The winners for 2012 are Jessica Chastain (The Help, Take Shelter) and Woody Harrelson (Hunger Games, 7 Pounds). I think they’re both great advocates for veganism. They both look wonderfully healthy and fit and they’re intelligent and thoughtful about the way they present their lifestyles.

Woody Harrelson has been a very vocal advocate for animals and for vegan eating. He’s known to be extremely passionate about animal cruelty and he certainly looks extremely healthy and energetic for his age.

Harrelson, 50, says his body speaks for his vegan diet. ‘I just let people see my energy and how strong I stay,’ he says.”

I’d say his testimony is working very well.

Jessica Chastain has become one of my favorite actresses since I saw her in “The Help” and no one can deny that she glows with good health. Her vegetarian diet is based on her feelings for animals and her commitment to refrain from participating in cruelty. She even had vegan fried chicken made just for her for the famous fried chicken scenes in “The Help”. (I’d love to know how, because it looked great!)

I don’t want to torture anything,” she says. “It’s about trying to live a life where I’m not contributing to the cruelty in the world …. While I am on this planet, I want everyone I meet to know that I am grateful they are here.”

PETA says that they chose these two celebs because

both trust their vegan diets to keep their skin camera-ready, their figures svelte, and their consciences clear.”

I’d say they made a very good choice and I hope that both of these celebs continue to work as role models for healthy and conscious eating.

This is alarming not just because of the weight issue

But because so many diseases and deaths are directly attributed to obesity and being overweight. These include Type-2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and many more health issues.

A few days ago, Cleveland.com posted an article reporting that the recent Oxford University study on obesity claims that the leading causes of obesity are a lack of exercise and a diet heavy on fat-laden meats. The study also showed that people on a vegetarian diet or even better a vegan diet, are less likely to gain weight.

As the article states,

A five-year Oxford University study of 22,000 people, published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2006, found that those on a vegetarian or vegan diet gained the least weight. A review of 87 studies in Nutrition Reviews concluded that a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss.”

If you’re on the fence about transitioning to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, this is important news. It’s also important information for friends and relatives who are at high risk for diabetes, heart disease and other obesity-related problems.

Read the article (and the study) for yourself, then pass it on to someone you love who needs this information.

Self is one of my favorite women’s magazines and I love their website as well. They have an article on the 20 best superfoods for weight loss that bears reading, even if all you want to do is maintain your weight. Since fruit is on my mind (and in the grocery stores) right  now, I thought I’d highlight the fruits on the list as being the best to help you lose weight.

Apples:

Most apples are a fall fruit but they’re so good for weight loss that they need to be included here. Not only are they packed with filling fiber, they also may help prevent metabolic syndrome.

Blueberries:

Not only are these summer sweeties packed with fiber, they also contain a huge amount of antioxidants that can help us to lose weight.

Pomegranates:

These are my favorite fruit of all time. They’re loaded with antioxidants, but they’re also packed with filling fiber and Vitamin C, which has been shown to be useful in weight loss.

Avocados:

Don’t get scared away by the fat grams in avocados. They’re heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, which also help you feel sated rather than hungry. Try them by themselves, in salads or even mashed as a substitute for mayo.

I want to add one of my favorite weight loss tricks and that’s watermelon.

Watermelon is loaded with fiber and Vitamin C but it’s also filled with water. You can eat it until you’re sloshing without overdoing the calories, it satisfies your sweet tooth and eating a LOT of something makes you feel less deprived.

One of the things discussed at the summit was a study released in 2006 that named the vegetarian diet as one of the healthiest diets in the world.

As on article from InForum writes,

A five-year Oxford University study of 22,000 people, published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2006, found that those on a vegetarian or vegan diet gained the least weight. A review of 87 studies in Nutrition Reviews concluded that a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss.”

Of course, most vegetarians already know that a diet based solely on plant foods is healthy. What the study (and the summit discussion) pointed out is that it’s also the best diet for fighting obesity.

Experts at the summit stated that the two leading dietary causes of obesity are animal fats and dairy products.

A vegetarian diet alone can eliminate a great many of the foods that are known to contribute to obesity.

The vegetarian diet also helps fight obesity because of it’s high plant and grain fiber content and it’s rich supply of anti-oxidants and vitamins. Of course, this is only if you’re eating a vegetarian diet that’s chock-full of fresh produce and whole grains, as opposed to one that is filled with processed foods and low on the fresh ones.

I think it’s great that the vegetarian diet is getting more and more attention and approval from the scientific and medical communities. It makes it that much easier to explain our choices to non-vegetarians and it will also make vegetarian options easier to find at restaurants and other venues.

If you’ve used the vegetarian diet to help you lose weight, I’d love to hear your success story!

The series will cover subjects such as the health risks of obesity and excess body fat, the growing problem of childhood obesity, the best scientific evidence on losing weight and inspirational stories about communities that are working together to fight obesity.

Vegetarianism has always been touted as a great way to eat a healthy diet and to maintain a healthy weight. I know that I have struggled far less with my weight since becoming a vegetarian. However, I didn’t start winning the war against those ten or fifteen pounds that came and went until I started making sure I was eating the right kind of vegetarian diet.

A Vegetarian, but Not Necessarily a Healthy One

I struggled with portion sizes, skipping meals and with eating foods that were vegetarian, but not necessarily healthy. A big part of my problem was sugar. In an interview with National Public Radio, John Hoffman, HBO Vice President and executive producer of “The Weight of the Nation,” said their three years of research says sugar is one of the biggest causes of obesity in America.

There are strong recommendations about what people can do in their daily lives. I think the loudest one is that sugar-sweetened beverages, whether that be in juice, in sports drinks, in energy drinks, in sodas, that there is no reason for these to be in our lives. They are not something that were part of the human diet until recently, and we don’t have the biology that knows how to compensate for those – that fast rush of sugar. So we have many experts who say that this is the number one change that should happen in the American diet.”

How Healthy is Your Vegetarian Diet?

I had been a vegetarian for a couple of years before I finally got scared about the amount of sugar in my diet. It was extremely hard for me to give up my favorite cola and to cut back on sweets, even those that were low in fat. However, once I did, I never looked back. I lost several pounds over the course of a couple months, stopped going through that 3pm energy slump and I also got headaches less frequently.

Sugar wasn’t the only thing I had to cut back on – I also limited fried foods, white flour and starchy vegetables. But the sugar issue got me to really take a look at my diet and realize that eating a vegetarian diet wasn’t enough; I had to eat a healthy vegetarian diet.

I’m looking forward to watching the documentary. You can see the trailer and get more information at HBO’s webpage for the program. You can also read the NPR interview with John Hoffman at the NPR link.

If you’ve had to revamp or improve your vegetarian diet, I’d love to hear what your problem areas were and how you worked or are working through them.

Vegetarianism can make you much healthier because of what you do eat, but only in conjunction with what you do not eat. Too many of us still eat an unhealthy diet, despite the fact that we have cut meat and other animal products out of our lives.

According to some resources that I’ll include for you at the end of the post, here are the main reasons that many vegetarians are still eating an unhealthy diet. Read through them and see if perhaps you need a vegetarian diet makeover.

Eating Too Many Processed Foods

A diet high in processed foods has been shown to be a leading cause of nutrition-related diseases such as metabolic syndrome, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. This is because processed foods usually have little fiber, yet are high in saturated fats, trans fats, sodium and sugar. This was one of the things that I had to admit to when I did my research. I have a love of all things potato chip and my husband usually has a stack of french fries with his veggie burger. We’re in the process of reforming.

Eating Too Much Sugar

Non-vegetarians think that we vegetarians only reach for fruit when our sweet tooth starts nagging. Unfortunately, this isn’t true. Many vegetarians have candy stashed in their desk drawer and a well-worn path to the vending machine.

Eating Too Many Empty Calories

Empty calories are calories from food and drink that provide no real nutrition. This includes most candies, sodas, coffee and unfortunately my beloved potato chips. Treats in moderation, even empty calorie treats, are the way to go. Have your favorites, but once in while rather than daily. Empty calories are usually high in fat and sugar and they add up quickly. Overweight is a leading cause of heart disease and diabetes. Cutting out most of the empty calories in your diet is good common sense. If you’re going to eat something loaded with calories, make sure it has some nutrition, too.

You can get some more excellent tips and read up on the latest research about unhealthy vegetarian diets at The Savvy Vegetarian and at The Mayo Clinic’s page on making sure your vegetarian diet is a healthy one.

I’ve been looking at different diets and weight loss plans to see how many of them are realistic for vegetarians. Although I eat a vegetarian diet that is basically very healthy, I’ve gained a few pounds in the last few months, mostly due to one-too-many nights aboard a cruise for our anniversary. It was a nice way to gain weight, but now I’d like to lose it.

I decided to check out the Mediterranean Diet because of the great feedback it’s gotten from the medical community. It has been praised for its balance of high quality foods, its amount of healthy fats and its focus on truly enjoying good food. That sounded like my kind of diet.

One of the things I noticed right away was that the Mediterranean Diet food pyramid (yes, there is one) is basically an inverted version of the one we are used to seeing here in the US. The majority of daily calories comes from fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and plant-based fats like olive oil, olives, nuts and avocados. Most protein comes from seafood and the foods eaten least are dairy, meats and sweets.

According to the Mayo Clinic, this way of eating is enormously good for our hearts.

The Mediterranean diet features olive oil as the primary source of fat. Olive oil provides monounsaturated fat — a type of fat that can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels when used in place of saturated or trans fats. “Extra-virgin” and “virgin” olive oils — the least processed forms — also contain the highest levels of the protective plant compounds that provide antioxidant effects.”

The Mediterranean Diet is Already Almost Meatless

The fact that the Mediterranean Diet is already almost meatless makes it a great choice for vegetarians that need a little guidance in losing weight. The protein and calories lost by not eating meat and dairy can easily be made up by other foods, as they weren’t a main supply anyway. Obviously, this diet would be easiest for a pescetarian or an ovo-lacto vegetarian, but I think it’s almost as adaptable for a strict vegetarian.

There are some excellent resources on the internet for more information and even some really great-looking recipes. One of the best I found was a section on the Med Diet at Epicurious.com.

I was complimenting her the other day about how wonderful she looks and how proud of her I am, when she suggested that I might want to go on the diet, too. (I’ve been complaining about the seven pounds I gained on a cruise in February.) At first, I just burst out laughing. When she asked why, it took me a minute to answer, “There’s no such thing as a vegetarian cavewoman!” She blushed a bit and said, “Oh, yeah” and we went on with our lunch.

Maybe There Is Such a Thing As A Vegetarian Cavewoman!

But later on, I started thinking about the Paleo Diet. I have a good friend named John Chatham, who’s a triathlete and writer. He wrote a book on the Paleo Diet last year, and I read a complimentary copy when it first came out. It sounded great, just not for vegetarians. But after my conversation with my gal pal, I started wondering if the book (and the diet) really say you have to eat a ton of meat. Could there be such a thing as a vegetarian cavewoman?

My husband laughed at me later, when I dug through the bookshelves to find my copy of John’s book, but I was on one of my curiosity quests. When I did sit down with John’s book, I was surprised to find that actually, you can be a vegetarian and be on the Paleo Diet. Maybe.

It Could Work, but Not for All of Us

The Paleo Diet excludes anything that didn’t exist in the human diet prior to agriculture, so all dairy (no one kept livestock yet), grains and legumes are out. If you’re a strict vegetarian or vegan, the Paleo Diet excludes too many of your primary sources of protein to be workable. No beans, no soy, no whey protein, no rice. The diet also forbids sugar and alcohol.

As John puts it in his book,

The premise behind the Paleo Diet is the theory that we are not genetically wired to process foods such as legumes, grains and dairy and that many of the health issues we face today are a result of eating foods to which our bodies are not truly adapted. These health issues, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, are often referred to as “diseases of affluence”. This is because they are most common, and even considered epidemic, in the wealthier nations, where people eat rich diets far removed from the land.”

However, even though all versions of the Paleo Diet recommend a good deal of high-quality, grass-fed, organic meat and game, they also recommend wild-caught seafood and fish for the same reason: Omega-3 fats and high-quality protein.

So, if you’re a pescetarian like some of my friends, the Paleo Diet can actually work for you. You’d still have to give up grains and legumes, but that could be done. If carnivores can do it, so can we. I have to admit that I would have a hard time giving up sugar, but I am looking at those seven extra pounds and wondering if being a vegetarian cavewoman, even temporarily, might not be a great idea.

The Thai people take their food very seriously, and one of the paradoxes you’ll find if you visit this country is that Thai people are generally very slim – even though they always seem to be eating!

I guess there are various reasons for this; for one, Thai people enjoy eating little and often throughout the day, rather than gorging on three large meals per day. Research suggests that grazing in this way somehow stokes the body’s metabolism and that calories are burned more efficiently when they’re taken in steadily throughout the day, rather than in one big dose.

Another good reason for the lack of obesity in Thailand has to be related to the fact that Thai food is made from healthy, fresh ingredients, and while the majority of Thai’s seem to eat meat, their national cuisine consists of large amounts of fresh vegetables – all cooked in a delicious, appetizing way.

The unashamed way in which Thai’s get excited about their food, and eating it, is breathtakingly refreshing. In Thailand, food is something to be devoured with gusto, not something to have all kinds of hang-ups about. However, when you run a search for vegetarian Thai recipes you’ll quite often find that many recipes contain meat. That said, the Thai’s do enjoy eating tofu, so if you like tofu, you can always use it as a substitute for meat in Thai recipes.

Another major stumbling block people come up against when trying to cook vegetarian Thai food, is the reliance on fish sauce as a seasoning in many Thai dishes. This pungent sauce is made from fermented anchovies and, when used sparingly, is what gives a lot of Thai dishes their additional kick.

There are vegetarian fish sauce substitutes, most of which seem to come from Vietnam (fish sauce is called “Nam Pla” in Thai and “Nuoc Mam” in Vietnamese), so it’s worth experimenting with these, or you can try using light soy sauce instead. Fish sauce is very salty, so you may need to use more soy sauce if you choose this as a substitute and be aware of this fact if you are following a low-sodium diet.

Tasty vegetarian Thai recipes

I thought I’d share with you some tasty vegetarian Thai recipes that will allow those of us who don’t eat meat to enjoy the explosion of flavors that Thai cuisine has to offer.

Piquant Sweet And Sour Tofu (Tao Hou Priao Wan)

This is basically a sweet and sour recipe and one you can enjoy as a quick, lunchtime snack.

Thai chefs are generally not fond of rigid measurements; they create their delicious meals using their taste buds, so, use these measurements as guidelines and sample your food to get the taste just right. It can be a matter of trial and error at first, although you’ll soon know how to tailor your cooking to suit your personal preferences.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil (for frying and deep frying)
• 4 oz tofu cut into cubes
• 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• ½ salad cucumber thinly sliced
• Mixed thin slices of red, green and yellow bell/sweet peppers
• 3-4 White mushrooms cut into quarters
• 4-5 baby corn cut lengthways and quartered
• 1 medium-sized tomato cut into small wedges
• 2 scallions cut lengthways into ¾ inch pieces
• Pineapple cut into chunks (fresh is best)

To make:

1. Drain the tofu for as long as possible in order to remove as much liquid from it as possible. This will stop it from spluttering when you deep-fry it.
2. When you feel the tofu has drained adequately, deep-fry the tofu cubes until they are golden brown on the outside. Remove from the oil and blot any excess oil using paper towels. Use a deep fat fryer or a deep wok filled with oil.
3. If you need to, clean out the wok so that it can be used for the next step. Heat some more oil in a wok, this time for stir-frying not deep-frying. Add the garlic and fry until golden brown in color; next add the vegetables and stir in well. Then add the salt, wine vinegar and sugar. Turn the heat up to high and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
4. Finally, add the deep-fried tofu, stir in once and then serve immediately.

Papaya Salad (Som Tam)

This is a staple Thai dish that hails from the North Eastern region and one that packs a powerful punch. This dish was once considered to be “too spicy” for foreigners, but many travelers to Thailand have fallen in love with this explosively tasty dish. Just how spicy you make it is up to you – how hot can you handle it?

You may want to eat it as an accompaniment to a main dish; the traditional way to eat it papaya salad in Thailand is with grilled chicken on skewers and sticky rice. You could replace the chicken with grilled marinated tofu and vegetables on skewers to make hearty, vegetarian kebabs.

Ingredients

• Fresh green vegetables in season e.g. iceberg lettuce, white cabbage, green cabbage, cucumber
• 1 green papaya cut into fine slivers
• 5-6 green beans chopped into lengths of around 2 inches
• 1 tomato cut into wedges
• 2-4 fresh red chilies chopped
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce substitute (light soy sauce, Golden Mountain seasoning sauce etc.)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

To make:

1. Use a pestle and mortar to grind the garlic and chilies together. Add the green beans and break them, only slightly. Stir in the thin slivers of papaya and the tomato wedges and stir to combine all the ingredients well.
2. Add the soy sauce, lime juice and sugar and stir in well. Pour over the green vegetables or use them to scoop up the spicy mixture.

Hope you enjoy them!