Summer…what a great time to be–or go–vegan. You can enjoy the traditions of cookouts and long days in the sun just as much as your carnivore counterparts. Here are some things to make your summer great.

Summer’s all about tasty food, of course. Vegan food writer Bryanna Clark Grogan has thoughtfully compiled some vegan treats perfect for sunny days, including refreshing vegan popsicles and sweet lemon cake.

If you’re still hungry, here’s 600 more recipes made just for summer! Trust me, the cucumber salad is fantastic. I haven’t felt energetic enough yet to whip up some avocado ‘mayonnaise,’ but go for it!

The free-to-download Summer 2006 issue of Vegan Views can be found, here.

And how about these cool events at the annual Vegan Summer Gathering?

Maybe you’d like to take advantage of sales on vegan ’summer’ shoes.

And hey, nothing quite says ‘vegan summer’ like those awesome lettuce bikinis!

But if you’re a bit more on the conservative side, you can still swim cruelty-free with these lovely hemp swimsuits and board shorts.

And don’t forget the vegan sunscreen, along with plenty of other products to ensure a healthy, compassionate, vegan summer.

Why are you sitting at your computer? Go shake your vegan boo-tay in the sunshine!

Post from: Blisstree

Enjoy Your Vegan Summer!

The positive effects of a vegan diet have made the news big time lately, but here is an interesting article that goes further, and specifically researches the amazing effects of vegetables on diabetes.

The results are promising, and enough to convince anyone, especially diabetics, to eat more than just the recommended ‘5 servings a day.’ Even better news: vegetables are also powerful warriors against cancer, but it’s important not to smoke, or these benefits may be erased.

Chomping on a few vegetables may help ward off diabetes. That is according to a new study at the Minnesota School of Public Health. Inside these and other orange, red, and green foods like carrots, tomatoes, kale, and spinach are caroteniods. Those carotenoids have previously been shown to protect against cancer. These have been shown to lower your odds of a lifetime of getting diabetes, but there is a catch. This is only true if you don’t smoke. When researchers looked at the combined effect of smoking and eating these foods, they were trying to find out if a smoker with high carotenoid levels might still be protected against diabetes. They concluded that smoking somehow blocks the protective benefit of these nutrients.

Now go eat your vegetables!

Post from: Blisstree

Diabetes: Fear The Mighty Vegetable!

Now here’s a study finding I can support: that a vegan diet is a powerful weapon in the fight against diabetes. Well, of course it is. I firmly believe that no diet on earth is healthier. With a vegan diet, there’s no need to count calories or fat grams: everything is already perfectly balanced.

People with type 2 diabetes who ate a low-fat vegan diet lowered their blood sugar more and lost more weight than those on a standard diet for people with diabetes, according to a new study.Those on the vegan diet lowered their cholesterol more and had better kidney function, according to the researchers at universities in the US and Canada.The Diabetes Association diet is a calorie-restricted one, with the vegan diet focusing on high fibre foods, with no meat or cheese. It focuses on the type, rather than the quantity, of food consumed.

Even better news? The vegan diet has been declared healthier and easier to follow than the standard diet recommended by the American Diabetic Association.

Vegans have long been found to enjoy superior health: they have healthy weights, low blood pressure, and low cholesterol. Did you know the average cholesterol level for a vegan is 135? And that a heart attack is virtually unheard of in anyone with a cholesterol level of 150 or less?

As long as you’re fighting diabetes, you may as well go for the entire healthy package!
You may enjoy reading more about this study, here, here, and here.

Post from: Blisstree

Vegan Diet Kicks Diabetes’ Butt

Well, you may be thinking (especially if you know me) that’s a matter of opinion! But seriously, a lot of people resist becoming vegetarian, fearing that they will be viewed as weird or extreme. And some people, especially parents of vegetarian wannabes, fear that their children won’t get enough nutrients. Never fear: vegetarians aren’t kooky!

But for some parents, vegetarianism smacks of kookiness. They conjure images of half-starved 1960s-era hippies in bell bottoms munching bean sprouts.

For the American Dietetic Association (ADA), there’s nothing kooky about being vegetarian. A vegetarian diet provides the nutrients people need to be healthy, the association contends. In fact, a vegetarian diet can be healthier than a meat-based one. Since vegetarians forgo meat, their levels of saturated fat and cholesterol tend to be lower, helping to stave off conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

There you go. You may want to read more of this article if you’re worried about switching over to a veggie lifestyle, or you may want to show it to someone who’s worried about you. And if you still can’t convince them, don’t worry. Kookiness is underrated.

(Cookie Monster is a vegetarian…and everybody loves Cookie Monster!)

Post from: Blisstree

Vegetarians Aren’t Kooky!

Often, the advice you find about switching to a vegetarian diet is to ‘ease into it’ gently. (I always thought that sounded dirty, don’t you?) But anyhow, it’s certainly worked for thousands of people. Others, like myself, have to jump right in with the ‘cold turkey’ approach, or we’d never get around to it.

Here’s a good article with some helpful tips on making the transition. Check it out, and I’d love to hear about your experiences: How did you make the transition, slowly or all at once? Are you in the middle of the conversion now? Do you have any– or need any– advice?

The American Dietetic Association has some suggestions for people who would like to make the change to a vegetarian diet:

Ease into the transition. While some people find they can easily adapt to a meatless diet, many people find they miss the traditional foods or quickly tire of eating “greens and grains.” Most people already eat some vegetarian foods, like peanut butter, spaghetti, cereals and salads. Try to incorporate these “familiar” foods into the diet more often.

Start with one or two vegetarian meals a week. There are many different kinds of meat-substitutes available, like veggie burgers and meat-less sausages, hot dogs, and “chicken” patties. Soy milk, soy cheese and soy yogurt can be used in place of the traditional dairy counterparts. Slowly add a vegetarian meal or two each week or so until you have made a complete switch.

Use your favorite recipes. Adapt some of the recipes you already use into meatless meals. Spaghetti, lasagna and some other foods can be made without meat. You can also add tofu for the “meat.” Extra seasonings can be added for more flavor.

Look for new recipes. Be creative. Experiment with foods to come up with combinations that are colorful and have different kinds of tastes and textures. If you’re not the creative type, look for new recipes. The Vegetarian Resource Group offers many suggestions for vegetarian meals. Vegetarian cookbooks can be purchased online or through local bookstores.

Post from: Blisstree

Ease Into A Vegetarian Diet

As we discussed here before (in this oh so brilliant entry), what you eat is the most important indicator of good health and potential weight loss. This is a theory contrary to popular belief, but you can’t argue with science. Well, maybe you can, you rabble-rouser.

Here’s an article that nicely displays the benefits of a vegetarian diet. Although it’s skewed towards weight loss, it’s important to remember that it’s also the healthiest option. Of course, we know what motivates us. It’s not the prospect of a long, fulfilling life; it’s getting into them jeans, baby! Hey, whatever works for you.

“It does not matter what you eat. Just don’t eat a lot, exercise, and your weight will not be a problem.” True? Not quite! There is scientific evidence that a vegetarian diet keeps that weight down, whereas meat eaters put it on. What you eat does matter.

He said: “Contrary to current popular views that a diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein keeps weight down, we found that the lowest weight gain came in people with high intake of carbohydrates and low intake of protein.” The study involved meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans. On average the entire human sample population gained 2 kilos over the five years and none of them were overweight. The less consumption of animal products, the less weight was gained, leaving the vegans on top, with vegetarians runners-up.

Word! Now go eat your veggies.

(Photo Source: Southern Living)

Post from: Blisstree

Lose Weight With A Vegetarian Diet

See there, you can start your child off with the best possible diet, and watch the little darling thrive. Vegetarian and vegan children have long been proven to have superior health when compared to their carnivore counterparts, but many people still view a veggie diet as akin to starvation. Maybe this article will help.

“The key to raising healthy vegetarian children is knowledge,” says Elizabeth Pond of Marietta, Ga. “Very few committed vegetarians will be swayed by other people’s opinions of their diet. Instead, arm yourself with information.” Pond’s family doesn’t eat meat or fish but does eat eggs and dairy products. “Both of my children, 5 and 7, are in excellent health, are above average in their growth percentiles, have never had a cavity and excel in school,” Pond says.

“Vegetarianism is not only a safe option but health-supporting choice that can give her granddaughter a strong advantage for living a long, happy and disease-free life,” Stepaniak says.

Rock on, babies!

(Please note: the baby in the above picture is NOT vegetarian. See what can happen if you feed your kid meat?)

Post from: Blisstree

Veggie Babies Are Healthy!

And I suppose she’ll stay one as long as it’s trendy. Of course, the girl would stand on her head and fart “The Star Spangled Banner” if somebody said it was cool to do so, but hey. I’ll give Paris the benefit of the doubt. So, good for Paris. Maybe she’ll inspire little wannabe skanks adoring fans to do the same.

I bet she’d love to walk down the runway in one of these sweet dresses.

Post from: Blisstree

Paris Hilton Goes Vegetarian

Many people ask me, “Veggie Chic, do you recycle?” Apparently, loving animals and health is connected to loving the environment. At least for some people. As for me, I’ve never been a big recycler. But wait, don’t judge. You see, I had a horrible experience with recycling at a very young age, and was forever turned off by the experience. Can you blame me? The following story is (of course and unfortunately) true.
 
There are always those relatives who gross you out, but your mom MAKES you be nice to them. Know who I mean? For me, it was my nasty Aunt Callie and her heifer daughter, Anabel.

I just want to point out they were relatives by marriage, NOT blood, thank you.

I went over to their house after church one afternoon, and found Anabel in the yard, draping wet toilet paper over several of the dining room chairs she’d taken outside.

“What are you doing?” I greeted her. “Making paper mache or something?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

She scratched her butt. “Drying out toilet paper.”

“Why?”

“So we can use it again.”

I stared at her in horror. “Again? You mean it’s used toilet paper?”

She looked bored. “Yeah.”

“That’s disgusting!”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be stupid. I’m not using the poop paper.”

Post from: Blisstree

When Activism Goes Too Far

Oh, the poor, poor sunshine. It gives us life, but we continually dis it. The fiery ball of wonder is just another word for ’skin cancer’ these days.

Of course, the sun can have a part in helping you develop skin cancer, but that’s if it’s taken to the extreme, or if a predisposition to cancer exists. Anything healthy can kill you in major excess. I even know of a man who died after he ate too much broccoli.

But here’s the word, folks: not only is the sun good for you, you need it to survive. Just try to get–or process–that Vitamin D without it. Isn’t it wonderful to think you can go outside and soak up some vitamins?

There’s a reason that Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) exists. There’s a reason why people with little sun exposure are often unhealthy. And there’s a reason why climates with the least amount of sun have the highest amount of early deaths.

We need that fiery ball of wonder in order to be as physically and mentally healthy as we can be.

There are gazoodles of scientific and opinion-based articles on the subject, but here are a quick few to tide you over:

The bald and beautiful Cory has rounded up a list of sunshine topics devised by our brilliant bloggers.
Reduce breast and ovarian cancer with Vitamin D. (But don’t take it from the bottle; you acquire and process it much better in the form of sunshine.)

Sunshine is especially important for vegetarians.

Some scientists believe that sunshine can even prevent skin cancer.

The sun is a mighty warrior in fighting diabetes.

Get some sun! And nuts, too, if you like them.
Indeed, sunshine is good for you.

So there you have it. Hey, why are you sitting in that dim, dusty room reading this? Get out and grab some sunshine!

Post from: Blisstree

Yes, Virginia, Sunshine Really IS Good For You