The Benefits of Going Vegetarian, Greek-Style, for 200 Days a Year

For years now we have been hearing how healthy the Mediterranean diet is. The recent study in New England Journal of Medicine confirmed what we already knew: This type of eating is good for the heart.

A component of the diet we don't hear much about is how the Greek diet, which served as a prototype for the Mediterranean diet, was in essence a vegetarian and even vegan diet for 200 days out of the year. Most people associate Greek food with souvlaki and lamb, when in fact Greeks were for the most part vegetarians.

Greeks basically followed their religious fast for those 200 days. While the word "fasting" is usually associated with liquid-only diets or other strict ways of eating, this type of fasting is a bit more lenient and tasty. The Greek fasting practice is unique in that you can actually eat real food. The basic rules are pretty simple: No animal products with the exception of animals that do not contain blood, such as octopus and squid.

Growing up in the states, my mom would have us follow the traditional Greek fasting diet, but there was such variety in the food that we really didn't notice any difference. Dishes that do not include animal products and adhere to the rules of the fast (called nisteia in Greek) are called nistisima, so for many dishes there was a nistisimo version, for example spinach pie without the feta cheese. This is one of the reasons why Greek cuisine has hundreds of vegetarian and vegan traditional recipes -- they needed variety for all those days of fasting.

I remember back then my mom would serve pasta, sometimes accompanied with little pieces of cooked octopus in tomato sauce, rice and spinach, green beans or peas lathera (made with tomato and olive oil), lentils cooked with olive oil, Greek potato salad, spanakopita (spinach pie) or leek pie without cheese, taramosalata (fish roe dip), skordalia (garlic sauce), olives, vegan Greek cookies made with olive oil (koulourakia) and cakes made with olive oil.

Research suggests individuals who follow a Greek Orthodox fast have a lower intake of saturated fat, total fat and calories and a higher intake of fiber, a combination that protects from heart disease and cancer. In addition, the non-animal protein sources such as legumes and nuts are healthier than animal protein sources due to their fiber and antioxidant content but also effective for weight loss due to their low fat content. Deficiencies are rare with this pattern of eating. A study by British and Greek researchers showed that individuals who were following a Greek Orthodox fast actually had higher levels of iron intake compared to those who were not fasting.

Religion aside, this pattern of eating can be healthy (and cheap) for anyone who wants to move away from meat as a main course and go vegetarian.

Use these rules as a guide:

• Allowed: beans, vegetables, bread, fruit, honey, nut butters, rice, pasta (no egg noodles), cereals, octopus, squid, olive oil, honey, and basically anything that does not contain animal products.
• Not Allowed: meat poultry, pork, game, fish, dairy, eggs, butter.

For more Greek vegetarian dishes visit olivetomato.com

Source : Huffpost

Processed meat 'early death' link

Sausages, ham, bacon and other processed meats appear to increase the risk of dying young, a study of half a million people across Europe suggests.

It concluded diets high in processed meats were linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer and early deaths.

The researchers, writing in the journal BMC Medicine, said salt and chemicals used to preserve the meat may damage health.

The British Heart Foundation suggested opting for leaner cuts of meat.

The study followed people from 10 European countries for nearly 13 years on average.

Lifestyle factors

It showed people who ate a lot of processed meat were also more likely to smoke, be obese and have other behaviours known to damage health.

However, the researchers said even after those risk factors were accounted for, processed meat still damaged health.

One in every 17 people followed in the study died. However, those eating more than 160g of processed meat a day - roughly two sausages and a slice of bacon - were 44% more likely to die over a typical follow-up time of 12.7 years than those eating about 20g.

In total, nearly 10,000 people died from cancer and 5,500 from heart problems.

Prof Sabine Rohrmann, from the University of Zurich, told the BBC: "High meat consumption, especially processed meat, is associated with a less healthy lifestyle.

"But after adjusting for smoking, obesity and other confounders we think there is a risk of eating processed meat.

"Stopping smoking is more important than cutting meat, but I would recommend people reduce their meat intake."

Source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21682779

Am I Contributing to a Better World?

Raised in a country village in Holland killing chicken and pigs was as natural as drinking too much beer on a Saturday night.

So programming for the pig-industry was a normal way of progressing in life.

The South part of Holland was relatively poor due to sandy soil, compared to the rich clay of the northern part back in the 50ties. Business people as they are, help from the EU (Called Brussels at that time) was used to grow ever bigger farms and cattle. Both ICT and farmers were booming. Nothing wrong so far.

Most of my friends were farmers, working in an office supporting them with new technology seemed a fair choice, and well-paid at that time.

Visiting the farms I slowly noticed that the traditional red cheeks of the people who worked the lands got traded for the pale cheeks of the stable farmers. Some started to die from until then unknown diseases, lung problems, cancers, the works... all normal it seemed, progress comes with a price tag.

One day I asked myself: "Am I truly contributing to a better world?"... The answer was... I have no idea, but it doesn't seem right to produce more and more cattle in ever shorter time with less quality of life for both animals and care takers.

The business model of farming seemed too much focused on quantity of money and too little on quality of life.

Working in a slaughter house for a few weeks to install new software finally opened my eyes to the inhumane conditions, first for the workers and then for the animals. I saw no life in the eyes of the people doing the killing (day in and day out), it scared the hell out of me.

My father in law had a farm with some land, cows and pigs. One day I met him and a few neighbors in a field and asked what was going on. A truck was coming to the field and from all cows present, only one ran off, broke through various fences and halted about a mile further.  My father in law explained... that one has to go to the slaughterhouse today. He said it happened like this almost every time. Stupid cows... they don't have feelings and do not know things... think again human! They know. They feel in advance...

So I quit my job and started searching for alternatives.

Thanks to a meditation group I can now claim to "cook with love" and without blood on my hands.

It feels like one of the smallest things one can do to help bring more harmony and well being to this little planet.

Warm regards,
Wim Minten, Portugal

PS. If every one of us inspired ONE person to go meatless imagine the difference we could make in ten years time. I am going to collect inspirational vegetarian/vegan stories to share with everyone. If you think your story will inspire others, please share with me by sending it to info@veglov.com. I will post your stories on this www.veglov.com blog. I believe everyone has his/her own story, I think it must be great when we can share our stories and inspire others. Let’s make the world a better place. ~ Xiao Kang.

Viva Vegetarian

By : M Raghavendra

One day, we hope no animal will suffer or die for the reason to satisfy the taste bud of others. We held great respect to every human being in the world. But let us think for a second. Every single day, billion and million of innocent animals lose their precious lives because of eating meat. (Not to mention they lose their freedom all of their life).

There are many reason involved. Many people grow up as meat eater and did not recognise this is wrong, and some choose not to see their truth. Regardless what is the reason; there is a great suffering and cruelty behind that piece of chicken, steak for their dinner. Let us not judge others, but Let us help other by share more Benefits/knowledge of Veggie Diet to them. (In a nice and respectful way). So they can discover and learn that Vegetarian/Vegan foods can also be delicious, healthy and easy to make too~!!

"All beings fear before danger, life is dear to all. When a man considers this, he does not kill or cause to kill."~Buddha

Let’s spread compassion and peace~ Viva Vegetarian / Vegan !!!

Source : Vegetarian Friend

Fresh Food – Rainbow

HEALTH TIP: We eat with our eyes first, don’t we? God made food attractive so we would choose to eat what’s good for us. The truth is that foods with vibrant and rich colors aren’t just “pretty” … they’re also “healthy.” There are literally thousands of health promoting phytochemicals found in plants, and that’s why it is essential to eat a wide variety of colorful yellow, red, orange, green, purple, and blue fruits and vegetables every day!

Eating plenty of healthy vegetables and fruits helps prevent heart disease and strokes, diverticulitis, control your blood pressure, prevent prostate cancer, colon cancer, and protects against cataracts and macular degeneration or vision loss.

By eating fruits and vegetables from each color group, you will benefit from the unique array of phytochemicals, as well as essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that each color group has to offer. Colorful fruits and vegetables are chock full of “flavonoids” and “carotenoids” (powerful compounds that bind the damaging free radicals in your body).

Green veggies (like asparagus, zucchini, kale, and spinach) are rich in “chlorophyll” which pumps the body with oxygen, heals wounds, fights infection, and keeps the immune system strong. Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and broccoli contain indoles and isocyanate, which protect from cancer.

The onion/garlic family contains allicin, which fights tumors; while white/green foods like pears and celery contain quercetin and kaempferol, which are potent flavonoid antioxidants.

Mushrooms contain nutrients such as beta-glucans, EGCG, SDG, and lignans that provide powerful immune boosting activity. These nutrients also activate natural killer B and T cells, reduce the risk of colon, breast, and prostate cancers, and balance hormone levels, reducing the risk of hormone-related cancers.

Red fruits and vegetables (such as beets, tomatoes, watermelons, and red peppers) get their color from “lycopene,” which is an antioxidant that helps prevent cancer.

Blue and purple fruits or vegetables (like dark cherries, grapes, blueberries, and eggplant) contain natural pigments called anthocyanins, which help protect your body from free-radical damage and fight heart disease and cancer as well as helping with inflammation (like arthritis).

Orange and yellow foods (such as carrots, apricots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, mango, pineapple, and tangerines) are typically colored by pigments calls “carotenoids,” such as lutein and zeaxanthin, many of which your body can convert to Vitamin A. The most common carotenoid found in fruit and vegetables is beta-carotene, which not only boosts the immune system, but also promotes proper cellular communication.

My favorite fruits and veggies are definitely cherries, watermelon, blueberries, and yellow/orange sweet peppers.

What are you waiting for, Dads? Go get you and your family some bright colorful food! And “NO” … Skittles don’t count!! ;-)

Source : CancerTruth

New Vegetarian, Body Changes?

When most people give up meat, they are loosing a number of vital nutrients that need to be replaced in other ways through diet. usually, you're loosing fat, protein, heme iron (which is more absorbable than non-heme found in vegetables), b12, and a myriad of other micronutrients.

So, in your diet, you need to make certain that you're getting enough protein (beans, nuts, seeds, pulses), and enough fats (nuts, seeds, oils such as olive, coconut, flax seed, hemp, etc). If you don't consume any animal products (eggs and dairy), you'll need to consume more vegetables rich in non-heme iron and possible increase your vitamin C intake to increase absorption. You'll also need to fortify your diet with b12 fortification, the best of which is to take a 1000 microgram sublingual tablet daily.

Your body is probably processing and passing the food more quickly because of your new-found higher fiber content. This may also be leading to stomach pains, as the body learns to process this amount of fiber. It will pass in a few days/weeks.

If you are experiencing hunger pains frequently, it is likely because you aren't getting enough fat and protein with your meals. Many new vegetarians practice 'nutrition by subtraction'--eating what they would normally eat without the meat. So, for example, if you normally eat chicken with rice and broccoli, you would eat just rice and broccoli. Well, no wonder you're hungry--that's not a balanced meal. Instead, practice 'nutrition by addition'--start with a whole grain, then add beans, nuts, or seeds to it (sometimes, i add all three--for example, curry with mixed veggies, chick peas, cashews, and watermelon or pumpkin seeds). next, add in your vegetables. make sure that you add some fats to your meal (at least 1 tbsp. of fat with each meal). If you're ovo-lacto, consider adding a moderate amount of dairy (for example, 1-2 tablespoons of cream is great in curries; or add a chopped hard boiled egg to your salad).

This will help you feel more satisfied and make certain that you're getting enough nutrients.

What Am I eating??

"We stopped eating meat many years ago. During the course of a Sunday lunch, we happened to look out of the kitchen window at our young lambs playing happily in the fields. Glancing down at our plates, we suddenly realised we were eating the leg of an animal who had until recently been playing in a field herself. We looked at each other and said "Wait a minute, we love these sheep - they're such gentle creatures. So why are we eating them?" It was the last time we ever did."
~ Paul and Linda McCartney

It takes a moment to change lives..

It takes a moment of thought to see and realize the truth! sadly most people can't afford even that!