Going Vegan?

No meat, no poultry, no eggs, no fish, no dairy, no animal products of any kind.  For some, a vegan diet is unimaginable; for others it is a path to good health.

You may like the idea of a Meatless Monday or a No-Face Friday, taking one day out of every week to skip meat and eat only plant foods, no food from anything that ever had eyes, ears or a nose. But could you give up bacon and eggs, grilled chicken, teriyaki beef and ice cream for the rest of your life? Should you?

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) says that a vegan diet is healthful, and may even provide benefits in the prevention and treatment of some diseases, as long as it is well designed to include all the nutrients you need, in the amounts you need. A healthful vegetarian diet is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy foods, fiber and other substances found only in plant foods. Overall, vegetarians have lower blood pressure and lower blood levels of LDL or "bad" cholesterol. Your risk of developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and cancer may be lower if you follow a well-planned vegan diet.

A vegan diet could be short on nutrients normally found in much higher amounts or only in animal products, such as protein, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, iodine and vitamin B-12. But it doesn't have to. As long as you eat a wide variety of foods over the course of each day, you will most likely get all the amino acids you need to provide your body with building blocks for making protein. Although fish oils are thought to be a better source, crushed flaxseeds and flaxseed oil also give your body the materials it needs to make omega-3 fatty acids With so many fortified foods on the market, however, there is little risk of a vitamin or mineral deficiency on a vegan diet. Breakfast cereals, bread spreads, fruit juices, pasta and soy products have added B vitamins, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc and other essential minerals. If you eat a lot of commercial food products that are enriched or fortified with vitamins and minerals, along with a wide variety of whole foods that are naturally rich in essential nutrients, you may never need to take a supplement.

A plant-based diet is also healthy for the planet. Large-scale industrial farms that raise most livestock today emit toxins into the air, directly from animal waste products and from the processing of meat for human consumption. Because growing and processing plant foods has minimal effect on air quality, a vegan diet is considered the most energy efficient type of diet humans can consume and, of all types of diets, contributes the least to the "greenhouse effect," according to researchers at the University of Chicago.

Sources:

Craig,Winston et al., Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets. Journal of the American Dietetic Association; July 2009; 109(7) Web. 10 Mar 2011.
http://www.eatright.org/about/content.aspx?id=8357 (PDF)

The University of Chicago News Office: Study-Vegan Diets Healthier for the Planet. 8 Jul 2009. Web. 10 Mar 2011.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/06/060413.diet.shtml

(written by Susan McQuillan) 

Wellness Training

Revenues for the industry held at $23.8 billion in 2009, only off 2008’s pace by 1.5 percent. When you consider the recession, the high unemployment rate and the massive numbers of foreclosures and loan defaults, that’s not a horrible statistic, according to industry expert (www.slimandfit.com) and former 8 Minute Abs guru Jaime Brenkus. In fact, he even knows why the industry is reasonably healthy amid a weak and floundering economy.

“It’s called wellness,” Brenkus said. “The industry, as a whole, is shifting its focus from just getting well-defined and fit toward the more general concept of wellness. As people are losing jobs and losing health benefits, they are realizing it is much less expensive to invest in their wellness than it is to pay for doctor visits when they get sick. If people are fit and healthy, they are far less prone to succumb to whatever bug is going around. That’s money in the bank for a lot of people, and they get to enjoy a better quality of life, as well.”

Brenkus understands that paradigm well, as he is also behind a chain of health clubs called Slim & Fit, which has combined the functions of personal training with the weight loss counseling and meals usually associated with outfits like Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. Brenkus is currently expanding into new markets around the country, and is already seeing the difference in the members who join.

“With a lot of people, they’ll join a gym, and go religiously for a few weeks, and then disappear, and they never get the value out of their membership,” he said. “Our members have a high usage rate, because we’re not just about making them fit with a personal training program, but we’re also about making them fit with our diet program. We’re trying to deliver wellness, not just muscles, and that’s the trend that kept the industry from tanking during the recession.”

Brenkus also thinks that there is another non-traditional health club clientele that could benefit from exercise and diet counseling -- children.

For more, visit: www.FloridaSpaGirls.com

Vaccines: Antifreeze and formaldehyde in your bloodstream?

Do you know what's in your vaccine (specifically, swine flu)? Do you want any of the following vaccine constituents in your bloodstream: Ethylene glycol (antifreeze), Phenol, also known as carbolic acid (this is used as a disinfectant, dye), Formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent, Aluminum, which is associated with Alzheimer's disease and seizures and also cancer producing in laboratory mice (additive used to cause antibody response), Thimerosal (a mercury disinfectant/preservative) can result in brain injury and autoimmune disease.. just to name a few.

These and more can be found in every shot. Vaccines are also grown and strained through animal or human tissue like monkey kidney tissue, chicken embryo, embryonic guinea pig cells, calf serum and human diploid cells (the dissected organs of aborted human fetuses as in the case of rubella, hepatitis A and chickenpox vaccines).

To read more: http://www.floridaspagirls.com and go to the Health News page.

Detox, for your health

Detox is synonymous with celebrities for addictions (usually alcohol or drugs). However, detox is known in the health and beauty, or spa industry, for ridding the body of toxins. Popular detox diets not only offer to flush poisons from the body, but also eliminate excess weight, can clear you complexion and aid the immune system. 

Detoxifying, or purifying the body of harmful substances is a not new, it has actually been around for centuries. Detox, short for detoxification, is ridding the body of toxins such as drugs, alcohol and pollutants from our environment. 

A few reasons to be concerned about detoxing, which can be serious; vitamin deficiencies, muscle breakdown and blood sugar problems. Depriving the body of vitamins and minerals can weaken the body's ability to fight infections and inflammation. Diets can upset the blood sugar, potassium and sodium levels in the body, people with diabetes, heart or kidney disease or women who are pregnant or nursing shouldn't try detox. 

The safe, natural detox is by drinking water. Water is natural, offers dehydration as well as minerals and will flush the system along with your built-in detox; the liver, kidneys, lungs and skin. 

A few other side-effects to watch out for when detoxing include; headaches, fatigue, irritability, aches and pains and frequent urination and then dehydration.

Always consult with your doctor and a nutritionist prior to starting any diets or detoxes.

Visit, http://www.floridaspagirls.net for more information.