Veg*n Diet For Weight Loss

Here is an easy to read fact list of some of the endless reasons as to why a veg*n diet is helpful where healthy weight loss in concerned:

-Complex carbohydrates, found only in plant-based foods, cannot add directly to your fat stores. There is no such thing as “carbohydrate storage areas” on our bodies. If the body is to try and store the energy of carbohydrates in fat, it has to chemically convert the carbohydrate molecules into fat. This process consumes a fair number of calories and so calories from carbohydrates are not likely to increase body fat as the same number of calories from fats.

-Carbohydrates actually boost your metabolism. Plant-based meals tend to increase the metabolic rate slightly. What happens is they break down to various natural sugars in the body which cause insulin to be released. That, in turn, leads to the production of two natural hormones, norepinephrine and thyroid hormone (T3). These hormones both increase the metabolic rate, which results in more effective calorie burning.

-Fiber, also not found in animal products and only in plant foods, is also a critical factor in good health and weight loss. Fiber makes people feel full faster and longer. This alone slashes calorie intake. Fiber itself has no calories. You could eat a ton of high fiber plant-based food and swear up and down you had the same amount of calories as you used to, but it not be near as much. Fiber helps to keep your intestines clean, including your liver, which is the most important organ where your metabolism is concerned. It helps to block the absorption of toxins as well as some carbs, sugars and fats. In total, up to 120 calories a day can be flushed away just through increased fiber intake. Fiber makes you regular and being regular is crucial for weight loss and weight control. Word of caution, though - if you don’t currently load up on fiber, add it up slowly. But the benefits of fiber are endless.

-You don’t have to calculate your fiber intake because when your diet is centered on high complex carbohydrate foods (fruits, grains, vegetables, beans and legumes), the fiber content of your diet increases naturally.

-A plant-based diet is rich in carbohydrate and fiber. Animal products are completely devoid of them. Meaning a plant-based diet promotes slimness, while animal products promote overweight.

-On a low fat vegan lifestyle, there’s no such thing as skimpy portions or calorie counting. That means that, unlike diets and diet fads (that do not work), your metabolism doesn’t go down. Meaning the weight stays off instead of piling back on at warp speeds and making you heavier.

-Animal fat was designed by nature to act as a calorie storage area for animals, just like a person’s fat is all their stored calories. So when you eat animal fat, you are eating all those stored calories. Also, animal fat is not only on the outside of a cut of meat. It is marbled through even the so-called “lean” parts, almost like a sponge holding water. Simply put, meat is fat. There isn’t “lean” meat. So, when you eat it, you are eating someone else’s fat and someone else’s concentrated stored calories. It will put fat on you.

-60% of calories in ground beef come from fat. 54% of calories in “extra lean” ground beef come from fat. 83% of the calories in bologna and hotdogs are from fat. Chuck roast is 50%, rib eye steak is 63%, short loin porterhouse is 64%, roasted chicken is 51%, chicken frank is 68%, Chinook salmon is 52%, etc. Most beans, grains and vegetables (except for avocadoes and olives) are less than 10%. So you can eat much more and still be cutting out calories and losing weight.

-Food products that are packaged claiming to be low in fat or fat free are based on percentages by weight rather than percentages by calories. It’s a trick. So whole milk, for example, is 3.3% fat by weight because it is loaded with water. But half it’s calories actually come from fat. Milk that is 2% fat by weight is actually 35% fat as a percentage of calories. It is actually not a low-fat product at all. A good way to put this into perspective is that milk is designed for an animal’s biggest growth spurt of its life. Cow’s milk, made for a cow, is designed to make a calf grow into a 2,000 pound cow. Milk is fat.

-A big problem with meats, including poultry and fish, is that they are muscles, and muscles are made up of protein and fat. The protein in meat is also second-hand, the protein the animal first consumed from plant sources in order to make its own. Meats are protein and fat yet contain no fiber at all and virtually no carbohydrate.

-Fat always has more calories than carbohydrate.




Other things to consider:

-It’s an unfortunate fact that everything these days revolves around money. It’s an unfortunate fact that something so small as money - something that we won’t even carry with us when we die - is so powerful that it causes families to break up, people to take the lives of other people, and even wars. So that is really all companies and corporations care about is profit. Not if you’re getting ill because that makes them rich, too. Government, media, pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, food industries, etc., are all connected whether it be through investing in each other through stocks, manipulations by PR firms, etc. Now consider this - companies aren’t required to list all ingredients used in a product on a food label. Due to the chemicals in the packaging and the chemicals in the food and preservatives, many snack foods lining the shelves of stores actually have a shelf life of 22 years. It makes one wonder if people are also preserving their fat cells. . .

-Meat and dairy are the most contaminated stuff people put in their bodies. Milk has perchlorate, which is the scientific word for rocket fuel. Other than that, meat and dairy are full of antibiotics, pesticides, steroids, chemicals, industrial pollutants and hormones. Many animals are even given arsenic-laced drugs. Arsenic! And meat and dairy doesn’t even have fiber to bind these toxins and fats and help usher them out of the body. This absolutely has huge effects on the way your body is working. It absolutely has an effect on your organs, including your liver. So, without even having to say it, it absolutely has an effect on the metabolism. They alter it.

-The FDA lists approximately 1,700 drugs approved for use in animal feed. Of these approved drugs, at least 300 include “weight gain” in their description. However, in their book Animal Factories, Jim Mason and Peter Singer disclose an estimate of 20,000 to 30,000 drugs actually being used.

-"Diets" don't work. They screw the body's chemistry and metabolism up and they are not sustainable for long periods of time, therefore, do not lead to permanent weight loss. Once someone stops their "diet," they often go back to being heavier than they were before.

-Vegetarians tend to be slimmer than their meat eating counterparts. Vegans tend to be slimmer than both. However, though it's rare, there are such thing as fat vegans. These are the ones whose kitchens are stocked with margarine and oils and flours. They are the ones who fill up on cookies and shop mostly in the processed cookie and snack isles rather than the produce section. They overdo it on the ice creams and cakes. And, yes, vegan have ice creams, cakes and cookies. And, yes, they are delicious. But, if you are looking into the vegan diet for weight loss reasons,

Tips:
-Don’t cook with oil or margarine. They are 100% fat. Fat calories get converted swiftly into fat on the body. Plus, they add loads of calories and fat with absolutely no nutrition to go along with it. They are empty calories and do nothing but add a ton of fat. It tastes absolutely no different if you sautee something for a recipe in water or vinaigrette or juice than if you were to sautee it in oil or margarine.

-Always do whole grain bread if you feel you can’t go without bread. I personally can’t have bread because it will land me in the hospital, but, for weight purposes, it’s kind of a blessing. Yes you can eat bread and stay thin. But flours, because they are grinded up, do tend to release more calories in the digestive system. Try, if you can, to have rice instead of bread.

-Whole Foods Market has an awesome bulk section at reasonable prices to stock up and have on hand such things as brown rice, quinoa, oats, buckwheat, etc. The list is literally endless.

-Walk some. A little exercise doesn’t hurt. Try 30 minutes a day or an hour four times a week. Then work your way up if you want.

I highly, highly suggest the book Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. for those interested in weight loss. Some other excellent books are Foods That Cause You to Lose Weight by Neal Barnard, M.D., and, for a entertainingly funny read as well as an informative one, Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin.

Good luck!

Vegans: Far From Deficient

Best Vegan Protein Sources:
It’s important to note that everything has some protein (amino acids). Veg*n diets actually provide more than enough protein for the body. For further scientific study on this as well as the devastating effects of animal protein, I highly suggest reading The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. However, here are some of the best vegan protein sources:

Complete proteins include:
-Nuts
-Soy foods such as tofu, tempeh, miso and soy milk
-Sprouted seeds
-Grains, especially amaranth and quinoa
-Beans and legumes
-Spirulina and chorella (blue-green algae)

Common sources of specific amino acids are:
Histidine: Apple, pomogranates, alfalfa, beets, carrots, celery, cucumber, dandelion, endive, garlic, radish, spinach, turnip greens.
Arginine: Alfalfa, beets, carrots, celery, cucumbers, green vegetables, leeks, lettuce, potatoes, radishes, parsnips, nutritional yeast.
Valine: Apples, almonds, pomegranates, beets, carrots, celery, dandelion greens, lettuce, okra, parsley, parsnips, squash, tomatoes, turnips, nutritional yeast.
Tryptophan: Alfalfa, brussel sprouts, carrots, celery, chives, dandelion greens, endive, fennel, snap beans, spinach, turnips, nutritional yeast.
Threnoine: Papayas, alfalfa sprouts, carrots, green leafy vegetables such as celery, collards, kale, and lettuce (especially iceberg), lima beans, laver (Nori -- a sea vegetable).
Phenylalanine: Apples, pineapples, beets, carrots, parsley, spinach, tomatoes, nutritional yeast.
Methionine: Apples, pineapples, Brazil nuts, filberts, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chives, dock (sorrel), garlic, horseradish, kale, watercress.
Lysine: Apples, apricots, grapes, papayas, pears, alfalfa, beets, carrots, celery, cucumber, dandelion greens, parsley, spinach, turnip greens.
Leucine: Avocados, papayas, olives, coconut, sunflower seeds.
Isoleucine: Avocados, papayas, olives, coconut, sunflower seeds.

And some in general examples of plant foods containing high sources of protein:
PROTEIN IN LEGUMES: Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas
PROTEIN IN GRAINS: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice
VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini
PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon
PROTEIN IN NUTS AND SEEDS: Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)

Also, one excellent ingredient to look for is hemp seed protein. Hemp protein is the most easily digested protein there is. Hemp seed is an nutritious dietary source of easily digestible gluten-free protein. It provides a well-balanced array of all the amino acids, including 34.6 grams of protein for each 100 grams. The fatty acid profile of the hemp seed is extremely beneficial, containing omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in a virtually ideal ratio. Other beneficial aspects of hemp seed include a strongly favorable unsaturated-to-saturated fat ratio; a high content of antioxidants; and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.

Best Vegan Calcium Sources:
It’s very easy to get calcium in a vegan diet. I’d say easier. The U.S. RDA for calcium is between 800 and 1,200 milligrams, depending on your protein intake, but many feel that that number is too high. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends between 400 and 500 milligrams calcium daily—half of the U.S. RDA. Plant-based sources of calcium are generally more absorbable than animal sources because we can digest the plant-based foods easier and break them down and utilize the nutrients better.
Proteins also have a negative effect on calcium stores because amino acids contain sulfur, which in turn affects the body’s pH balance. Plant-based proteins tend to have lower concentrations of sulfur-based amino acids and are more alkaline in nature. Meat, on the other hand, is very acidic, and the body reacts to re-balance itself by leeching alkaline calcium out of the bones to neutralize the acid. For every 1 gram protein in your diet, you can expect 1 milligram calcium to be lost or eliminated in your urine. Animal protein especially actually leeches calcium from the bones. Through his research, Dr. T. Colin Campbell of the famous China Project (Chapter 3) has determined that even though most Chinese consume no dairy products in their daily diets, osteoporosis is uncommon in China even though they consume only half the amount of calcium as compared to Americans. Osteoporosis is a bone-thinning disease that can rob you of 30 to 40 percent of your bone tissue. Calcium passes from the bones, filters through the kidneys, and is then eliminated in the urine. Factors like excess salt, animal protein, and high-protein dairy products in your diet cause rapid calcium losses and increase your chances of developing osteoporosis. Women in the United States take note, as osteoporosis affects 1 in 4 women in North America. Ironically, osteoporosis is highest in those countries that consume the highest amount of calcium from animal-based sources. Because the high concentration of acidic protein in animal-based sources causes the body to lose more calcium than it consumes, a vegan diet will actually reduce your chances of developing osteoporosis.
Here are some great plant sources of calcium:

Molasses-Collard Greens-Quinoa-Hijiki-Carob Flour-Soymilk-Tofu-Grapefruit-Orange Juice-Calcium Fortified Rice Milk-Soy yogurt-Turnips-Turnip Greens-Tempeh-Kale-Soybeans-Okra-Bok Choy-Broccoli-Mustard Greens-Tahini-Almonds-Almond Butter-Hummus-Figs-Dates-Oatmeal-Spinach-Garlic-Dandelion Greens-Carrots-Beet Greens-Leafy Greens-Parsley-Agar-Kelp-Dried Fruits-Sesame Seeds-Wakame-Papaya-Rhubarb-Cauliflower-Cassava-Chives-Azuki Beans-Amaranth-Canned Vegetarian Baked Beans-Refried Beans-Black Beans-Black Turtle Beans-Burdock Root-Butter Beans-Cabbage-Chickpeas-Chickory Greens-Blackeyed Peas-Cranberry Beans-French Beans-Swiss Chard-Great Northern Beans-Kidney Beans-Lambsquarters (yes, it’s a plant)-Lima Beans-Lupins-Mungo Beans-Mung Beans-Navy Beans-Pigeon Beans-Pink Beans-Pinto Bens-Natto-Acorn Squash-Butternut Squash-White Beans-Winged Beans-Yellow Beans-Brown Rice

Vitamin D:
The presence of vitamin D also affects calcium’s absorption capabilities. The body easily absorbs vitamin D with just 15 minutes of exposure to sunshine per day. Vitamin D is produced within the body when the sun hits your skin. The sun triggers ergosterol, which is transformed into vitamin D, which helps us absorb calcium from the foods we consume directly into our bloodstream. Vitamin D is stored in the liver, and many believe that what you’re exposed to in an average summer can be stored within your body and used throughout the winter. The liver is capable of storing up to a 3-year supply of vitamin D at one time.
Aside from that, vegan dietary sources of Vitamin D are fortified soymilks and cereals, margarine (not a good idea for weight loss however), fortified rice and almond milks, and vitamins. The biggest source is sunlight. Exposing skin to the sun for ten to fifteen minutes ensures daily intake of vitamin D. Even three times a week is enough.

B12:
This is actually the biggest one to look out for. B12 is a vitamin formed by bacteria. It used to be found naturally in top soil but with modern farming methods with pesticides and such and topsoil erosion, it is no longer present in soil. B12 can actually be stored in the body for years, which is why it takes so long for a deficiency to occur. Furthermore, very little is needed. We’re talking micrograms. A vegan diet may not be a reliable source of B12, but a flesh-eating diet isn’t necessarily, either. Meat has not been found to be a reliable source of B-12, at least according to extensive studies done by the USDA. The B-12 is too tightly bound within the protein to be adequately absorbed by our intestinal tracts. Even if meat were a good source, it is no longer a natural source of B-12. Unfortunately because of modern feeding practices of cattle, they no longer receive adequate B-12 in their diet and so they have to receive B-12 supplements (in other words, you are getting a supplement of B-12 second hand by eating meat). Dairy contains B12, but, unfortunately, dairy is the single most polluted food in our diets. It often has levels of dioxin and other petrochemicals that are far in excess of limits set by the EPA. It is also a food that promotes anemia by not only have low levels of iron, but also has elements which prevent proper absorption of iron. It is a very low nutrient dense food, and is very high in preformed Vitamin A which is not a healthful nutrient according to studies. On top of that, high consumption of dairy leads to excessive levels of Insulin-like Growth Hormone 1 in humans, and high levels of this hormone have been linked with various cancers, including but not limited to breast, prostate and colon cancers. I could go on, but I guess you get the idea here. Again, too, the B-12 from the cow's is not native to their diets any more, so they are getting it supplemented in. Yet, despite the high levels of consumption of foods high in B-12 in this country, it has been estimated by Harvard School of Public Health that B-12 is the most common nutrient deficiency in the US. So, it really comes down to the fact that we are not getting sufficient B-12 from any of our diets, and even if we could, the food sources that would give us sufficient B-12 our too polluted and unhealthful to eat in the required quantities to be considered ideal. In other words, in today's industrialized world where we wash fruits and veggies excessively (we used to get B-12 from the soil remnants on our produce), we are really best off taking a supplement for B-12. B-12 has found to be non-toxic in extremely high doses, so there is really no downside here (it is also relatively cheap). Seaweed and nutritional yeast both have some B12. Fermented items have some. Some cereals are fortified with it along with some vegan soymilks. For a direct source of vitamin B12 along with other B vitamins and a slew of other nutrients, I highly suggest Kombucha.