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Monday, May 23

Is a low-phosphorus diet beneficial to renal patients?




Why is a low-phosphorus diet beneficial for renal disease management? What foods have phosphorous in them?

Answer R.D.N., L.D., Rachael Majorowicz

Phosphorus is a mineral that occurs naturally in a variety of meals and is also added to a variety of processed foods. When you consume phosphorus-rich meals, the majority of the phosphorus enters your bloodstream. Extra phosphorus is removed from the blood by healthy kidneys.


You can acquire a high phosphorus level in your blood if your kidneys aren't working properly, putting you at risk for heart disease, weak bones, joint discomfort, and even death.

If you have phosphorus restrictions,

The amount of phosphorus you require is determined by your kidney function. You may need to minimize phosphorus if you have early-stage renal disease or are on dialysis. Because phosphorus is included in almost every diet, this can be difficult.

Natural foods, rather than processed meals with added phosphorus, are recommended by current standards. Natural foods provide higher nutrients overall since your body absorbs less phosphorus from them. People who needed to reduce their phosphorus intake were taught for years to avoid eating healthful foods like whole grains, beans, and other plant-based meals. According to recent study, this isn't essential.


Carefully read food labels.

Phosphorus may be added to foods during processing to thicken, improve taste, prevent discolouration, or preserve them. Check food labels to determine whether any ingredients contain the phrase "phos." When attempting to cut down on phosphorus, stay away from items that include the word "phos" in the ingredient list.

Phosphorus is added to meals in the following ways:

Phosphate of calcium

Phosphate of disodium

Acid phosphoric

Phosphate of monopotassium

Pyrophosphate of sodium

tripolyphosphate sodium

Look up ingredient lists online or talk to your dietician about other options.

The easiest strategy to reduce phosphorus in your diet is to avoid foods high in phosphorus, such as:

  • Foods sold in gas stations, fast food, and other packaged and convenience foods

  • American cheese, processed cheese spreads in cans or jars, and block-form prepared cheese

  • Fresh or frozen meats with additional taste or fluids to keep them moist, sometimes known as "phos."

  • Cola and pepper-type sodas, a variety of flavored waters, a variety of bottled or canned teas, fruit punch, energy or sports drinks, a variety of powdered drink mixes, beer, and wine are just a few examples.

  • The table below shows several low-phosphorus foods that can be substituted with high-phosphorus diets. Even if a meal or drink has a low phosphorus content, you should still manage portion sizes and limit the number of servings you consume each day.


The table below shows several low-phosphorus foods that can be substituted with high-phosphorus diets. Even if a meal or drink has a low phosphorus content, you should still manage portion sizes and limit the number of servings you consume each day.

Phosphorus-rich foods

Foods with less phosphorus

Foods from fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and petrol stations

Options without "phos" in the ingredients or homemade meals or snacks produced with fresh ingredients

Nondairy creamers and enhanced milks, as well as milk, pudding, yogurt, soy milk, and nondairy creamers

Almond or rice milk that isn't enhanced

Cheese spreads and processed cheeses

brie, Swiss, cheddar, or mozzarella cheese (small quantity)

Cream cheese or sour cream made without fat

Sour cream or regular or low-fat cream cheese


Frozen yogurt or ice cream

Frozen fruit pops, sorbet, or sherbet


Breads, biscuits, cornbread, muffins, pancakes, and waffles are all quick breads.

Dinner rolls, bread, bagels, or English muffins made from scratch

Fresh or frozen meat, poultry, or fish containing "phos" in the components, as well as processed meats such as bacon, bologna, chicken nuggets, ham, and hot dogs.

Without "phos" in the components, lean beef, eggs, lamb, wild game, or poultry, seafood, or other fish

Chocolate or caramel-flavored products, such as chocolate beverages and candy bars


Gumdrops, jelly beans, hard candy, fruit snacks (in moderation)

Colas and pepper-type sodas, flavored waters, bottled teas, energy or sports drinks, beer, wine, and various drink mixes are all examples of this (any with "phos" in the ingredients)


Fresh-brewed coffee (made from beans) or brewed tea (made from tea bags); lemonade




Seek expert assistance.

Consult a qualified dietician for assistance in developing a food plan that matches your needs. A dietician can help you receive the nutrition you need while following your doctor's medical advice.

To assist reduce the amount of phosphorus your body absorbs from meals, your doctor may prescribe a phosphate binder prescription. These drugs are only marginally effective. You'll still need to keep your phosphorus intake in check.

Friday, October 9

Benefits of Breastfeeding—For Mom


HYANNIS – It has long been accepted that breastfeeding is good for babies, but the health benefits for mothers just keep on coming.
Past research showed that breastfeeding helps prevent breast cancer, especially for mothers who maintain the practice past the first year.  It also decreases the risk for ovarian cancer and type-2 diabetes.
Now a new study, published in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, shows breastfeeding also helps women’s hearts.

Monday, October 5

General Mills Recalls 2nd Batch Of Green Beans Laced With Listeria


Top food company General Mills is recalling 60,000 bags of its Cascadian Farm frozen green beans after one package was tested positive for listeria, which marks the second time that it has discovered the bacteria in its green beans this year.
The Minneapolis-headquartered firm states that no illnesses have been reported in both occasions. Listeria can pave the way for muscle aches, fever and death.
The recall was unraveled on Friday is intended for its 16-ounce bags of Cascadian Farm green beans that comes with  a “Better If Used By” date of June 29, 2017. The bags were made last June 2015.
No other variants or production dates are covered by this recall.
The recall is being handed out as a preventive measure although no illnesses linked with the aforementioned have been reported.
Last month, General Mills has recalled 60,000 bags of Cascadian Farm green beans that comes in 10-ounce packages. They were made last March 2014 and had used-by dates in April 2016.
Feel free to contact the Cascadian Farm at 800-624-4123 for a replacement.

Different forms of breast cancer.





Generally, breast cancer can either be categorized as either invasive or invasive and emanates from one of two parts (lobules or the milk ducts) of the breasts.
If the cancer is classified as noninvasive, or in situ, that implies that the disease is restrained to one area. The two most widespread kinds of in situ breast cancer are Lobular Carcinoma In Situ (LCIS) and Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS).
In situ cancers can progress into invasive, or more developed forms, so it is essential to treat these types of cancer as soon as possible. If the spreading of cancer cells is thwarted, LCIS and DCIS offers a significant 90% cure rate.
Invasive breast cancer has broken down in the layer of breast tissue in which it came from. It can pass through the bloodstream or lymphatic system then to the other parts of the body.
The two most renowned types of invasive breast cancer are Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC), which comprises around 80% of all breast cancers and emanates from the milk duct in the breast, and Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC), which begins in the milk ducts.
There are also rare types of breast cancer such as the inflammatory breast cancer, angiosarcoma, Paget’s disease of the nipple, and phyllodoes tumors of the breast. These less common forms of cancer materialized in various parts of the breast like lymph vessel, blood vessels, and connective tissue, for example.
If you want to have more details about breast cancer feel free to visit cbritton@cancerservices.org, or visit the Education Center at 550 Lobdell Ave., Baton Rouge.
Sources: theadvocate.com, National Cancer Institute – Breast Cancer, cancer.gov, American Cancer Society – Breast Cancer

Friday, October 2

Weight Lifting Could Help Breast Cancer Survivors Remain Physically Fit and Healthier



Survivors of breast cancer can use weight lifting to help them keep healthy, maintain the physical fitness that is required to carry out daily physical activities and live their lives more independently, a new research study at the University of Pennsylvania has revealed. This can also help them avoid falls, bone breakages, physical disabilities and even premature deaths.

Compared to other people, breast cancer survivors are also at a higher risk of developing the condition known as frailty, which is characterized by diminished strength in muscles, weakened bones and becoming exhausted fast.

The latest research study, whose findings were reported in the July 1st publication of the medical Journal of Clinical Oncology, involved data collected from the PAL (Physical Activity and Lymphedema) trial to examine the effect of gradually increased weight lifting on the general physical function of breast cancer survivors. Originally, this trial was developed to test the safety of weight lifting for breast cancer survivors facing high risks of lymphedema -- a severe swelling of the arms that often comes after treatment. The outcome was positive.

All the 295 women volunteers who were involved in this research had not spread (metastasized), with 148 of them taking part in a gradually progressive weight lifting exercise two times per week for one year while the remaining 147 acted as the control group. While 8.1% of women in the weight lifting group (12/148) had lost physical function by the end of the study period, double that number -- i.e. 24/147 representing 16.3% -- had experienced the same effect in the control group. In this research, a 10-point reduction on a scale that was derived from a questionnaire was used to define loss of physical function. The outcome of this study is significant because every 10-point reduction in physical function could lead to a rise in risk of premature death for survivors of breast cancer by up to 6%.

According to the authors of the research study, while their findings indicate a need for weight lifting to be made part of the physical therapy prescribed for survivors of breast cancer, further research will be required to prove whether other kinds of physical exercise such as walking or jogging can be used to accomplish similar health benefits.

More and More Men are going for Preventive Breast Cancer Surgery today

 Preventive Breast Cancer Surgery



According to collaborative research between the American Cancer Society and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, there is a very sharp increase in the number of men suffering from breast cancer who are also having their non-cancerous breast removed. Although a similar trend has been observed among U.S. women for the past two decades, there is no research evidence to prove that the extra mastectomy helps either women or men to live for longer.

The findings of the latest study were published online in the 2nd September, 2015 publication of the monthly medical journal, JAMA Surgery.

The North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, or NAACCR, provided the treatment data for over 6,000 men suffering from breast cancer who had also undergone surgery between 2004 and 2011 to remove the other breast following cancer diagnosis in one breast, a procedure referred to as bilateral mastectomy. Their figure had risen from 3% to 5.6% during this time, with most of them being white, younger and possessing private medical insurance cover.

In comparison, this percentage rose from 2.2% to 11% between 1998 and 2011 for women.

According to first author of the research paper, Ahmedin Jemal, DVM, PhD -- who is also the vice president of the ongoing medical research for surveillance & health services at the American Cancer Society -- the exponential rise in the number of people undergoing this expensive and serious surgery is paradoxical given the fact that scientists have not found any evidence of survival benefits associated with the procedure, and that this is coming at a time when medics are emphasizing more on both quality and value in patient cancer care. He also adds that there is a need for doctors to have a careful discussion with both their male and female breast cancer patients so that they are fully informed of the health benefits and risks -- as well as the costs -- associated with this procedure before deciding to go under the knife.

Due to the fact that breast cancer is not a common problem for men, with only about 2,350 new invasive breast cancer cases expected among U.S. men in 2015, regular screening mammograms are unnecessary for men. However, they should be keen to report any changes observed in their chest walls -- including lumps/swellings; redness/scaling of nipple or breast skin; nipple turning inward; discharge from nipple; or skin dimpling/puckering -- to their doctors for further action.

Tuesday, September 29

Gene test finds which breast cancer patients can skip chemo





Many women with early-stage breast cancer can skip chemotherapy without hurting their odds of beating the disease - good news from a major study that shows the value of a gene-activity test to gauge each patient's risk.

Friday, September 25

Over long term, diet and exercise are best to prevent diabetes




In a head-to-head comparison over 15 years, diet and exercise outperformed the drug metformin in preventing people at high risk for diabetes from developing the disease.
Metformin, which helps control blood sugar and can be used alone or in combination with insulin to treat type 2 diabetes, also lowered the risk of developing the disorder in the study group, just not as much as making healthy lifestyle changes did.
"The lifestyle intervention was more powerful in preventing or delaying diabetes development during the original three-year Diabetes Prevention Program and remains more powerful over the entire 15-year study," said professor David M. Nathan of George Washington University in Rockville, Maryland, a coauthor of the new paper.
"However, there are specific subgroups in which the lifestyle intervention had an even more powerful effect - specifically, those older than age 60," Nathan told Reuters Health by email. Metformin was relatively more effective in people younger than 60 and those who were more obese, he said.
The researchers followed up with the surviving participants of a diabetes prevention study between 1996 and 2001 that compared people randomly assigned to either an intensive lifestyle intervention or 850 milligrams of metformin twice daily and a group taking a placebo.
The participants were all overweight or obese and had elevated blood sugar levels, both factors that put them at very high risk for developing diabetes.
At the end of that study, the people following the lifestyle intervention, which included a low-fat, low-calorie diet and 15 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise daily, had a 58 percent lower risk of having developed diabetes compared to the placebo group. Those taking metformin were 31 percent less likely to have progressed to diabetes than those on placebo.
Since the lifestyle intervention had worked so well, all participants were offered a version of it for one year after the study concluded.
As of 2014, almost 90 percent of the original group, or 2,776 people, had been followed since the end of the first study, and based on their original group assignments, they were offered lifestyle reinforcement seminars twice yearly or continued to receive metformin.
After an average of 15 years, diabetes incidence was lower by 27 percent in the lifestyle intervention group and 18 percent in the metformin group compared to the placebo group.
In 2014, 55 percent of the lifestyle group, 56 percent of the metformin group and 62 percent of the placebo group had been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the results in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.
The researchers also tested for changes in the tiny blood vessels of the kidney and retina and for nerve damage over time, all of which are associated with diabetes. The presence of these "microvascular complications" did not differ between groups overall. But among women in particular, the lifestyle group was less likely to show this kind of damage.
People who did not develop diabetes were almost 30 percent less likely to have kidney, retina or nerve damage than those who did.
"The complications that we were studying represent the early manifestations of this microvascular disease and were generally asymptomatic," Nathan said. "It usually takes 10-20 years for these complications to become clinically serious."
It was surprising that although lifestyle changes did reduce the risk of diabetes, they did not always reduce the risk of microvascular complications, according to Dr. Anoop Misra, director of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases for Diabetes Foundation India, who authored a commentary alongside the new results.
"Metformin could be especially useful in people who are unable to follow diet and exercise strictly, who are obese, have polycystic ovarian disease, or cannot walk or exercise due to physical infirmity," Misra told Reuters Health by email. "It is a low cost drug, and could be useful in underprivileged populations also."
As the American Diabetes Association recommends, Nathan said, lifestyle interventions should be the first choice for diabetes prevention, with metformin recommended for younger and more obese people.

How strong is the science behind the U.S. Dietary Guidelines?


The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans influence nearly every aspect of how we eat, from the information on food labels to the ingredients in school lunches to the nutrition advice doctors give.
They're updated every five years, and new guidelines are expected this fall, after a report from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.
The committee's leader has emphasized the importance of including only the best medical evidence and said all committee members are vetted.
But an article published Wednesday in the British Medical Journal said the report used to set the guidelines might be biased and could come from an incomplete survey of the current research.
The 2015 report "used weak scientific standards (which) seems to have made the report vulnerable to internal bias as well as outside agendas," food journalist Nina Teicholz wrote in the British Medical Journal.
    Nutrition experts said the debate likely won't change the guidelines or the way consumers eat -- but it may spark frustration as they try to get a clear answer: What does a healthy diet look like?

    The research behind a healthy diet

    The 2015 dietary guidelines report relied on existing reviews of the evidence base, rather than conducting original reviews, but the committee left out important studies, according to Teicholz, who wrote the book, "The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet." The reviews have examined, for example, clinical trials and observational studies on whether there is a link between saturated fat consumption and heart disease and have come up with conflicting results.
    The result is that the 2015 dietary guidelines report overstated the evidence for the health risks of saturated fats and understated the importance of a low-carbohydrate diet, Teicholz said. Although the recent report broke with earlier publications by exonerating cholesterol and avoiding a limit on total fats in the diet, it did state that saturated fats should not exceed 10% of total calories.
    "I think (Teicholz) has really put her finger on something important here," said Jeff Volek, a professor of human sciences at Ohio State University, who has criticized the dietary guidelines in the past. "The committee certainly missed the boat on a lot of existing data" that suggest saturated fats are not associated with heart disease and other chronic health problems, Volek said. He argued that the advisory committee didn't give enough credit to some large analyses, as well as some of his own studies on saturated fat and heart disease.
    Advice to restrict saturated fat has backfired, Volek said, because people replaced those calories with carbohydrates and sugar, and rates of obesity and diabetes in the country continue to rise. Instead, diets low in carbohydrates and without limits on saturated fats should be an option, especially for people with diabetes and prediabetes, he said. He noted that the 2015 report does include some changes he sees as positive, such as not recommending a limit on total fat.
    Barbara Millen, chairwoman of the most recent advisory committee, told CNN that all of the best studies on saturated fat and carbohydrates were considered for the report. To be included, studies had to meet a long list of criteria, such as looking at health effects of dietary components over a long enough period of time.
    The committee relied on existing analyses of research only if they included the most relevant studies, said Millen, who is president of Millennium Prevention, a company that develops technologies to manage diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. If not, the advisory committee commissioned its own original analyses.
    Criticism of the British Medical Journal piece was published in The Verge, which said some of the studies Teicholz noted were not relevant or were outside of the purview of the report. The focus of the committee's report, the Verge writer noted, is on maintaining health and not on preventing disease.

    Exploring conflicts on the committee

    The British Medical Journal article raises the possibility of conflicts of interest among members of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. For example, Millen's Millennium Prevention sells mobile apps for monitoring health, and the report recommends self-monitoring technologies. Other members of the committee have received research funding from companies that make vegetable oil products and groups that advocate eating nuts.
    There could be pressure to maintain status quo guidelines, possibly because scientists have staked their careers on certain dietary paradigms or because of pressure from food industry groups, Volek said.
    The committee might not be in the best position to judge the most relevant studies, said Edward Archer, an obesity theorist at the Obesity and Nutrition Research Center at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture "choose people who are going to agree with previous guidelines," Archer said.
    But Millen said consultants and committee members were extensively vetted and "determined to have no conflicts that were related to this report, end of story."
    "What is important is that you are very transparent about (potential conflicts of interest), and the vetting the federal government does is extraordinary," Millen said.
    The points raised in the journal article probably won't change much about how consumers eat, said Jeanne P. Goldberg, professor of nutrition at Tufts University and director of the graduate program in nutrition communication and behavior change. These reports used to set the guidelines are too complicated for the average person to use as dietary guides, and professionals and policymakers have probably already formed their opinions, Goldberg said. She is not on the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, but two of her Tufts colleagues are.
    She said the report is a good update, and science will always involve adding more data and gathering expert opinions.
    What the controversy could do is cause "consumers to want to throw up their hands (because) it plays out in the media as 'the science can't get it right,'" Goldberg said.

    US diet committee calls criticism 'woefully inadequate and factually incorrect'


    Earlier this week, the British Medical Journal published an error-laden "investigation" of US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's February report, which informs the new dietary guidelines that the government will release later this year. Because of the journal's prestige, a number of news outlets — including Time, Newsweek, and Mother Jones —reported the story without questioning the faulty reporting. Now, the committee is shooting back.
    The "article is woefully misleading and in many cases, factually incorrect," the committee writes in its response, published on the BMJ's website. The response also points out that the author of the investigation, Nina Teicholz, "is a self-identified investigative reporter who has been on a quest for quite a long time to promote her own book in the popular press entitled The Big Fat Surprise: Why butter, meat and cheese belong in a healthy diet."
    TEICHOLZ HAS BEEN "ON A QUEST FOR QUITE A LONG TIME TO PROMOTE HER OWN BOOK."
    Every five years, the US government publishes a new set of dietary guidelines. These guidelines are incredibly important; they affect everything from school lunches to scientific research. But the BMJ got snookered into publishing some pro-fat propaganda — providing more ammunition for a meat industry that wants to nix the committee's advice on lowering the consumption of red meat.
    As The Verge reported on Wednesday, the BMJ's investigation is full of erroneous statements. For instance, Teicholz faults the committee for "deleting meat" from the list of recommended foods. She does this even though the report clearly states that "lean meats can be a part of a healthy dietary pattern." She also says that the committee's analysis of nutrition science overlooked a number of key studies, including one performed on people with type 2 diabetes. This criticism is ridiculous; the dietary guidelines aren't supposed to be used to manage an illness, so including that study in the committee's analysis would have been incorrect. The guidelines can only be used to promote good health and lower the risk of chronic illness — once someone receives a diabetes diagnosis, the guidelines aren't applicable anymore.
    The committee addresses and refutes Teicholz’s claims, calling them unfounded:
    The BMJ report is also highly misleading by stating that the 2015 DGAC continues to recommend low-fat high carb eating patterns. The DGAC report explicitly states that "dietary advice should put the emphasis on optimizing types of dietary fat and not reducing total fat" and that "The consumption of ‘low-fat’ or ‘nonfat’ products with high amounts of refined grains and added sugars should be discouraged."
    FAULTING THE COMMITTEE FOR "DELETING MEAT."
    When The Verge spoke with Teicholz about her statements regarding the supposed "deletion of meat," she countered that "the report does not have a clear sense of what it wants to say." When we pointed out that a study on type 2 diabetes is entirely irrelevant, she showed a shaky understanding of the committee's mandate. "I guess that your point is [the committee] has a mandate to prevent diabetes and not cure diabetes," Teicholz told The Verge on the phone. "Well I think if you talk to any scientist they will [say] you don’t have one approach for preventing a disease, another for fighting a disease, and another for curing a disease — it’s all part of the same approach of what is a healthy diet."
    Starting Tuesday, The Verge reached out to the BMJ six times by email and six times by phone. Press officers responded on occasion and promised that an editor would get back to us — but so far, none have.
    It is truly unfortunate that the BMJ saw fit to publish such a poorly reported and abysmally fact-checked "investigative" piece (a note at the bottom of the article states that it was, apparently, fact-checked). Now that the story has spread to mainstream outlets, the faulty and inaccurate investigation will likely be used by the meat lobby to undercut the sciencebehind the 2015 dietary guidelines.

    Create Your Plate for diabetes




    Did you know it’s no longer necessary for a person with diabetes to eliminate sweets and other favorite foods from their diet? Create Your Plate is a healthy eating plan that helps diabetics manage their blood glucose levels by monitoring what they eat.

    There is still a misconception that people with diabetes can’t eat their favorite foods or that they have to purchase special foods for their condition. It wasn’t too long ago that people with diabetes were told that they couldn’t eat food that contained sugar and were instructed to avoid certain types of carbohydrates. Medical research studies now show that people with diabetes no longer have to avoid certain foods and can manage their blood glucose levels by monitoring what and how much they eat. Of course this can vary from person to person.

    If you have diabetes, or live with and/or care for a person with diabetes, The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends using the “Create Your Plate” to plan meals and manage blood glucose levels. Here are ADA’s seven simple steps to get started:

    Using a dinner plate, draw an imaginary line down the middle of the plate. On one side, cut it in half again so that there are a total of 3 sections on the plate.
    The largest section of the plate should be filled with non-starchy vegetables. Examples include spinach, carrots, lettuce, green beans, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers and turnips.
    One of the smaller sections should include grains and starchy foods. Examples include whole grain breads (whole wheat or rye), whole grain/high fiber cereal, rice, pasta, cooked beans/peas, potatoes, corn, winter squash, snack crackers/chips, pretzels and light popcorn.
    The other smaller section should be protein such as chicken/turkey (without the skin), fish, seafood (shrimp, clams, oyster, crab or mussels), lean cuts of beef or pork, eggs and low-fat cheese.
    A serving of fruit should be added, as well as a serving of dairy.
    Make sure to choose healthy fats in smaller amounts. Some great choices include nuts and seeds for snacking, olive or canola oil for cooking and vinaigrette’s for dressings.
    Add a low calorie drink such as water, unsweetened tea or coffee, to complete your meal.
    It’s important that people with diabetes remember to:

    Eat breakfast
    Regularly space their meals and snacks over the day
    Not skip meals
    Eat the same amount of food at each meal.
    Spacing your meals at regular times allows the body a chance to produce and use its insulin. It also allows for diabetes medication to work towards keeping your energy level up. The goal of eating regular amounts of food at each meal is to maintain an even energy flow and blood sugar level throughout the day.

    Michigan State University Extension recommends that you consult with your health care provider before making any significant changes to your diet. If you are looking for more information on diabetes, MSU Extension offers classes that help participants build skills in managing their diabetes.

    This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://bit.ly/MSUENews. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

    Monday, February 2

    Vegan Food - Veganism



    Diet plays a critical role when it comes to our overall health and well-being. As such, it is important to establish the best type of diet that will enable your body to generate the necessary energy, as well as fight off diseases. The internet is awash with many ideas on some of the diets that you can consider in your meals. It can be quite confusing when you are searching for the best or most effective diet to meet your expectations. One of the common types of diets is the veganism.

    Veganism is a vegetarian diet that focuses on eliminating certain foods from your diet. Some of the foods excluded from the diet include meat, dairy products, eggs and other animal related ingredients. Due to the nature of their diets, vegan’s diets include grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and beans. It is worth to note that vegans have their own hot dogs, ice cream and cheese. Sticking to a vegan diet comes with a number of benefits. Some of these benefits include avoiding diets related to conditions such as cancer and diabetes. In essence, most of the medical and health problems facing people emanate from the diet. In this case, the fat from meats and cholesterol from beef products is a leading cause of heart-related conditions. As such, avoiding these foods in your diet is a great way of ensuring that you remain healthy.


    Secondly, vegans eat foods that are rich in nutrients and vital components that boost the body’s immune system. Studies reveal that vegans are less likely to fall ill from lifestyle illnesses that accost people who are not vegans. In essence, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits have a high content when it comes to nutrients and fiber. These plant-based nutrients contain high levels of protein. Some of the foods that contain high protein content include the peanuts, soy, and beans. Having them in the diet has a major impact on the general development of the body. As such, vegans tend to remain healthy and strong when compared to people who are not vegans.
    If you would like to be a vegan, it is important to do so in a gradual process. Essentially, to be a long-term vegan, you need to start by being a vegetarian. In fact, most of the vegans were vegetarians who made a gradual shift to becoming vegans. Even if one could jump straight into it, you need to establish some of the challenges that you will encounter. Having the right information will enable you to have the right frame of mind when you are becoming a vegan.
    The choice to be a vegan is quite liberating. Vegans do not struggle with the urges and cravings that lead them to eat toxic food substances. In addition, being a vegan is a great way to uphold animal rights. As most vegans agree, avoiding to eating meat gives the animals the right to exist freely in the world. In the end, it is an effective way of perpetuating a cruelty-free society.
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