weight loss
Inspirational and healthy ways to lose weight.
A Vegan Thanksgiving to Make Carnivores Jealous
There’s one holiday meal each year that I just always kind of dread. It’s not Easter, with the ham and potatoes and luscious spring-themed desserts; it’s not the Fourth of July, with the burgers and lemonade and homemade ice cream. It’s definitely not Valentine’s Day, with the fancy chocolate desserts of your romantic dreams. It’s...Thanksgiving. I know! So American, right? But there’s something about staring at a monochromatic plate of turkey (tastes like turkey), mashed potatoes (am I supposed to be excited?), rolls (yum, but still bland), stuffing (mushy reconstituted bread what?), and gravy (it’s brown...again) that just doesn't do it for me. Everything that I do enjoy about Thanksgiving tends to be made of plants - the bright, tangy cranberry sauce, the green beans or asparagus or brussels sprouts, the complex, spicy pumpkin pie. So when it comes to creating a perfect vegan turkey-day feast, I’m all about ditching any lame tofurky poultry substitute and walking on the wild side. See if these brilliant vegan Thanksgiving switch-it-up meal ideas don’t have your meat-eating friends and relations turning sneaking forkfuls from your plate and asking for the recipe.
By Sarah Quinn9 years ago in Longevity
Gluten Myths People Still Believe
For most people, a life without warm bread and starchy pasta is a kind of unimaginable hell. I harbor deep sympathies for those diagnosed with the three conditions that require strict avoidance of gluten (the proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley that give bread that heavenly elastic quality we’ve come to love). If you’re not one of those people who has been told my a certified health professional that gluten is slowly killing you from the inside out, but have instead chosen to jump on the gluten-free bandwagon by choice, I hate to break it to you, but your deprivation (probably) isn’t doing you any good.
By Alysha DePerna9 years ago in Longevity
Fresh Asian-Inspired Vegetarian Salads and Slaws You'll Want All to Yourself
Do you go through the Phases of Salad Enjoyment like I do? Here’s how it works. I realize I haven’t eaten a vegetable in two days and I’m like “Who am I? What am I doing with my life?” I get all excited about salads and start making them again. But after a while, salad boredom strikes and I feel like if I see one more tomato or cucumber on my table, I’m going to toss them out the window and watch them splat in vengeful satisfaction. Unfortunately, this leads me back to the part when my diet is sadly lacking in vegetable-rich nutrition. When you, too, reach this unfortunate point, you need something to get you motivated. I suggest Asian-inspired salads like these, fresh, crispy, crunchy, refreshing, spicy, and oh-so-flavorful and textured - just what you need to get you back in the swing of feeling amazing and eating well.
By Sarah Quinn9 years ago in Longevity
Super Delicious Vegan Sandwiches for Fall
Back in college, my BFF Karen’s then-boyfriend, now husband Eric was part of a Sandwich Club. It had only two members: Eric, and his friend Brian. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I pictured this guy as a chubby, sweaty Dungeons and Dragons kind of guy complete with awkward facial hair and zero social skills. Imagine my surprise when I eventually met this “Brian” and he turned out to a strikingly handsome, very funny guy with perfectly rolled up sleeves and high cheekbones. Also my future husband. Uh...who’s awkward now? (The answer is: me, for judging people I don’t even know and then totally eating my words by marrying them.) ANY WAY, the only way you could get into the Sandwich Club was by marriage (or so Eric and Brian said), and that was definitely a plus. I always forget about how healthy and texturally amazing sandwiches can be. They’re the perfect vehicle for all your crispy, crunchy, chewy, creamy, fresh, and flavor-filled favorites. Just shove your favorite edible goodness between two slices of bread (or lettuce, if that’s the way you like it) and mash your face into it. But if you need some sandwich-making confidence or just new ideas, read on for a list of seriously delicious vegan sandwiches that are perfect for fall.
By Sarah Quinn9 years ago in Longevity
Health Foods That Aren’t Actually Healthy
Navigating the dusty isles of the grocery store can be a daunting enough task itself. Combine that with the often overwhelming options of “health foods” that promise to help you lose weight, gain muscle, or generally keep your body in peak condition. While many of these foods do provide nutritious benefits, many provide nothing more than false promises.
By Alysha DePerna9 years ago in Longevity
Homemade, Energy-Packed Vegan Snack Bars You'll Love
What’s currently hanging out in your snack cupboard? I’ve got...let’s see...1/4 of a bag of off-brand BBQ potato chips, 3 partially crumbled cheese-flavored rice cakes, some extremely stale Wheat Thins from a camping trip several weeks ago...and, oh, goody! Two alarmingly bendable graham crackers! I do also have lots of fresh fruit, but the thing about fruit is...it just doesn’t feel like a snack on its own. To avoid opening the giant bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups I just bought for Halloween, it’s going to have to be vegan energy bars TO THE RESCUE! Shun your own stale snack cupboard and stir up some of these fresh, crunchy, sweet and salty bars to munch. I can’t promise I’ll stay away from the candy stash completely, but at least it’ll have a fighting chance of lasting a little bit longer. (Tying yours up in brown paper and twine is completely optional, albeit adorable.)
By Sarah Quinn9 years ago in Longevity
Healthy Up Your Pasta, the Veggie Way
It's not that you don't LIKE vegetables. It's just that there's so much delicious pasta to eat. But you don't have to choose between the two, and you don't have to relegate your veggies to an afterthought of a side salad. Mix your carbs and your produce together for outstanding, flavor-packed main dishes, cold or hot, that are even better for lunch the next day (or breakfast, if you simply can't wait to taste more). Grab your best knife and get chopping, dicing, and julienning while the pasta boils, or toss it all in together! Either way, you'll meet both of your food goals. One, eat vitamin and fiber-rich vegetables because you like a healthy strong body and two, eat delicious, delicious spaghetti and linguine and penne and soba noodles as often because pasta is bae.
By Sarah Quinn9 years ago in Longevity
Beyond Smoothies: Blend Your Way to Fall Comfort Food
So, smoothies, right? Those have been a thing forever now, and you might have jumped on the bandwagon of liquified goodness and bought a Blendtec or a Vitamix or a Ninja or even ALL THREE if you’re an overachiever like that. But maybe - and I‘m not accusing anyone of anything, I’m just saying that maybe - that blender has been sitting there in all its powerful glory on your countertop and gathering dust. Sure, the first week you made a smoothie every single day, and maybe you Instagrammed some sweet pics of all that fruity goodness, but then you got busy and it was back to Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts (or nothing at all). It’s not your fault! Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts are Glucosia’s gift to mankind (she’s the goddess of sugar), and blending gets boring when you’re doing the same berry-banana-almond milk dealio all the time. But I am here to blast you out of yawn-town and help you take your blending game to the next level! Way beyond smoothies, your blender can do a billion other things, and you are about to break that baby out and make its wildest dreams come true - helping you get fit and healthy like never before.
By Sarah Quinn9 years ago in Longevity
The Most Gorgeous California Yoga Retreats
Breathe. Stretch. Unwind. Whether you're hoping to become a certified yoga instructor at an intensive two-week program or just relax on a weekend getaway, a yoga retreat is probably the perfect thing - and sunny California is the perfect place. You can camp out in tents and sleeping bags or revel in a luxurious room complete with an organic mattress and breakfast in your room. And when you're not in warrior pose, you can fuel yourself with healthy, fresh (usually vegetarian) meals that will help you feel amazing. At many locations, daily hour-long massages are also included - ohhhhhh yeah. If that's not enough to put you into a complete state of bliss, you can wander over to the hot tub or hot springs and soak away your remaining woes. What are you waiting for? Grab your mat and book your retreat right away - most are filled up a year in advance.
By Sarah Quinn9 years ago in Longevity
Best No-Greens Salads for a Super Fresh Fall
It's just so HARD when you're still trying to eat healthy and everyone else seems to be scarfing pumpkin spice EVERYTHING. It's fall! It's so cool and crispy! You can eat something cool and crispy too, and it doesn't even have to be rabbit food. Don't get me wrong, lettuce is great, but sometimes you just gotta mix it up and let the other veggies party in your mouth. After you jump in some leaves and let the fall breeze tousle your hair, go chop, slice, and dice yourself up a crunchy bowl o’ nutritious nom-noms. (P.S. I hereby dedicate this awesomesauce list to my sistas in Texas who are like “WHAT. FALL.” It’s a hard knock life when October is still scorching but these refreshing options are gonna get us both through it, homeslices.)
By Sarah Quinn9 years ago in Longevity
Weightlifting Myths for Women
Within the bodybuilding culture, falsehoods and misinformation exist for both sexes, but there are some weightlifting myths for women specifically. Should women lift? Will they be seen as masculine? If women drink a gainer protein shake will she bulk up? Why are some women leery of the weight room? Many women say ‘I don’t want to look like those women in the muscle magazines, that is why I don’t lift.’ Can females follow the same lifting protocols as males? We hope to demystify weightlifting myths for women that are prevalent among female gym goers. If you have ladies who lift at the same gym you do, you are a female who lifts, or know one who was thinking about starting we hope these weightlifting myths for women helps you sort fact from fiction.
By George Gott9 years ago in Longevity
