease. Research co-author Professor Sonia Anand, from McMaster University in Canada, said last night: We observed that the effect of a high-risk genotype can be mitigated by consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables. Our results support the public health recommendation to consume more than five servings of fruits or vegetables as a way to promote good health. Experts have long known that genetic make-up can sometimes be used to identify risk of heart disease. It is also widely accepted that a healthy diet can slash the risk….

So, yesterday I said Goodbye to my microwave. It wasn’t broken or sick. I just decided that I can live without it, in fact that I can live better without it and here is why. Before I saw this diagram, I thought that all a microwave oven did was heat the food by moving the molecules faster. I was ignoring one very important characteristic of radio waves. Eventually, I put two and two together and realised something important. First, let me state that I don’t walk around with aluminum foil wrapped around my head in an effort to shield my thoughts from the aliens. And I’m not trying to spread fear or perpetuate a hoax. What I want to do here is present scientific facts explaining exactly why cooking in the microwave is worse than cooking over the traditional cave-man fire, or your stove or AGA at home. But first, I need to explain how a microwave oven works. A microwave oven creates radio waves at a frequency of about 2.45 GHz. All radio waves are electromagnetic radiation. When a polar molecule is placed in an electric field, it lines up with that field. It is similar to how a…