By Pamela A. Popper, Ph.D., N.D. Dr. Pam Popper is a naturopath, nutritionist and the Executive Director of The Wellness Forum.

One of the more inaccurate claims made by companies and individuals selling healthy products these days is that certain fruits, berries or juices are more nutritious and that eating or drinking these particular products offers an advantage over the every-day foods you might purchase at your local store. 

I disagree with these marketing techniques for many reasons, one of which is that they mislead people into thinking that they can improve their health with one product or food and the science is clear that it is the totality of the diet that makes the difference, not the inclusion of a single food or juice.

My other issue is that all plant foods are nutrient dense; you do not need to stand in the produce section and ponder which apples you should buy or which berries are have the most antioxidants.  They are all good, and some recent research at Ohio State University confirms this.

Dr. Gary Stoner at OSU has been conducting research on whole berries and their ability to prevent the development of esophageal cancer in rodents.  His research is unusual in that he uses whole foods instead of looking for the magic bullet nutrient in the berries that has the causative effect.  He has used black raspberries in much of his research. 

 Stoner and his researchers took seven types of berries, including regular, every-day blueberries, strawberries and red raspberries, as well as noni, acai and wolfberries, which are represented to be far superior.  The berries were turned into freeze-dried powders and mixed into the rodents’ chow. 

 The result – all seven berries were equally effective in preventing the development of esophageal cancer in the rodents.  The researchers concluded that although black raspberries have a higher concentration of anthocyanins and ellagitannins than the other berries, “…each type of berry contains unique compounds that are responsible for their cancer protective effects,” said Dr. Stoner. 

The next time someone tries to sell you very expensive fruit or juice, claiming that it has better benefits than all other fruits, you’ll know better!

 Kashappa Goud H. Desai, Karl F. Olsen, Susan R. Mallery, Gary D. Stoner and Steven P. Schwendeman   “Formulation and In Vitro-In Vivo Evaluation of Black Raspberry Extract-Loaded PLGA/PLA Injectable Millicylindrical Implants for Sustained Delivery of Chemopreventive Anthocyanins.”

Pharmaceutical Research, Volume 27, Number 4 / April, 2010

“Unfortunately, with the exception of a few national brands (check out Annie’s, Inc. Massa Organics, and Lundberg Farms for a good start), there is no easy way to avoid Monsanto.”

Good First Steps

While it’s extremely difficult to entirely avoid Monsanto, there are some basic guidelines that anyone can use to minimize the genetically modified organisms in their lives.

1. Avoid processed foods. In particular, eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) from your diet and be sure to read labels. HFCS appears in everything from sodas to wheat bread.
2. Consider going vegetarian, limiting your meat consumption, or buying grass-fed varieties. Over 60 percent of genetically modified corn goes to feed cattle on polluting concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in America. 
3. Buy organic dairy products. This is particularly important for the parents out there. The hormones in regular milk have been shown to bring on early puberty and are currently under investigation for contributing to a host of other health problems in our little ones.
4. Buy organic cotton when you can. Even though cotton makes up only 2.5 percent of the world’s crops, it is doused with 16 percent of the world’s pesticides. Cotton pesticides, most of which are listed as “extremely hazardous” by the World Health Organization, turn up regularly in water sources around the globe.

“What most amazed me during my month without Monsanto was the influence that one corporation had in my daily life–without me knowing anything about it. Once I started looking, Monsanto was everywhere. Once I started making the effort to avoid it, I found something else that surprised me: the confidence that comes from really knowing what I’m eating.”  Read More

Savvy Veg Comment: Going veg, eating local, having a garden, buying organic food, cooking from scratch, avoiding processed food, are all the ways that my family avoids GMOs in our diet. Knowing that almost all processed foods contain GMOs is strong motivation! Stronger motivation yet is knowing about the nature of GMOs – what they are, and their far-reaching potential for harm in our lives. More Info on GMOs

The message that we need to eat at least 6 servings a day of fruit and vegetables seems to be having a positive impact on our food choices. By eating fruits and vegetables in a variety of different colors, you get the best all-around health benefits.

When it comes to children, we all know how fussy they can be! It’s often useful to offer them small amounts of different colored types of vegetables, that can be less overwhelming than one large portion of dreaded broccoli. More on getting kids to eat vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are ‘whole foods’, rich in a large amount of nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals. Tomatoes for example are extremely rich in lycopene, a phytochemical that may reduce risk of cancer by activating special cancer preventive enzymes called phase II detoxification enzymes, which remove harmful carcinogens from cells and the body.

While many types of fruit and vegetables can be eaten uncooked, some can’t, and many of us choose not to eat them in their raw state. But what is the effect of different cooking methods on the macronutrients and antioxidants in vegetables?

Microwave cooking is an energy-saving, convenient, and time-saving cooking method. However, the effects on food are controversial. While the effects of microwave cooking on nutritive values of moisture, protein, carbohydrate, lipid, minerals, and vitamins appear minimal, it is the actual changes in the molecular structure of nutrients that still seem unclear. As a consequence many people choose to avoid or limit microwave cooking.

Generally, water is not the cook’s best friend when it comes to preparing vegetables. Many of the vitamins and minerals in vegetables and fruit are water soluble. Any cooking process that involves contact with water will deplete levels of nutrients to different extents (boiling is the worst, whilst steaming is much more nutrient friendly).

Stir frying on the other hand, usually involves the use of some kind of cooking oil into which water soluble nutrients are unable to enter. Not only does stir frying vegetables help retain nutrient levels, but the resulting texture and color can be more appetizing than with other cooking methods  - and stir fry is quick!

There is always some nutritional value lost in cooking. However, the degree of vitamin and mineral losses is influenced by various factors, for example the type of food, variety of food, preparation techniques, duration and method of cooking.

Savvy Veg Note: Cooking vegetables in soups, stews and casseroles is another way, besides stir-frying, to get the most nutrition from your veggies. Any nutrients that dissolve are consumed along with the cooking liquid or broth. Or soaks into other ingredients.

Article author Dr. Nina Bailey, PhD, is a nutrition scientist working in the areas of dietary health and nutritional intervention, with emphasis on the role of essential fatty acids in conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome and depression. 

Let me start by saying I am not a vegetarian, however my 20 month old daughter is allergic to dairy, eggs, and all nuts. I am concerned that there are several key nutrients she may be either low on or not getting, among them protein.

Her doctor recently suggested I add tofu to her diet…is this enough? We already eat soy yogurt and soynut butter and soymilk. I have removed all allergens from the house…what other foods can I use to replace those she’s allergic to? I want to make sure she has as healthy a start as possible.

Thank you – Rebecca S.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi Rebecca, thanks for writing! Kids love tofu, and it’s high in protein. There are lots of great tofu recipes on Savvy Veg. Some kid favorites are tofu burgers, pasta, tofu & veggies, tofu quiche, and fried tofu.

But rather than focus exclusively on soy foods, you could add beans and lentils, mashed to make them easier to digest and also to disguise them, to her diet. Or cooked in veggie soups and stews, until very soft. Crockpot lima bean stew and mung dhal veggie soup are two easily digested examples.

Kids, even as young as 20 months, usually like mild hummus.  ( if you make the recipe on Savvy Veg , omit the garlic). Lentil burgers or black bean burgers might also appeal to her – something she can eat with her hands. Check our bean recipes for these and other recipes to try.

I’m assuming she can eat sunflower, sesame or pumpkin seeds, chia seeds or flax seeds, ground up and added to other foods or made into a paste? Remember too that all veggies and most fruits have some protein, which adds up over the course of the day.  A one cup serving of avocado, for example, has 3 grams of protein, and a medium potato with skin has 4 grams. And whole grains like quinoa, brown rice and oatmeal have significant amounts of protein in each serving.

From what I’ve read, and my own experience, giving her lots of those foods should also help the food allergy situation by making her diet more alkaline and adding a wide variety of vitamins and minerals not found in non-plant foods.

I know that this is a challenge but here’s the upside: This will encourage the whole family to move toward a healthier diet!

By the way, it might be helpful to check out our article on Vegan Baking Substitutions.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Humans have been processing their food in various ways for thousands of years, right? Freezing, drying, preserving and canning come to mind.

So what’s the problem? I recently sampled a brand of veggie burger which shall remain anonymous as there isn’t much to choose between the various brands.

I found the veggie burger tasty, then I dug deeply into the ingredient list. My research strengthened my resolve, never to eat a “processed food” that has more than three or four ingredients, ones that I know are safe for me to eat.

Take a look at the long list of ingredients on most packages of processed foods, and you won’t find much actual food. What food there is has had the life processed right out of it, beyond recognition. Then there are all the ingredients whose names we can’t pronounce, and hidden ingredients the manufacturers don’t want us to know about.

The 100% hidden ingredient in processed food is genetically modified organisms or GMOs:

The main GMO crops are soy and corn, abundant in most processed foods in various forms: e.g. HFCS or high fructose corn syrup, TVP (soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate), soy sauce, preservatives and flavor enhancers like modified corn starch, xanthan gum, yeast extract and maltodextrin.

Jeffrey M. Smith, Institute for Responsible Technology, Explains Why GMOs Are Bad For You:

“Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are the result of laboratory processes which artificially insert foreign genes into the DNA of food crops or animals. Those genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Although banned by food manufacturers in Europe and elsewhere, the FDA does not require any safety evaluations. Most Americans say they would not eat GMOs if labeled, but the U.S. does not require labeling. GMOs are not safe, but have been in the food supply since 1996 and are now present in the vast majority of processed foods in the US.”

“Genetically modified foods are linked to toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals. (See summary in Jeffrey M. Smith’s book Genetic Roulette)

For more information on GMO’s, browse our Non-GMO Articles Index.

Another common ingredient,  mostly hidden, in processed foods is MSG:

That’s right, even if MSG isn’t listed on the processed food label, chances are very very good, it’s in there, and lots of it. How else could they get us to want to eat that stuff? 

According to MSGTruth, the following, present in many processed foods, contain MSG: autolyzed yeast  extract (found in many processed AMERICAN foods), TVP or textured vegetable protein, soy protein isolate, soy sauce, carageenan, dough conditioners (e.g Microgard), mushrooms (naturally high in free glutamate), “natural flavors” (may contain up to 20% msg). 

The Fit Shack tells why MSG is so bad for us and makes us fat:

“I first learned a little bit more about MSG while reading the book “You On A Diet“. There is a small side line about it on page 117 that states that MSG may influence the body’s metabolism in a negative way. It “over stimulates the glutamine receptors of the brain”, which means that it heightens the salty and sweet tastes of the dish containing MSG, while at the same time, it dampens the bitter and sour tastes. Interestingly enough, MSG “may cause us to eat more” (Remember my post on HFCS? It does the same thing), and it can also cause higher levels of insulin to be produced.”

1. MSG stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin. As mentioned above, “You On A Diet” pointed this out, however on MSGTruth, it is made a bit clearer to me. You see, MSG stimulates the pancreas to release insulin into the blood stream even when there are not any carbohydrates in the dish for the insulin to act on.

Your blood sugar ends up dropping because of this flood of insulin, and then you end up hungry again an hour or so later. Reading this gave me a “Wow” moment because of that saying “No matter how much Chinese food you eat, you still end up hungry an hour later.” I never connected this with the additive MSG. This really gives you something to think about, especially if you are working on losing weight.

2. MSG tricks your body into thinking that the food you are eating is nutritious, even if it is not. The reason for this is that your taste buds detect the free glutamic acid that is in MSG. In “taste bud language”, this translates to “hey, there’s protein in this food I’m tasting!”. Therefore, your brain gets the signal that the food you are eating is actually nutritious, while more than likely, it is not.

The pervasive pairing of fat and salt:

Processed food, including fast food, often is loaded with fat and salt, because that’s what makes it taste so good. It’s also what makes you fat, clogs your arteries, and aggravates high blood pressure, putting you at risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke. If you have a lot of processed foods in your diet, chances are very good that your intake of fat and salt is far beyond the recommended daily limit. 2400 mg of sodium is 100% of the RDA. So is 16 grams of saturated fat.   There is no RDA for trans fat – i.e. you shouldn’t eat any if you can help it.    In comparing a daily omnivore menu with a vegetarian menu - both reasonably healthy – we found that adding a hamburger and fries to  an otherwise reasonable healthy daily diet boosted fat and sodium into the danger zone. Substitute more processed and fast food at other meals, and you could easily get double or triple the RDA for fat and sodium. Read the labels, or save yourself the trouble and just say no to processed food.

And then, there’s High Fructose Corn Syrup:

Even though the veggie burgers I sampled didn’t have high fructose corn syrup, it’s in so many processed foods, I had to talk about it. 

We all know by now that HFCS is bad for you, but we’re a little fuzzy on the details, and we don’t realize how widespread it’s use in processed foods. And HFCS is also a hidden food, often listed only as “sugars”. I searched onHFCS and here’s what I found out:

First of all, High Fructose Corn Syrup is made from GMO corn. See Institute for Responsible Technology for why this is bad. Second, during the manufacturing process,HFCS is contaminated by mercury, which puts you in danger of mercury poisoning if you eat a lot of processed foods containing HFCS. Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable.

An excellent article, by Christopher R. Mohr, MS, RD, LDN provided a lot of useful information about HFCS.

Common Foods High in HFCS

• Regular soft drinks
• Fruit juice and fruit drinks that are not 100 percent juice
• Pancake syrups
• Popsicles
• Fruit-flavored yogurts
• Frozen yogurts
• Ketchup and BBQ sauces
• Jarred and canned pasta sauces
• Canned soups
• Canned fruits (if not in its own juice)
• Breakfast cereals
• Highly sweetened breakfast cereals

Problems Caused by Too Much HFCS

• It can lead to higher caloric intake
• It can lead to an increase in bodyweight
• It fools your body into thinking it’s hungry
• It increases the amount of processed foods you eat, thereby decreasing your intake of nutrient-dense foods
• It may increase insulin resistance and triglycerides

Here’s Chris Mohr’s advice on how to avoid HFCS:

If HFCS is one of the first ingredients listed on a food label, don’t eat it. Make a mental list of the worst culprits, such as regular soft drinks and many highly sweetened breakfast cereals. HFCS alone won’t make you fat, but when HFCS is high on the ingredient list, the food is not the best choice. As part of a lifestyle that has many of us eating too much and moving too little, we’re putting our health at risk if we don’t choose our foods carefully.

So what’s the answer? It’s easy. Avoid HFCS by reading food labels and shopping the grocery store’s perimeter: Produce is on one side, seafood, meat and poultry on another, and dairy products, eggs and bread on the third. Avoid the center aisles, which are mostly stocked with highly processed foods.

The more you stick to fresh whole foods and avoid commercial and highly processed foods, the less HFCS you will consume.

Savvy Veg Note: Eating a healthy vegetarian diet with lots of fresh fruit and veg, nuts & seeds, legumes and whole grains, is a great way to avoid not only HFCS, but also GMOs, MSG, and excessive fat and salt.

Cooked oatmeal has 11 grams of protein per 1 cup serving, 19% of the daily iron requirement, 33% daily fiber, 19% daily carbs, a pinch of omega 3, and no cholesterol.

Oatmeal is a good source of the essential mineral Phosphorus (stored in the bones at normally a 1:2 ratio to calcium) and trace minerals Selenium (works with Vit. E to support antioxidant enzymes, supports cardiovascular health, thyroid and nervous system), and Manganese (critical to metabolism of bones, essential for enzyme reactions, and healthy brain, thyroid, & nervous systems).  More about essential minerals

Oatmeal is higher in fat than most grains, supplying 8% of the daily fat requirement. Yes, we do need those good fats!

When you enhance your oatmeal with goodies like ground flaxseed or chia seed, dried fruit, nuts, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, and non-dairy milk – it’s easy to see that the nutritional benefits of eating oatmeal for breakfast are mind-boggling! A person could almost live on oatmeal! (sadly, oatmeal has nothing green or orange)

If you or your kids still balk at eating oatmeal, in spite of the many benefits, don’t despair! Rolled oats or quick oats are wonderful in oatmeal date nut muffins, or oatmeal coconut chocolate chip cookies.

Oatmeal is an important ingredient in granola, and in toppings for rhubarb crisp or apple crisp.

You can also use oatmeal as a binder in tofu burgers and black bean veggie burgers.

The freshest and cheapest way to buy oatmeal is in bulk. (Buy organic if possible.) Most natural food stores have bulk sections, and many food chains do too. And they all stock oatmeal, because it’s the REAL Breakfast of Champions!

Message for Savvy Vegetarian:

I’m really bothered by the fact that you keep telling people to go to Anne Collins’ website. I had to search for quite a few minutes to find her credentials and, to my surprise, she is not a Registered Dietitian.

I believe only a Registered Dietitian specialized in vegetarian diets should give advice to vegetarians. On weight loss, weight gain, pregnancy, teen diet, disease etc.

They are trained, they undergo an examination to be “registered”…, they get a lot of hours of practice in different settings and continue to learn to keep themselves informed in their area of expertise.

I cannot call myself a doctor if I read a few anatomy and physiology books, can I? Thank you for your time – A. H.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi A. H. Thanks for writing about this issue. Much appreciated!

After reviewing her site again, and reading a lot of reviews, some con, mostly pro, and looking at the options, I stand behind my recommendation of Anne Collins vegetarian weight loss program for several reasons:

1. It’s true that MDs and RDs get years of training, and keep up the required continuing education throughout their careers. But just because someone can add Dr. or RD after his/her name is no reason to assume that person knows much about weight loss or vegetarian diet.

2. I know of just a handful of publicly available RDs who specialize in vegetarian nutrition. Many of these are vegan, which is a small percentage of the already small vegetarian niche. Plus, there is a great deal more to successful weight loss than the medical and nutritional aspects – self-esteem, family, culture, food addiction, body type, exercise etc.  

3. Which means that being an RD isn’t necessarily a qualification for running an online weight loss support program. There are many NON-RDs writing books and running support sites on diet and weight loss – including me. My expertise is based on over 40 years experience as a vegetarian, and extensive self-education. I regularly consult qualified vegetarian or vegan RDs, either in person or by reading their books and sites. I have a hunch that Anne Collins also stays informed, and she is clearly knowledgeable about weight loss.

4. Even though she isn’t a Registered Dietitian, I’m satisfied that the Anne Collins weight loss programs are sound. There aren’t so many sensible options in low cost vegetarian weight loss programs and support groups available for people wanting to lose weight through a vegetarian diet, and Anne Collins is one of the best rated options. The fact that she isn’t a vegetarian herself, and doesn’t specialize in vegetarian nutrition is a minor point, in my opinion, compared to what she offers for $19.95 per year.

I recommend books and websites from the following officially qualified people, who address the topic of vegetarian weight loss: Vesanto Melina, Brenda Davis, Dina Aronson, Virginia Messina, Dr. Dean Ornish. I’m sure there are more, but their names escape me – my apologies for leaving out anybody important.

And here are 100 weight loss tips from Top Dietitians of the American Dietetic Association – they’ll work whether or not you’re vegetarian.

Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

More Posts About Vegetarian Weight Loss:
Busy Vegetarian Wants To Lose Weight, Get Fit Without Exercise
Healthy 60 Year Old Vegetarian Wants To Lose Weight
Overweight Mom Wants to Lose Weight
Vegetarian Weight Loss and Heart Health Success Story
Will vegetarian diet help me lose weight and get healthy?

Dear Savvy Vegetarian:

About 7 days ago, I begin a plant based diet, eating organic vegetables when they are available.  I have always had constipation problems and I was hoping this diet would resolve that. 

Are there some vegetables that I should eat more of? So far my diet consists of oatmeal, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, onions, asparagus, carrots, lentils and both sweet and regular potatoes. I am eating these mostly raw except for the potatoes and oatmeal.

Your website is wonderful and it has helped on many questions with this exception. In 7 days, I have only eliminated once and that is because I took something to make that happen.  Please help, I drink plenty of water, water goes right through me, the food stays and I do not want to gain weight please help… J. S.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

This is just a guess, but you may need more cooked veggies, more oil, and a more liquid diet. Try drinking warm water which has been boiled – it’s not so likely to go right through you – that’s an Ayurvedic tip.

Some time ago, I published an advice letter about constipation and vegetarian diet, and I think it applies to your situation. Please read it, try my suggestions, and let me know if they help.

If you’re concerned about gaining weight, minimize the oil in your cooking – steaming instead of sauteeing veggies for instance. But don’t eliminate oil from your diet completely, and do be religious about exercising every day.

For a mild natural laxative, try prune juice or stewed prunes, grape juice, licorice tea or senna leaf tea. 

Another Ayurvedic Tip: For a mild cleanse (and more intense natural laxative effect), try a semi-fast day of fruit and herbal tea for breakfast, warm water or tea throughout the day, light vegetable soup – such as cream of broccoli soup or cabbage soup or simple mung dhal - for lunch, and no dinner (tea or warm water is fine). Then take 1 Tbsp castor oil in 1/2 cup fresh orange juice in the evening, and go hang out near a bathroom. Eat lightly again the next couple of days.

One More Bit of Advice: When you change your diet radically, overnight, as you have done, your digestive system is bound to be confused, and even quit on you, as yours has done. Cut your body some slack in this transition, take things in stages, and modify your diet until you’re more comfortable.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Those who ate the most foods that cause high rises in blood sugar levels had more than twice the risk of having heart disease as those who ate the least.  In the 1940s, Ancel Keys, of the University of the Minnesota started groundbreaking research that showed that saturated fat in meat causes heart disease and premature death, while carbohydrates from intact plants in a Mediterranean-type diet help to prevent these complications.  Further research showed that replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats in plants also helps to prevent heart attacks.

Carbohydrates found IN plants are combined with other components that prevent a high rise in blood sugar.  When these same carbohydrates are extracted from plants or ground into powders, they can cause blood sugar to rise too high.

*Whole grains are capsules with a tough outer coating that prevents a high rise in blood sugar.  They can resist digestive enzymes and pass through your digestive system virtually intact.  Grinding whole grains into flour breaks the capsule so the small particles are easily absorbed to cause a high rise in blood sugar.

*The carbohydrates in vegetables and fruits are attached to fiber that markedly slows absorption. When sugars are extracted from plants they pass into the bloodstream almost immediately (see the list of extracted sugars below.)

* Before food can pass from the stomach into the intestines, it must be converted to a liquid soup. No solid food passes into the intestines. When solid food enters your stomach, the pyloric sphincter at the end of the stomach closes and the stomach continuously squeezes the food until it is turned into a liquid soup.  This can take up to four hours which markedly delays the rise in blood sugar.  Therefore you want to limit foods made from ground-up grains (flour), extracted sugars, and sugars in liquid form including fruit juice,  because they can cause the highest rises in blood sugar levels.

How a high rise in blood sugar causes heart disease:

When your blood sugar level rises too high, *your pancreas releases huge amounts of insulin which converts sugar to triglycerides, which clog up your bloodstream to increase risk for clots, so *you use up huge amounts of your good HDL cholesterol in carrying triglycerides and your bad LDL cholesterol from your bloodstream into your liver.

*Low HDL (good) cholesterol causes heart attacks because HDL is not available to carry cholesterol and triglycerides from your bloodstream.

*High insulin levels constrict arteries to cause heart attacks.

*High blood sugar levels cause sugar to stick to the surface membranes of cells to destroy them and cause all the horrible side effects of diabetes.

*High triglycerides in your liver cause a fatty liver that can lead to diabetes.  A diet rich in plants has also been shown to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease (Archives of Neurology, April 2010).  Based on these and many other studies, I recommend that you:
1) Eat unlimited amounts of unprocessed fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and other seeds.
2) Avoid all sugared drinks including fruit juices (except while you exercise; contracting muscles remove sugar from your bloodstream without insulin).
3) Restrict all ground up carbohydrates (foods made from flour).
4) Choose cereals made from whole grains and with little or no added sugar.  How To Pick a Breakfast Cereal
5) Restrict  meat from all mammals.  Poultry has not been associated with increased risk for heart attacks, and fish is associated with reduced risk.
6) Read labels on all processed foods.  Extracted (added) sugars have many names, including: barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered syrup, cane-juice crystals, cane sugar, caramel, carob syrup, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, date sugar, dextran, dextrose, diastase, diastatic malt, ethyl maltol, fructose, fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, glucose, glucose solids, golden sugar, golden syrup, grape sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, maple syrup, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, mannitol, molasses, raw sugar, refiner’s syrup, sorghum syrup, sucrose, sugar, turbinado sugar, yellow sugar.

Reports from DrMirkin.com

Part 1 – Cut the cheese

A while back we received a letter from a reader who was asking about vegetarian weight loss.  She had experienced weight gain on her new veggie diet instead of the usual weight loss. Why do some vegetarians experience weight gain instead of healthy weight loss on a vegetarian diet?

Eating less meat and more fruits and vegetables normally allows for weight loss but some vegetarians experience weight gain.  And the core reason is more calories.  Where so these extra calories come from?  Interestingly enough, they come mainly from more dairy, or specifically cheese and butter.

The letter reminded me of when I first went vegetarian. Yep! I started eating a lot more cheese and butter—to the point where my cholesterol went through the roof.  I was concerned about getting enough protein.  But I didn’t know back then what I know now about protein. (See our Protein Report.) So let’s talk about cheese and we’ll cover butter in another blog post.

According to the USDA’s Agriculture Fact Book, in the 1950’s, the average U.S. consumer ate just 7.7 pounds of cheese per year.  In 2004, the average American packed away 31.3 pounds of cheese, a 300% increase. Thirty-one pounds may not sound too bad, but it means over 52,500 calories and 4000 grams of fat. Once past the lips, this can turn into an extra 15 pounds on the hips.

So are consumers sitting around eating big wedges of cheese? Some are, but two-thirds of cheese is found in processed foods, such as frozen pizzas, sauces, instant pasta meals, bagel spreads, breads, and packaged snack foods. Often, we don’t even know that there’s cheese in our food.

This is actually good news for those who are willing to change their cheesy ways. Following a cheese-free diet encourages us to eat more natural and minimally processed foods – like vegetables. This means less chemicals, saturated fats, and hydrogenated oils; three major health hazards in our diets.

Thanks to a growing natural foods market, and the online information explosion, a cheese-less diet has become even easier.

Visit GoDairyFree.org for food label guidance, cheese-free product suggestions, non-dairy recipes, and substitution ideas. Get a copy of Dairy Free Made Easy by Alisa Fleming (read the Savvy Veg review).

For vegetarian weight loss, try eliminating cheese from your diet. Savvy Vegetarian has many delicious dairy-free recipes such as Cream of asparagus and spinach soup and Cashew Cream.