Plant Based Nutrition

  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…