The Joy of Being Vegetarian; by Louise Infante

by | Jul 8, 2010 | diet, diet and weight loss, fitness, general health & nutrition, health

A member of metabolism.com, Louise Infante, is a great enthusiast of the vegetarian life style. Louise submitted this blog to metabolism.com so we could help her get the word out. I found the article extremely informative and hope you do too. Thanks Louise for your effort.

Here is what Louise has to say:

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Give me five minutes and I’ll give you 1 very good reason for being vegetarian.

While fish is the most important dietary way to obtain the long-chain omega-3s eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, which has been shown to be essential in supporting brain health, low intake of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in vegetarians does not adversely affect mood, reported by a new study (Nutr J. 2010;9:26. DOI:10.1186/1475-2891-9-26).

A research team from Arizona State University conducted a cross-sectional study to compare the mood of vegetarians who never eat fish with the mood of healthy omnivorous adults.

An overall total of 138 healthy Seventh Day Adventist adults residing in Arizona and California (64 vegetarians and 79 non-vegetarians) were enrolled in the study and completed a health history questionnaire, food frequency questionnaire and 2 psychometric tests, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and also the Profile of Mood States..

Vegetarians had significantly lower mean intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and the omega-6 arachidonic acid; they had higher intakes of the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid and the omega-6 linoleic acid.

“Seed oils are the richest sources of α-linolenic acid, notably those of rapeseed (canola), soybeans, walnuts, flaxseed (Linseed oil), clary sage seeds, perilla, chia, and hemp.”

However, the vegetarians also reported significantly less negative emotion than omnivores in both psychometric tests. Mean total psychometric scores were positively linked to the mean intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid , and inversely related to alpha-linolenic acid and linolenic acid intake.

The study team noted there is also the possibility that vegetarians may make better dietary choices and could generally be healthier and happier.

If you want to give it a try, here is an example of vegetarian recipe based on Italian cuisine

Italian Spaghetti with Zucchini

Ingredients:
* 17 oz. Spaghetti
* 24 oz. Of thin sliced zucchini
* 1 / 2 cup walnuts oil
* A few basil leaves
* 2 tablespoons of yeast flakes
* Salt and pepper

In a skillet or frying pan heat the oil and when hot, add garlic and zucchini. Raise heat and stir often to complete their cooking. They need to be golden and crispy outside and tender inside. Cook the pasta, drain and sauté in pan with zucchini, basil and yeast. Serve immediately.

Zucchini contain fewer calories and possess no fat. But they are a good source of potassium, e vitamin, ascorbic acid, folate, lutein and zeaxanthin.

These types of nutrients are extremely sensitive to heat and to enjoy their benefits you should find a quick solution to cook or even eat raw in salads.

From the therapeutic perspective, zucchini have laxative, refreshing, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and detoxifying action.

About the Author – Louise Infante writes for vegetarian menu blog, her personal hobby blog centered on vegetarian cooking tips to help people live better.

http://www.vegetarianmenu.net/1_great_reason_to_become_vegetarian_224.doc

Brian Dean Responds to Weight Gain Request

by | Jul 23, 2009 | diet, diet and weight loss, general health & nutrition, weight gain

On our message board, Rowan shared his frustration with obtaining weight gain advice. His efforts so far have not produced the desired results so he wonders what metabolism.com can offer.

Brian Dean a skilled RD and frequent contributor to metabolism.com takes up the issue and posts the following response on our forum.
You can visit the forums yourself at https://www.metabolism.com/health-and-nutrition-forum/ . If you want to join in the discussion simply register if a first timer or sign in using your existing member name and password.

Brian offers his take on the weight gain issue:

Hi Rowan,

Thanks for sharing your story.

I first want to emphasize that you’re not alone. Even though the emphasis always seems to be on “how to lose weight”, there are plenty in your position as well.

Fortunately, there are a number of strategies you can do to gain weight-no matter what you’ve tried thus far.

It sounds like you are making a concerted effort to gain weight by eating foods high in calories. This isn’t a bad idea, but you can gain weight without having to eat nothing but junk food. Not only does eating junk food all the time make you feel tired and run down, but it could set you up for health problems down the road.

One of the first things I’d try is a supplement like Boost or Ensure. These don’t fill you up, have a lot of calories, and is much healthier than junk food. Drink 2-3 per day after meals and you will almost certainly gain weight.

I’d also try to eat high-calorie foods that are healthy. By far the best in this regard are healthy fats.

Here are a few healthy fat foods:

1. Avocados
2. Nuts
3. Olive Oil

This should get you started on the right track. Please post with any questions you have!

Thanks,
Brian Dean MS, RD https://www.metabolism.com/health-and-nutrition-forum/

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