Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO, of the Humane Society of the United States did an in depth interview with Kathy Freston, the author of “Quantum Wellness”. This was the inspiration for Oprah’s cleanse diet. It was a very good interview and you will enjoy it!

You have become a vegetarian (or are thinking of becoming one) for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest is health. And exercise is a big part of health!

There are many benefits of exercise. It is good for your internal organs and bones. It increases your muscle strength. It burns calories. It even makes you feel and look better! I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

There are basically 3 different types of exercise.

1. Cardiovascular or aerobic. These exercises get your blood pumping, increase your heart rate, and get the air flowing.

2. Strength or anaerobic. These exercises restrict the air flow and build muscle.

3. Flexibility or stretching. This is all about the range of movement around a joint. Stretching before and after exercise will help prevent injuries and reduce muscle soreness.

Exercise can be a bore and hard to make happen. That is until now. There are many different types of exercise that can make it effortless, fun, and very beneficial.

Here is a book that will help you. You will discover many different types of exercise that will make it seem effortless. Things that you can do during your daily routine that will be just as beneficial as going to the gym. You will have no need for excuses after reading this book. You will get more exercise just by making some small changes in your daily routine. You will discover many different types of exercise that you had not even thought of!

There are different types of exercise that are fun. Things that are more like playing than getting a good workout. Read this book before you spend your next dollar at a gym!

Visit the web site today at: Exercise Without Effort: Different Types of Exercise.

Oprah is working on an “inner makeover”. She will start by following Kathy Freston’s method in her book “Quantum Wellness.” Oprah will be doing a 21 day cleanse. Some of the things that she will be eliminating from her diet include caffine, sugar, alcohol, gluten, and animal products. If you would like to follow her progress here is the link to her blog: Oprah’s Blog.

Here is a clip of one of Oprah’s Vegan meals:

Will you lose weight on a vegetarian diet? It is not guaranteed. But it should happen.

Have you ever seen an overweight vegetarian? Probably not too many! That does not come as a surprise, because becoming a vegetarian almost always means that you will be leaner and healthier. And almost all diets tell you to eat less meat and more vegetables.

And if you were to lose weight on a vegetarian diet, and then went back to eating meat, you would probably gain back all of the weight. All of the will-power in the world can not overcome the unheathly effects of eating meat that is high in fat content.

There are many benefits to eating a vegetarian diet that is lower in fat and higher in fiber. You will have more energy and stamina. You will sleep better and wake up more refreshed and ready to go! You will feel more like exercising.

Instead of focusing on losing weight, your focus should be on being healthier. Focus on eating healthy well balanced meals that are lower in fat and higher in protein and fiber. You may find that you will be losing weight without even thinking about it.

And if you lose weight on a vegetarian diet, you will notice some other bonus benefits. You may find that your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are lower. Your risk for Type II diabetes will decrease. You will look better and feel better!

So to sum it up, there is no guarantee that you will lose weight on a vegetarian diet, but the odds are in your favor. If you eat a well balanced vegetarian diet that is low in fat and high in protein and fiber, you should lose weight. And you will be healthier!

Baked Orzo and Vegetables

4 cups hot cooked orzo or rosamarina pasta
3/4 cup fat-free cholesterol-free egg product or 3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons soft whole wheat or white bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon basil pesto
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large tomato, chopped (1 cup)
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 can (15 oz) Progresso® chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 3-quart casserole.
2. Mix all ingredients; spoon into casserole. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Carrie Underwood has been named the sexiest female vegetarian by PETA.  She won the same title in 2005. Apparently she has still got it! She was thrilled.

“I quit eating beef when I was about thirteen,” said Underwood.  “I do it because I really love animals and it just makes me sad.  I don’t like to watch commercials where they have meat. It weirds me out.”

The male winner was Kevin Eubanks.  He is Jay Leno’s band leader on the Tonight Show.

Congratulations to both of them!

There are many benefits of being a vegetarian. I will not cover them all, but rather review the most important. Some apply to everyone, and some do not.

There are monetary, spiritual, moral, and nutritional benefits of being a vegetarian. Of course some people could come up with more, but these cover most of the basics. And that is what we will be covering.
Today, more than ever, the monetary is one of the top benefits of being a vegetarian. Everyone is looking at costs! With the prices of everything sky rocketing everyone is looking for ways to cut corners.
Meat is costly to raise and process, and it wastes a lot of natural resources in comparison to raising plant based foods.
If we take meat out of our grocery bill, we will reduce it by approximately half.
Medical costs in the United States alone, directly caused by meat consumption, are in the billions of dollars.

Religion and politics are two topics that I like to stay away from. So I will just mention a couple of thoughts. There are religions that prohibit the intake of meat. There are those that believe the animal’s spirits stay with them long after you consume the meat. Your spiritual reasons are up to you.

And there are the moral issues to consider. Thousands of animals are killed in slaughter houses everyday. The way that they are bred, raised and treated is guided by one goal. That is the end result. More meat for the market. These methods include the cutting off of unnecessary body parts, artificial fattening, and overcrowded conditions. Also these animals are a waste of the world’s land and grain resources. If the land was used for raising grain instead of animals, many resources would be saved. Also, the grain from that and what would have been wasted on animals could be used to feed humans. It could save a part of the millions of people that die from starvation and related diseases each year.

Nutritional benefits of being a vegetarian should be at the top of everyone’s list. Here again there are many reasons that fit into this category, and I could not possibly cover them all. Pay close attention to these benefits of being a vegetarian.
The alkaline based system of humans does not break down the acid substance that is mostly found in meat. Meat eating animals have an acid based system, better designed to break down meat.
Higher levels of cholesterol and fat contained in meat are the major causes of many health problems today. Actually, our bodies produce enough cholesterol, that we don’t need any in our diet.
Colon cancer is at an all time high. This is mostly due to the fact that it takes meat so long to leave your system. It could stay in the colon for 3 to 4 days or longer. We have over 25 feet of twisted and coiled intestines, which make it even harder for the meat to leave your system. Meat eating animals have less than a quarter of that and they are mostly straight.
Aging is due to cells breaking down and wearing out. There are 3 main purposes for cells. They take in oxygen and nutrition, and they remove waste. Meat has more waste and therefore uses more resources to remove that waste. This causes the breakdown of the cells to accelerate.
Obesity can be reduced by a higher consumption of vegetarian diet foods and less consumption of high fat meat products. This combined with regular exercise can have a dramatic effect not only on weight loss, but lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
The risk of heart disease can be reduced significantly by eating less meat. The cholesterol and fat found in meat can cause plague buildup on the arteries. This in turn reduces the blood flow. This causes the normal immune systems to become impaired. This is a big concern, as heart disease is the number one cause of deaths in the United States today!

These are the main benefits of being a vegetarian, but certainly not all of them. I could go on forever. Different people have different reasons for turning to vegetarianism. In my opinion the health benefits would be the best benefit. Certainly, most people would find something in the list of benefits of being a vegetarian would convince them that vegetarianism is the way to go!

This is one of the most requested and favorites! We had a Superbowl Party and everyone got to pick an item that they would like to see on the menu. My son picked this dip. Seems like it is always requested by someone. It is very versatile and can be changed to suit your own taste. You could even use it as a main course.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz can of refried beans

1/2 envelope taco seasoning

1 6 oz carton avocado dip

1 8 oz container sour cream

1 4 1/2 oz can sliced or chopped black olives

2 large tomatoes diced

8 green scallions chopped or sliced

1 4 oz can chopped green chilies

1 1/2 cup (6 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Combine the beans and taco seasoning.  Spread evenly in a 12 x 8 x 2 dish. Layer remaining ingredients in order. Serve with large corn or tortilla chips.

I make this up the day before and put it in the refrigerator overnight. One less thing to do on the day of the party or meal!

If you have someone who doesn’t like a certain item, say tomatoes, you could save that for last and just put it on half.

Another idea is to save an item and use it to spell out words for the top. For instance, make sure the the second layer from the top is cheese, and covered well. Then use sliced black items and form letters.

You should also have some extra items available for people to mix in on their plate, such as hot sauce.

Enjoy!

Paul is probably one of the most famous vegetarians. Watch this video clip, where he does an episode of “The Simpsons”!

“The medical argument for animal testing doesn’t stand up. Even if it did, I don’t think we should kill other species. We think we’re so much better; I’m not sure we are. I tell people, We’ve beaten into submission every animal on the face of the Earth, so we are the clear winners of whatever battle is going on between the species. Couldn’t we be generous? I really do think it’s time to get nice. No need to keep beating up on them. I think we’ve got to show that we’re kind.”
-Paul McCartney

You may be asking yourself; “What are the vegetarian sources of protein”? There are certainly more than people think. As a matter of fact a lot of people think that the only real source of protein is from meat. This is far from the truth.

Vegetarian sources of protein include beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds, dairy products (such as yogurt, cheese, and milk), vegetables, fruits, eggs, and those famous “veggie burgers”.

Complete proteins are made up of 22 aminio acids. Meat, chicken, eggs, fish, and most dairy products include all 22. Plant based foods do not have complete proteins.

However, since all vegetarian sources of protein do not have the required 22 aminio acids, Mother Nature has the answer. Your body, the amazing machine that it is, pools all of the aminio acids that you take in during the day. It then combines them to make complete proteins!

As long as a vegetarian is eating a variety of the sources of protein listed above, it is highly unlikely that he or she will not get the required amount of protein.

So the answer is: vegetarian sources of protein are everywhere! Just make sure that you get the variety. After all, variety is the spice of life!