Can You Lose Weight Eating Vegetarian?

I had someone ask me the other day if you could lose weight eating vegetarian.....simple answer is "Yes" you can.  However - and there is a "but" or "however" in this case - it is like any other diet, you have to do it right.

I'm not writing today about the plus and minus of going on a diet.  Weight is a personal choice, some people have healthy meals and are a larger size than others...that's just the beauty of individuality.  However, one thing I will say is that if you are considering losing weight, then please don't do the "fad" diets.  Even companies that offer meal replacements are just as bad at creating that yo-yo type of weight gain/loss.

If you are wanting to lose some weight, then consider a meal plan that teaches you how to keep the weight off...and that's one of the good things about going vegetarian - it leads to actually changing your lifestyle.  Once a person discovers that, not only can they lose weight, but they can be healthy as well just by eating foods that are beautifully delicious, it's not long before they never want to go back to eating animals.

People become vegetarian for a variety of reasons - weight loss being one of them.  But once they have committed to this lifestyle, they soon learn how freeing it is, not only for themselves, but for the animals and the environment.  Learn more.

Happy Eating
Fee
website:  www.thevegetariancenter.com

Did You Know.....? Foods With Hidden Meat.

I read this the other day on a favorite website of mine: Green Prophet and thought it was well worth putting it up on my blog.

I must admit that some I did know, but others surprised me.
Thanks Green Prophet.  If you want to read their whole article go here: Animal Free Food 

"How many of these veggie-imposters surprise you?

1. Beer and Wine,  particularly those made in Britain, use isinglass (a byproduct of fish bladders) in the clarification process. Most is removed in production, but traces can remain.
2. Fruit Juice frequently contains Vitamin D derived from lanolin (sheep oil), Omega-3 sourced from fish oil, and gelatin (a collagen obtained from beef skin and pig hide). Apple juice is often clarified using isinglass (refer back to Beer and Wine).
3. Enhanced Breads, as with juices, may include Omega-3 amino acids originating from fish oil. Commercial baked goods may also contain non-vegan ingredients such as milk, eggs, butter, whey, and honey.
4. Parmesan Cheese and other regional cheeses such as Pecorino Romano, are required by law to use rennet in the curdling process to retain their “authenticity”. Rennet, sometimes called “enzymes” on product labels, is derived from animal stomachs.
5. Boxed Cake Mix uses beef fat, sometimes listed as lard, as a common ingredient. It’s also present in many cakes, cupcakes, and cookies.
6. Bagels use a dough conditioner “enzyme L. Cysteine”, commonly sourced from duck and chicken feathers. It’s used in other processed bread products, particularly those served in fast food joints. (Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut  and McDonald’s  all admit to the practice respectively in their donuts, garlic bread, and apple pie.)
7. White Sugar bags typically list only “sugar” as an ingredient, but most processed sugar (including brown and confectioner’s) is whitened by a process that uses bone char.
8. Red Candy and most any food that’s colored red contains pigments extracted from the female Dactylopius coccus costa.  This red bug dye is typically listed as cochineal, carminic acid or carmine in the ingredients.  It’s found in candy, wine, vinegar, juice and colored pasta. Many candies are also coated with shellac, a resin excreted by the lac bug, which is usually listed as “confectioner’s glaze:”.
9. Soups, particularly those prepared in restaurant kitchens, are usually made with stock made from chicken, beef, or fish.  Canned vegetable soups can also contain animal stock and gelatin thickeners.
10. Salad Dressings in restaurants often start with bacon fat for added flavor, undermining the classic vegetarian go-to in restaurants. Caesar dressing contains anchovies, and creamy dressings often include gelatin.
11. BBQ-Flavored Chips,  well, if you’re tucking into a bag of greasy chips, food purity may not be paramount.  But know that most brands of BBQ-flavored chips get their punch from chicken fat. Worcestershire Sauce is made with anchovies.
12. Packaged Peanuts, high in quality protein, are an easy snack, but beware of gelatin coatings.
13. Breath Mints, Gummy Bears, Marshmallows, Jello and Fruit Jellies frequently contain gelatin made from animal skin and bones."

    

    Where the Gelatin comes from - YUK

Again, thanks to my friends at Green Prophet.

Happy Eating
Fee
website:  www.thevegetariancenter.com