Health, Fitness & Lifestyle

Whatever your reasons are for transitioning to a vegan diet; animal rights, environmental issues, improving your health, it can be quite difficult and confusing to pull together a healthy menu.  Eating a plant-based diet is like any other diet; you need balance to ensure you are getting all your nutrients and you need to realize it’s ok to not be perfect!  

​First a little information on what exactly protein is and how our bodies use this vital nutrient. Protein is an essential macro-nutrient our bodies cannot live without. It contains nitrogen, which is responsible for the growth and repair of every cell in your body.  Protein is made up of twenty different amino acids, 9 of which our bodies cannot produce. So we need to get these 9 essential amino acids from the food we eat. 

​When you think of going on a “diet” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? If you thought lower my carb intake, you’re not alone.  Although there are a myriad of diets out there, one of the most common misconceptions is that you have to banish carbs to get the body of your dreams. This simply is not true.
​
It is true that if you drop your carbohydrate intake, and in this case I am talking about starchy processed carbs, your weight will drop, but honestly, a lot of it will be from water. 

I work with a lot of men and women trying to teach them how to shift their mindset from being on a diet to learning how to create a lifestyle that supports their goals. One of the biggest struggles they have is learning how to eat out at a restaurant without “blowing” their diet.  It's much easier to just eat at home, since you know exactly what is going into your food.  When eating out, you have no idea just how much fat, sodium, or other hidden calories could be hidden in your meal.

​We really are what we eat. Feed yourself a diet compromised of processed foods, drink diet sodas and coffee all day, and believe me you will get depressed. Of course there are many other reasons for depression and you should seek medical advice if you are suffering from this debilitating disease. You can, however, help your body and your mind by feeding it the right foods. More and more studies are coming out that support our abilities to alleviate, if not cure, anxiety, depression, insomnia and a host of other disorders through nutrition. 

​Do you know someone who constantly works out and is constantly on a diet, yet his or her body never changes? Maybe this person is you. Most of my clients, who are woman over 50, come to me with the same complaint; I joined a gym, and I go about 3 or 4 times a week, I eat healthy but nothing is happening. What am I doing wrong?

Why go through hours of exercise to lose weight? Cut back on your portion sizes and you’ll be sure to drop a few pounds. 

If you want to be able to eat pizza, ice cream, heaping bowls of pasta and enjoy bread and butter before your meal just exercise harder or longer. 

Calories in versus calories out: simple right, and doesn’t It makes sense? Well, I hate to break it to you but it’s not quite that simple. In order to get results, and I mean lasting results, you’ll need to do both.

​I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve heard both men and women tell me that they can’t lose weight because they have a slow metabolism, or because they are over 40, or 50 and their metabolism has slowed down and they accept the fact that they won’t be able to lose weight. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Do things slow down as we get older? Sure they do. Does that mean you have to settle for being overweight or unfit? Absolutely not.

As a vegan, one of the most frequent questions I get asked is, “Where do you get your protein?” (Fellow vegans, I’m sure you can relate.) The answer isn’t as complicated as many people think it is. Vegan protein sources are varied and easily accessible — and most are even very cost-effective!
​
So if you’re thinking about transitioning to a plant-based diet or are already vegan and looking to make some healthier choices, check out the options below. But before we get to good sources of vegan protein, we first have to answer one other very important question: how much protein do you need in a day, anyways?

You don’t need to look very far for meal plans that promise to help you drop 30 pounds in 30 days. There are hundreds of diets out there all claiming to have the answer to weight loss. Some may promote low carbs, others low fat or high protein. Still others are recommending a dangerously low caloric intake or losing weight through ketosis. Regardless of which diet you have followed in the past, or may be following right now, they more than likely have a meal plan.