You may recall the ads milk, cheese and yogurt producers have been running that claim three servings a day (3 a Day) of dairy helps burn fat.

The dairy producers rely mainly on one study from a University of Tennesse researcher that apparently is suspect because he receives funding from the dairy industry. Well, if you receive funding from an industry that you are conducting research for, then yes, I would call that suspect!

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which advocates a vegan diet and led by Neal Barnard MD, feels strongly enough about the fact this is largely a way to get people to eat more dairy (and feel good about it - in my opinion), that they have filed suit against dairy groups to stop using the ads.

There is more than just one study that concludes that eating dairy keeps you at the same weight or increases it, but also the dozens of side effects and links to health problems. Can these be discounted against just one study?

Read more about the suit at the Washington Post.

Peace, joy and health!

Mark
http://vegandiet.blogspot.com

A new study released last month notes the benefits of a plant-based (vegan) diet for overweight individuals.

Here's the conclusion of the study:

"Adoption of a low-fat, vegan diet was associated with significant weight loss in overweight postmenopausal women, despite the absence of prescribed limits on portion size or energy intake."

What's interesting to note here is that the significant weight loss existed even though the study participants weren't instructed on how little or much to eat, or how much to exercise.

I believe this establishes that a natural, whole food and vegan diet is not only the healthiest option, but also resets your body to its "optimal" weight regardless of how much you eat or exercise. You see, you can pretty much eat all the fresh fruits and vegetables you like without gaining weight. Your body craves nutrients, it uses what it needs and discards the rest.

This contrasts eating an abundance of processed foods that your body sees as "foreign" (since they are not in a natural state) and either stores as fat or accumulates in your digestive system - both unhealthy options and one of the sources of the obesity epidemic in our society today.

Read more about the study at the American Journal of Medicine.

Keep it healthy, keep it moving!

Mark

When transitioning to a raw food diet, meeting others that are raw or transitioning can be quite helpful. In fact some will say it's essential to thriving with raw food living.

Where do you find link-minded individuals interested in raw foods in your area?

One of the better places is at a raw food potluck dinner. I just attended my first potluck here in Phoenix, AZ and not only were the dishes delicious, those that I met were interesting and a pleasure to get to know. One of the important, although often overlooked parts of transitioning to a raw food lifestyle is the social aspect. You needn't be alone. Meeting others that share a passion for better health and whole, living foods is not only fun, but helps many stay with the lifestyle, answer questions, share personal experiences and make friends that are like-minded.

A great place to find raw food events in your area is at MeetUp.com. Just look for your city and then search for either raw food or vegetarian/vegan events. MeetUp.com lists thousands of events for all sorts of interests and hobbies, and they're adding more every day.

Go find a potluck in your area and enjoy the raw delights!

Mark
Vegan / Raw Diet

We know how delicious and good fruit is for you. Here's a study showing another benefit... seeing.

A recent study published in the June 2004 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.

In this study, which involved over 70,000 women and over 40,000 men, researchers evaluated the effect of consumption of fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARM, a more severe form of the illness associated with vision loss.

Food intake information was collected periodically for up to 18 years for women and 12 years for men. While, surprisingly, intakes of vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids were not strongly related to incidence of either form of ARM, fruit intake was definitely protective against the severe form of this vision-destroying disease.

To your best health,

All good things!

Mark

I'm often asked for low fat or no fat raw vegan recipes. Here's one we came up with today and it was delicious. It's satisfying, tastes great and takes just a few minutes to make. Most importantly, it has no overt fat!

Read more...

Here are some pictures of delicious raw dishes I've prepared over the last few months. Recipes and more pictures to come. Enjoy!

Create your mini album at ShowMyPics.com

To your best health!

Mark
Vegan Raw Diet

A truly inspiring video of an interview with long term raw vegan Storm Talifero and his brother Mike Talifero who recovered from cancer by switching his eating habits to a completely raw vegan diet. What you'll find interesting
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