Healthy on a Vegan Diet

Most people who make the change towards a vegan diet come from a standard diet of processed foods, so there is a lot to learn. In this article, I will tell you all the things you must know if you want to be successful at starting a vegan diet as a beginner. Nine years into eating a healthy diet I began to transition towards eating vegan from a vegetarian diet. My health journey began back in 2003, when I slowly started changing the types of foods I ate, first by throwing out the junk food. It was in 2005 that …

You have probably heard about eating your ‘five-a-day’ somewhere before. It’s the number of fruits and vegetables that you are encouraged to eat every day for good health. Where does it come from? And is there any good evidence which suggests that just eating 5 fruits and vegetables per day is enough for optimal health? Even though the government and nutritionists tell people to do this, many people are not consuming enough fresh produce. A survey conducted in 2014 showed that 70% of UK adults are eating less than five portions of fruits and vegetables a day, so there is …

Inflammation in the body has a good and bad side to it. On the one hand, inflammation is necessary to help us fight infection, heal wounds, but if there is excessive inflammation it can also do the opposite and prevent healing. Inflammation can be triggered by viruses, bacteria, yeast infections, and even something as harmless as grass pollen. Dysregulation of the immune system is a common problem and can be caused by genetics and diet. Many people live with low-level chronic inflammation that puts them at risk of a heart attack and stroke. Poor dental health is one example where …

I’ve always believed that there are benefits to be gained from starting an ‘anti-aging’ diet from an early age. I wouldn’t recommend calorie restriction before age 20, but eating healthily from a young age is important. It never made sense to me to start eating healthily and looking after yourself when the damage has already accumulated and is visible on the outside. It’s thought that our appearance reflects what is going on inside the body. So, if someone looks quite healthy on the outside, there’s a good chance that the person is healthy on the inside as well. There are …

Home-grown Fruits and Vegetables Taste The Best! With all the things going on lately, I didn’t have a chance to write about my garden and tell you what I’ve been doing in my attempts to grow my own food this year. Home-grown food is always better than the food you can buy at the store, so I’m excited every year to get started! I quickly learned you can’t be successful every year you are trying to grow some plants. I’ve had quite a few failures, some of which were my fault, while others were just a result of diseases going …

I’ve been reading and participating in various health forums on the internet since around 2003. It’s surprising how people can be so set in their beliefs about diet – it’s almost like a religion. If new evidence is presented that contradicts what they are doing, it’s quickly dismissed. Maybe there’s an emotional element and people get attached to their diets and their way. I understand that not everyone is able to interpret scientific papers and understand them, but educating yourself and keeping an open mind is very important – especially if you’re into extending your life. On the other hand, …

One area that I’ve neglected in my lifestyle is fitness. How much exercise I get in a day varies, usually depending on how I feel. We know that exercise is good for you, but how much exercise in one day is too much? I thought I would find it easy to get into a routine given how well I’ve stuck to a healthy diet all these years, but this hasn’t been the case. It’s easy to make excuses about why we can’t do something today and then push it off until tomorrow. And then tomorrow comes and we still don’t …

In the raw food community it’s common knowledge that fresh raw food contains more nutrients than cooked food; but is this always the case? And should we always consume raw food instead of cooked food? Well, the short answer is no, and I’ll go into the reasons in this article. Although a vegan diet contains many nutrients that are beneficial to our health, some are better absorbed once the food has been steamed or boiled. This is simply because cooking breaks down the tough cellulose walls, releases the nutrients, and therefore they become more bioavailable to the body. This is why …