Vegetarian or non-vegan - - - which one are you?

Vegetarianism or the vegan diet is an eating habit which excludes all animal products such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs, and honey. Most vegetarians consume dairy products, and many eat eggs. Lacto-vegetarianism includes dairy products but excludes eggs, ovo-vegetarianism includes eggs but not dairy, and lacto-ovo vegetarianism includes both eggs and dairy products.

Vegetarianism may be adopted for any of a number of reasons, including but not limited to: ethical, health, environmental, religious reasons, politics, culture, society, aesthetics, or economics.

A generic term for both vegetarianism and veganism, as well as for similar diets, is "plant-based diets".

Benefits of being vegetarian

Vegetarian diet mainly includes grains, nuts, cereals, seeds, beans, vegetables and fruits. Hence, it is rich in fiber, folate and vitamin C. Vegetables and fruits provide vitamins and minerals that are essential for a healthy body. Beans, tofu, seeds are some good sources of proteins. Vegetables consist of phytochemicals, which prevent some chronic diseases. Green leafy vegetables are the rich source of antioxidants. Vegetables and fruits also provide natural sugars, beneficial enzymes and trace elements.

Vegetarian diet is also helpful for healthy weight loss. A vegetarian diet lowers the blood cholesterol levels and decreases the risk of various disorders such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart diseases, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney diseases, gallstones and cancer. Due to intake of high fiber diet, digestive health is improved. Vegetarianism protects you from certain food-borne diseases such as bird flu, mad cow disease, intestinal parasites, etc.

Disadvantages of being vegetarian

Although vegetarian diet provides all the essential nutrients, there are certain factors that we can get in more amounts from the meat or fish. Vegetarian diet is found to be low in proteins, calcium, vitamin B12, iron and zinc. Vitamin B12 is found in soy products, fortified cereals and animal products in abundant amount. Meat is considered as the major source of vitamin B12. Soymilk, milk and other dairy products are the rich sources of vitamin D. Meat, chicken, fish and poultry contain more quantities of iron and zinc. Milk, cheese and yogurt are excellent sources of calcium. These nutrients are not found in large quantities in the vegetarian diet. Meat is a rich source of proteins and contains all the essential amino acids required by the body. Phosphorus present in the meat is easily absorbed than that present in legumes and cereals.

It's up to you to decide

Vegetarian diet is not recommended for bodybuilders, as they require a protein-rich diet. A diet lacking in sufficient carbohydrates and proteins can lead to anemia. Bowel irregularities can be commonly seen among the vegetarians. If your diet is totally free from fats, then it’s not good, because certain amounts of cholesterol and fat is necessary for the development of the nervous system and normal body functioning.

Though, there are certain disadvantages of vegetarian diet, it definitely offers a number of health benefits. If you properly plan your diet, you can overcome the problem of nutrient deficiencies and improve your physical fitness and overall health. After all, healthy eating is a key to healthy living.

Optimistic women likely to live longer

Study finds people with positive outlook less likely to develop diseases.

Women with an optimistic outlook may live longer and be less likely to develop heart disease than women who take a dimmer view of life.

The findings, published in the journal circulation, add to evidence that personality traits may affect people’s long –term health.

A number of studies have suggested that people with hostile, angry dispositions face higher risks of heart disease and other health problems. And in this study, women who scored high on a measure of ‘cynical hostility’ had higher risks of dying from any cause over eight years.

According to Dr. Hilary Tindle, the lead researcher on the study and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. But, the apparent effects of optimism and hostility were independent of each other. It’s possible that optimism has direct effects that help ward off disease.

Personality traits may influence the nervous, immune or hormonal systems in ways that affect the risks of a range of health problems. Optimists lead healthier lifestyles. Most optimistic women were less likely to smoke or be obese or sedentary; they had lower rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Why is blogging good for your health...

1. You can write anything you want, and no one will correct your grammar.

2. With just the right clicks and links, blogging can bring you real money.

3. Blogging money can eventually get you out of debt. So, no more worries.

4. If you can’t blog but have the passion to blog, blog anyway.

5. Blogging builds bridges among people even they are far from each other.

6. You can teach your children how to blog.

7. You will learn to be a good writer. Who knows, you will be writing a book
next month.

8. Blogging can help release that pent-up emotions, which helps you feel better
afterwards.

9. You will learn to be a good storyteller.

10. Blogging leaves some footsteps of your own. It is your legacy.


by Muriel Rivera

How to manage anger

Have you ever been so angry with a person, or to a certain situation that made you really boil inside that you felt like a volcano ready to explode? That person might be your boss, a member of your family, your boyfriend, or girlfriend, or your spouse or your kids, or just the plain people around you. Well, that’s normal, you would say because you’re just human. One time or another this negative feeling visits our everyday life and makes us confused, if not makes us always feel sorry for the result, if not controlled. I stumbled this beautiful story which I want to share with you. This is how it goes:

‘A young lady was waiting for her flight in the boarding room of an international airport. As she had to wait for hours, she decided to buy a book to spend her time. She bought a packet of cookies, too. She sat down on an armchair of the VIP room of the airport to rest and read in peace. Beside the armchair where the packet of cookies was kept, a man sat down, opened his magazine and started reading. When she ate the first cookie, the man took one, too. She felt infuriated, but didn’t say anything. She just thought: “The nerve! I would just want to punch his eye to remind him of his daring act!” To each cookie she ate, The man ate another one. She felt the rage inside her chest, but couldn’t react. When only one cookie remained, she thought, “Ah, what will this abusive man do now?” Then, the man divided the last cookie in the middle, giving her the other half. Ah! That was too much. She stood up fuming mad! Then, she took her book and her things and headed to the boarding area. When she finally took her seat inside the plane, she looked into her purse to take her eyeglasses, and to her surprise, her packet of cookies was there, untouched and still closed. She felt so ashamed! She realized that she was very wrong. She forgot that she kept her cookies in her purse. The man divided his cookies with her without any feeling of infuriation….while she was very mad thinking that he was dividing her cookies. And there was no more time to explain herself, nor to apologize!”

There are four things that you cannot take back:

The stone after it was cast…

Your words after they have been said…

The occasion… after it’s been missed…

The time… after it’s been gone…

I'm a yoga buff

I'm a yoga buff. I've beeen doing yoga for more than 20 years now. It has been helping me to cope with stress at work and from everyday life. For me, the best time to do yoga is after I get home from work. After I freshen up and change into something comfortable, I sit on my yoga mat and do the lotus sitting position. I start my session with breathing exercise first raising my diaphragm (Uddiyana-Bandha) as high as I can. This helps stimulate and cleanse my lungs, and also beneficial to digestive organs. Then I do some stretching and asanas positions. My long time favorites are Bhujangasana, or the cobra posture which deliciously stretches my back after sitting in front of the computer all day long. This also helps the blood circulation, regenerates the spinal nerves, the sympathetic nervous system, and remedies insomnia. It combats flatulence and digestive problems, and in the case of women, ensures a healthy uterus and ovaries, and corrects irregular menstruation. Dhanurasana or the bow posture helps my hips to relax after wearing those high heel shoes at work. It also helps exercise the spinal column, the abdominal muscles and the articulation of the hips. It produces a tonic effect on the pelvic region and the digestive organs. It also helps regenerate the male prostate gland, and the endocrine glands and genital organs of both sexes. For my finale, I do the Sarvangasana or the shoulder-stand. It relaxes all my legs, hips and tummy muscles. The benefits of this position are: it remedies seminal weakness in men, and gives benefical effect on the ovaries and uterus in women. It is also recommended for those suffering from ptosis or downward displacement of the womb. It is also the asana par excellence for counteracting the faulty functioning of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. My only regret is I can't do Sirshasana or the head-stand position. I've been wanting to do this, but I find it a little dangerous to practice this alone. I might injure my neck. There are actually variations of yoga exercises from the simple ones to advance. If you are thinking of starting yoga, please consult your physician first, or a professional yoga teacher. After doing yoga, I sleep like a baby and wake up in the morning feeling joyful. I'm adding some visuals here so you may have an idea what these positions look like.

Does Blood Type Diet work?

I first heard about this kind of diet from a colleague who is a sports enthusiast. So, I got curious and googled it. I found that the term Blood Type Diet has become popular because of the diet book by Dr. Peter D'Adamo and Catherine Whitney - Eat Right for Your Type. The book tells us the individualized diet solution for staying healthy, living longer and achieving one's ideal weight. It is also a persuasive diet book that argues a person's blood type and an evolutionary marker that tells us which foods will process best and which foods will have useless calories that end up as extra pounds. There are lots of people (especially those who are overweight) who claim that this Diet worked for them, and had helped them to take their weight off. I'm not overweight, so I don't need to worry about that. However, I'm Type O, and the Diet indicates that I should eat meat more often. Although, I have not entirely dropped the meat from my actual diet, (I eat chicken and lots of fish), I consider myself more of a fruitarian and vegetarian. One thing I notice though, even if I munch six apples a day and lots of other fruits, I don't get the feeling that I'm full? I also heard that most type Os have acidic stomach lining, and that people with this blood type need to feed their stomach with meat to keep it satisfied. Ouch. If that is right, it figures. So, do you think Blood Type Diet works for you?