Fruits and veggies taking a bite out of skin cancer

LoveLowFat-dot-com-antioxidantsEating fruits and vegetables has a long list of benefits.  Helping to prevent skin cancer may be another reason to make sure you get your daily doses.

A new study has found that while consuming alcohol before sun exposure can increase sun damage, eating plants based foods rich in antioxidants may actually help reduce the amount of damage.

Oil vs Nuts – What are healthy fats?

People are constantly referring to olive oil as a “healthy fat”. Many people think it’s “good for you”, and some even go as far as to claim people “need” to eat oils. Olive oil certainly tastes good, but is it really all it’s cracked up to be? And how do oils compare to nuts as a source for fats? We think it’s important to look at the whole picture.

Dr. Michael Greger of Nutritionfacts.org puts it pretty succinctly in this short video:

 

School lunchroom becoming the gateway to obesity and disease

It’s hard to escape the ubiquitous junk food advertisements everywhere we go. It’s no wonder childhood obesity in the United States is becoming more and more rampant.

You would think that kids would at least be shielded from such marketing at school. But sadly, that’s not the case. If anything, it turns out that schools have become the perfect liaisons for selling to future sugar and fat addicts. And we’re not just talking about snack vending machines, we’re talking about school lunches!

Why is this? Because there’s lots of cash to be made. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine just released a report revealing who is making the dough off of overweight children, and how they are doing it.

To paraphrase Bill Maher: “They don’t want you dead, but they don’t want you healthy. They want you sick, because that’s where the money is.” As adults, at least we can take responsibility for our own choices. But it’s just plain wrong that that they are targeting kids at their place of learning.

Healthy, strong, and 100…what’s the secret?

He still drives, helps with the yard work, doesn’t have a single ache or pain in his body, and he’s 100 years of age…so far! He’s retired heart surgeon Ellsworth Wareham and he credits his good health largely to his plant based, vegan diet which he adopted mid-life. CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta sat down with the centenarian for an enlightening interview:

By simply staying away from animal products he has managed to keep his blood cholesterol level extremely low, thereby virtually eliminating any risk of a heart attack. Because of all the knowledge he gained in his decades as a heart surgeon, he says, “I’m dealing in an area that I understand”.

Hopefully his common sense approach will inspire others to follow his simple secrets to a long, healthy life.

Processed food and soda health food? Dieticians paid to say yes!

I’m lucky we didn’t have soda or processed foods in the house much as a kid. It just wasn’t part of the Italian/Albanian cultural way of eating I grew up with. We ate a lot of simple, healthy foods like pasta e fagioli (beans), homemade pizza with tomatoes and olives (and no cheese), escarole and white beans, and lentil soup. The only “processing” I can think of was my grandmother asking me to go through the huge pile of uncooked lentils on her table to look for stray pebbles.

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On holidays we’d have my Italian grandmother’s homemade cookies, or my Albanian grandmother’s homemade baklava. On very rare occasions we had a soda, either root beer or cream soda, as a treat. But that’s what sugar should be, an occasional, festive treat. Yet for many it’s Continue reading

Sugar industry not so sweet

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In a story that’s eerily reminiscent of the tobacco industry, recent documents have shed light on the sugar industry’s history of manipulating public information to maximize profit at the expense of public health. 

Finally, the word has been getting out. If you haven’t already seen them, we highly recommend the documentaries King Corn and Fed Up. Each film in its own way elaborates on how refined sugar is everywhere, and is one of the leading causes of obesity and other related illnesses. And if that’s not bad enough, the politics behind it will really make you sick!

 

Mom’s vegan cauliflower soup

Nutritional information is included at the bottom of this recipe.

My mom is an awesome cook, and she sometimes surprises me with amazing dishes made from ingredients I previously thought I didn’t like. I’ve never been a big fan of cauliflower, and I’m not a big soup eater.

But her vegan cauliflower soup blew me away the first time I had it. I just couldn’t stop eating it! Now it’s one of my all time faves, and I even bought an immersion blender so I can make it myself. Yum!

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Besides being insanely tasty, this soup is incredibly easy to make. It’s also super healthy since with no added oil it’s extremely low in fat. So simple, so delicious. You can’t beat  Continue reading

Vegan tofu scramble with black beans & wilted spinach

UPDATE: This recipe was originally posted at HathaYoga.com. Nutritional information is included at the bottom of this recipe.

I’ve made a lot of variations of vegan tofu scrambles in my time, but this one is hands down my favorite. It’s incredibly tasty with fantastic texture, and is super healthy for you to boot. It’s also easy and quick to make. Can’t argue with that!

Vegan tofu scramble

This scramble is super low fat since it’s cooked using no oil at all, not even when frying. All of the ingredients are extremely low fat. In fact, what little fat is in the dish comes from the low fat tofu! Continue reading