Lose Weight with a Vegetarian Diet
by Tim McEvitt, How to lose weight with a vegetarian diet? Well, firstly, being vegetarian is certainly a good initial step. If we're trying to lose fat, and then we go ahead and ingest extra animal fat we may well be going in the wrong direction... Obesity is now the most important nutritional disease in the Western world. Today people in general consume more meat, dairy and alcohol than ever before, and consequently the fat content in people's diets is higher than ever. Fat is energy dense, containing more than twice as many calories, weight-for-weight, as protein or carbohydrate. It is also 'less filling', so in order to feel full, you need to eat more of it. HOWEVER, simply becoming vegetarian, although an important and beneficial step, is not the only answer. A more complete understanding is required, which we'll examine in this article. To begin, here are some tips: (1) Don't take meat, fish or eggs (2) The body craves prana - life-energy. We get prana though our food. Food that is old and stale has no life in it, therefore the body wants to eat more in order to squeeze out as much life-energy as it possibly can. Eat fresh. Freshness gives satisfaction, and then we don't feel like we need more. (3) If you grow a few vegetables you'll have the choice to pick fresh just prior to consumption. It's actually very easy. Green leafy things like varieties of lettuce and spinach beet, along with celery (surprisingly easy) and leafy herbs like basil, coriander and mint are simple to grow. Throw seeds in soil and water when required. Fresh greens are brimming with life-energy, and they bestow good health and happiness. (4) Learn to cook by going on a vegetarian cooking course, or by seeing to it that your husband, wife, cook, servant, or whatever go on a course. The best way to solidify wisdom of the kitchen is to learn from cooks, followed up by personal practise. (5) Fresh air, exercise and cool fresh water energize prana in our body. If we don't have them, we seek out the life-energy elsewhere, and may seek shelter in food in an attempt to rectify our lacking. Some people gain weight quickly and easily and some people eat whatever they like and simply don't show it. Why is that? According to Ayurveda, the ancient system of health-care from India, different people are born with different bodily constitutions. Our bodies are categorized as influenced by Kapha, Pitta or Vata, or their combinations; these categories being related to elemental forces in the universe. Vedic philosophy says that the body we have at present is the result of accrued karma, reactions to our activities of previous lives. Whatever actions we performed before, we are now getting the result. So if we happen to be dissatisfied we're not a fabulously slender super model or prince charming, the responsibility is ours. Vedic philosophy also explains that we are not our material body, and our true self is independent of and greater than the lump of flesh and bone, therefore we can focus on the higher things then our waist line. Still, aside from ethereal philosophy, everyone wants to be healthy and trim, and not a couch potato. Ultimately weight loss requires a complete overhaul of lifestyle. Tummy-tuck surgery may work for a few weeks or months, but if we don't change our lifestyle then the body is sure to revert to it's 'natural state' as defined by our diet and lifestyle. Change of diet and the full engagement of our body, mind and soul in elevating activities are the essential requirements. There is little doubt that adopting a vegetarian diet is an important part of the solution to stay in good shape. The American Dietetic Association says: "Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein, as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fibre, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices that non-vegetarians, as well of lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer".
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