Lucy Danziger Archives - The Beet

The 15 Best Healthy Lifestyle Gifts to Give Yourself for a Healthier, Happier 2021

Lucy Danziger — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 08:30:52 +0000

This year has been challenging, but in the spirit of moving forward, and aligning our passion for living a healthy life with our actions (and spending power), we gathered together the best gift ideas that will help you live healthier, eat more plant-based foods, get out into nature, and basically support your resolutions to get on the path to healthy living, and give yourself a fresh start in 2021. So here is a list dedicated to buying yourself the perfect gifts to boost your health and happiness, and reward yourself for making it through one of the toughest years ever. Onward!

1. Clean Protein and Greens from Sakara Life

There’s nothing better than treating yourself to a healthy start to the New Year. Order your Green Protein Powder from Sakara Life now and have it ready for when you want to get back on track. It’s plant-based, organic and ten servings per $45 bag work out to a drink that’s less than a latte! We love so many products from this company and while they feel like a luxury, think of spending on these quality products as investing in yourself. Buy their fresh foods, the organic beauty products, the probiotics, and tell yourself: I am totally worth it, every single day.

Shop plant-based nutrition and wellbeing products from Sakara Life here.

2. Classic Dutch Oven by Kana

When we think of Dutch Ovens, we think: Too expensive to get a really good one! Wait for a wedding present kind of moment. But these Dutch Ovens will make you think again. Kana makes the highest quality fully sustainable cookware with recycled cast iron so all your bread, stews, and chili dishes will turn out perfectly and you can feel great about your purchase. Plus at $120 it’s an affordable indulgence. And when it’s time to IG your sourdough, you will be so glad you bought the white one. Add to your order the cast-iron skillet for a complete upgrade.

Price: $120 Buy your Dutch Oven or Classic Skillet here.

3. Vegan Wine and Vegan Cheese Club of the Month

If you never want to run out of wine again or have to ask: Is it vegan? This is your gift. (For anyone not aware, processing uses fish bladder, bone, gelatin, and other not-so-appetizing sounding animal byproducts so while grapes are vegan, wine is generally now. What’s included in your Vegan Wines membership? Six bottles of hand-selected, delicious vegan wines from distinguished wine regions across the world, shipped directly to your doorstep four times a year.

Besides delicious wine, Vegan Wines club members get a 10% discount on all wines in the Vegan Wines Shop and can also ask that vegan cheese be shipped along with it! Now if only we could invite someone over. But while you’re zooming and sipping, have a little cheese and never feel guilty about it again. Salut!

Cost is $140 to $200 per shipment. Peruse the wine and cheese options here.

4. Give a donation to The Wilderness Society

Can we just have a moment of appreciation for getting into the great outdoors this year? It’s one of the few things we could safely do, together, without worrying about catching a virus. Meanwhile, this charity helps save lands that are under fire from rolled back regulations on drilling and development by the administration that is leaving. And while the Paris Accord will help against emissions, these guys are looking out for parks, trees, and the North Arctic Refuge (home to polar bears and other wildlife). Give yourself the gift of feeling good in nature, since you helped keep it wild.

Donate any amount, $25, $50 or $100. Multiply that times 5 for your total impact.

5. W & P Porter Drinking Glasses Take these on the Go!

I love not using single-use plastic. Instead of a bottle of your favorite bevy, grab these elegant tumblers and head out for sunset cocktails at the beach or other not-to-be-missed memory makers this year. We love this company because it sells everything from customizable glassware to help you cut down on the use of plastics to elegant “big-block” square ice cube trays to add an elegant touch to your sips.

Also on the site: Large Sphere, Square Cube trays, which are sold out at the moment but will be back in stock soon.

The portable glasses are $25 each; if you want customization, add $10.

6. Terrier Fitness Live Coached Cycling and Running Classes, over Zoom

@TerrierFitness @TerrierFitness

If you need a coach to kick your ass and get you in shape this coming year, there is no one more motivating to get yelled at than by Coach Robert Pennino. I stumbled into his spin class at Equinox years ago and he helped get my then-not-so-fit body into shape and across the finish line of dozens of races including an Ironman distance triathlon (or three), based on the coaching in his spin and run classes. But all levels can enjoy these classes, from the begginer or spinner to the serious athlete with podium ambitions. Each one is different, set to great music, with tough interval sets, so you burn more calories than you thought possible in one hour. Plenty of the people in these classes are riding on Peloton Bikes, and choose Terrier Fitness because they are “two way” and the coaching is personal, customized and the Coach can call you out if you start to slow down. No hiding in the back. They are simply the best online cycling workouts around, offered at a great price.

@TerrierFitness @TerrierFitness

If you prefer to run, the Zoom running class is also set to music and you can do it on a treadmill, a track, or any road, just step outside your house with your earbuds in and your audio set to the Zoom call. You’ll be coached live through your run and made to work harder than you would on your own. All ages and levels of fitness are welcomed and Coach Robert keeps it entertaining and fun, with energetic coaching, music that is chosen to keep you on the beat, and your feet moving at the right tempo. Buy a class pass or try one session, since for just $10, it is the best deal around.

Price: $10 for 1 hour or $12.17 for 90 mins. Terrier’s schedule can be found here.

7. Forks Over Knives — the Meal Plan, the Magazine, and the Cooking School

Forks Over Knives was first a movie, then a cookbook, a magazine, a content site offering recipes and inspiration, a healthy meal plan, and a cooking course–but most of all, now it has spawned a movement. The Forks site (newly redesigned and easy to navigate) is dedicated to helping you live healthier by eating a whole-food, plant-based diet, and offers you a healthy meal plan full of recipes and shopping lists, online support, and expert advice, and you can also sign up for their excellent cooking classes.

Consider buying a Forks Meal Plan subscription as a gift to yourself. It becomes more than an approach to healthy plant-based eating, but a lifestyle shift, in which you decide to treat your body to the best possible foods, without oils or added sugar, or anything that may raise your risk of lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and more.

By changing your habits you literally could be saving your life. Start with the documentary which will convince you this is the heart-healthiest way to eat. Choose from their monthly meal plan or their cooking school, or sign up for both, and make 2021 the year you finally clean up your act for good.

8. ZWILLING Enfinigy Power Blender, for smoothies, juices, and more

I tell myself that if I had a sleek, cool-looking blender like this one from Zwilling I might be more likely to make smoothies, juices, and be healthier. I love the lines of this machine and would leave it on my counter for easy access and to remind me to make my morning immune-boosting smoothie. Sign up for The Beet’s Smoothie of the Day newsletter for free recipes and an array of ideas of what to make, including Reece Witherspoon’s favorite smoothie, which she shares here.

Price: $299.99. Buy the sleek power blender here.

9. New running shoes. Try the Brooks Adrenaline GTS

Whether you’re a marathoner or a weekend jogger, the best thing you can buy yourself for a gift is a new pair of running shoes. Any pair as long as it’s designed for running will do, since most people put way more than 300 miles on their shoes before retiring them. You wouldn’t take a road trip on worn-out tires, and you shouldn’t go running on worn-out shoes. Choose a shoe that’s a little bigger than your street size to save your toenails but make sure your heel can’t lift out of the back of the shoe as you bend your knee.

Everyone asks me which running shoes I like. I’ve had numerous injures and I love a cushioned yet stable shoe, lightweight and durable enough to stand up against lots of pavement pounding, for those of us with a heavy footfall.

I have tried dozens of shoes and there are many great ones out there, from Asics and Saucony, New Balance and Nike, Hoka, and more, but none are as easy on my joints, yet light and fast feeling as the Brooks Adrenaline GTS. This is obviously a personal and subjective choice, but go get yourself new shoes and most stores will take them back if you run in them once and they don’t work out. A note about price. there are less expensive running shoes but if you figure you are going to put 300miles on them, at an average of 40 to 50 miles a week, they are worth it and pay you back in the form of “injury-free” running.

Price: $130. Buy the Brooks Running Adrenaline GTS here.

10. CapaBunga Chic Multi-Pocket Canvas Market Tote

I’m always the one on the checkout line at the store, who forgets to bring my re-usable bags, having left them in the car, or worse, the front hallway, At that moment I feel like my efforts to be a good citizen of the world are a total fail.

But if I had something this chic to take to the store I would never forget it. I love the oversized pockets and Square bottom that stands up in the car or the kitchen, and of course, it’s from Food 52, my favorite go-to site for all things healthy and food-related. Some people lust after designer handbags, I have my eyes on this canvas number.

Price: $50-$65. Buy the market tote here.

11. ZWILLING Fresh and Save Vacuum Starter Set

Call me crazy but I get excited about not wasting food. This may be because I was raised by a southern mother who remembers when she was a girl and they would make their fresh grown food last by canning and jarring and all sorts of creative means, so they could eat fresh food all winter long. Now that I have my own garden (okay it’s not a farm but I do grow kale and broccoli and lots of peppers, etc) I can’t wait to figure out how to bag and vacuum pack produce to keep it fresh longer. This little gadget is genius: You put your food like guacamole or other perishable ingredients in a bag and this vacuum packs it to keep it super fresh. Yep, that makes me happy.

Price: On Sale for $99.99, Original Price is $125. Buy the vacuum packer here.

12. Mepal Microwave Nested Storage Bowls from Food 52

Food52 Food52

Essentially these may be the most practical, but not the most boring, present I could give myself. I love storing leftovers because, A. it means I won’t eat the whole portion, and B. it means I eat free tomorrow. Yep, I am that frugal. So these little numbers are going to save my waistline and my wallet. They come in a neat stack of Nesting bowls with storage freezer-friendly tops and you can microwave them. Essentially anything from Food52 makes me happy so start here, and keep shopping.

This was a toss-up for which item to include since I am equally in love with the idea of this bamboo cutting board that has a perfect spot to hold your phone as you watch recipe videos and learn to make new dishes. I love it! If you have someone in your life who is a budding chef, give them this and they might even make you dinner! It’s $59 and will last forever.

@Food52 @Food52

The cutting boards, the skillets, the high-end olive oils, on Food52 are as fun for me to browse as any fashion boutique. I want it all. But for now, I am making smart choices and looking for items that, when I buy them, they will make me remember I am trying to eat healthily, eat less, and save money. A win across the board!

Price: $62 from Food 52. Buy the nesting microwavable bowls here.

14. Suzi Gerber Plant-Based Gourmet Cookbook with 150 Recipes

When you next stand in your kitchen and wonder: What should I make for dinner tonight? there is no better guide to help you whip up something delectable, healthy and plant-based than Suzi Gerber, who has written a beautiful cookbook full of delicious recipes called Plant-Based Gourmet. As it sounds, the cookbook is full of gorgeous pictures, elevated recipes, and of course, healthy plant-based ingredients to keep your body humming along at its optimal healthiest level. These 150 high-end restaurant-quality dishes will impress anyone lucky enough to be in the vicinity of your table when you decide to get creative with the help of Chef Suzi.

15. The Ranch at Malibu, Luxury Fitness and Wellness Retreats

I feel like I’m a whiner when I say, to anyone who will listen, “I want to go to the Ranch!” This wellness oasis was recently visited by none other than Jessica Alba and a pal, and while this is a dream, okay my dream, The Ranch at Malibu is within reach, once current pandemic restrictions are lifted since the spa is within easy driving distance of Southern California and you can hike, eat healthily and do yoga or more strenuous classes while learning to cook and eat healthy plant-based meals.

Plus like every spa, it offers services that will relax and pamper you and let you get ready for whatever the year ahead holds for you. So once things get a little safer, check-in. Until then give yourself this Ranch cookbook, Food, Food, Food, and its high-end olive oil and culinary gift set (note to vegans it contains local honey so you may want to skip that), and pretend you’re at the spa. By the way, it calls itself a luxury weight loss retreat but you can also just go there to clean up your act. If weight loss is what you want, your results are waiting!

Check out the 4 to 10-day luxury fitness retreats designed to promote weight loss here.

The post The 15 Best Healthy Lifestyle Gifts to Give Yourself for a Healthier, Happier 2021 appeared first on The Beet.

5 Things I Learned Going Mostly Plant-Based for Over Three Years

Lucy Danziger — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 14:23:24 +0000

When you go plant-based, first your body has an adjustment period. It took me two full weeks for a new level of energy to kick in. The switch over from animal protein to plant-based protein from sources like legumes, tofu, nuts, seeds, and other plant foods like vegetables was a gradual one.

Suddenly I craved more chickpeas and quinoa, healthy salads, and nuts and seeds. But that doesn’t mean I was a perfect eater. Far from it. I told myself that wine was plant-based, and enjoyed sweets (delicious almond-milk and oat-milk ice cream) and found lots of workarounds to eating healthy. Nowadays you can eat meat-free burgers that are made of fake ingredients and feel virtuous, even if what you are eating is highly processed food!

So I decided to write what I learned going plant-based: The good, the bad and the downright unhealthy. I have tried it all. Here’s what I learned.

For me, way harder than giving up red meat was not eating cheese. I was a cheese-a-holic, having it at lunch (In a salad), and again at dinner, often as an extra “cheese and crackers” starter before dinner, and then on pasta. I also loved Greek yogurt for breakfast, cheese omelets for brunch, and ice cream for dessert. I had a lot of dairy.

It was easy to replace coffee creamer with oat milk, or yogurt with non-dairy options. Quitting cheese took discipline. Ultimately, I found new cashew-nut cheeses and also weaned myself off the need for cheese.

Once I got all that dairy out of my system, however, my face looked less bloated, my body felt less inflamed and my joints (like my knees and hips) felt years younger and when I went running I felt physically lighter.

I have since learned that cheese is not only addictive (from the casomorphin in cheese) but that many people are partly or fully lactose intolerant. I think I have lactose sensitivity because when I gave up cheese I had less inflammation in my body and that meant running without knee pain and waking up with less bloat and a slimmer face, even.

Dairy Often Contains Growth Hormone and Has Been Linked to Cancer

I have since learned that there are growth hormones given to lactating cows that can end up in your milk, cream and cheese, and when I think of the possible diseases that keep me up at night, breast cancer is number one, so any possible “extra” estrogen that could be lurking in my milk or dairy products is a major turnoff.

I know that saturated fat in cheese and full-fat milk or in red meat and processed or fried foods is terrible for my arteries and can lead to elevated cholesterol, plaque deposits, high blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease. Even though 48 percent of Americans have some kind of heart disease and can suffer a heart attack, stroke, and other related potentially deadly events it’s the estrogen that has me skipping or cutting way down on my cheese consumption.

Cows are given Bovine Growth Hormone, or BGH given to cows to increase milk production, as well as medical-grade antibiotics to treat infections, according to the latest research. Our own human exposure to these antibiotics can make us less able to fight off infection when we need antibiotics to work. But they can also increase cell growth, which is scary, and the American Cancer Society says that cows given BGH are given more antibiotics than cows not given BGH.

So dairy is what I miss, not meat. Here are the takeaways that I can share after going mostly plant-based for three-plus years as Editorial Director of The Beet.

Here are 5 Lessons I Learned from Giving Up Meat and Dairy for Three Years

1. Don’t Put a Label on Your Diet

I am not vegan, or even plant-based but I am leaning super hard into eating more plant-based foods, as often as I can. The first week I was trying to be fully vegan, a famous fashion designer had us over to see his new launch and served us a lovely kale salad with parmesan sprinkled on top. I ate it.

Then I went to dinner with old friends and asked the waiter for vegan options. They looked at me as if I had called them animal murderers. I never said that! Still, labels set you up for failure, and even if you are successful at staying completely plant-based or vegan, they set up an oppositional approach to your life view. “I’m vegan, he’s not!”

As we launched The Beet in 2020 and worked to create the most inclusive content we tried to create a site that would embrace anyone interested in eating more plant-based, whether they were strict or simply curious. The Beet welcomed anyone, even someone who had just had a steak for dinner, but today wanted to eat a more plant-based diet for any reason.

2. More Plants Are Better Than Not

I am not perfect. I cheat at the effort to eat plant-based. No lesser light in the plant-based universe than T. Colin Campbell says you can go 95 percent plant-based and have virtually the same results and health benefits as someone who is stricter.

For me, that meant a meal a week that was not adhering to the no-cheese rule, and I also welcomed fish back into my diet, not because I wanted to be heartless or support overfishing but because I felt like I needed this protein source and benefited from the omega-3 fatty acid in fish.

Everyone has to draw their own lines, create their own limits, and let themselves off their own hooks (if that isn’t a painful metaphor right about now). For me, a pescatarian, mostly plant-based, or plant-leaning, or plant-forward approach feels right. Find what works for you.

3. Don’t Try to Convince Others to Go Plant-Based. Papa Don’t Preach.

How you eat is an intimate and extremely personal decision. It’s like religion or who and how you choose to love. No one else gets to tell you what choices to make. Just make the ones you can be satisfied with Your vegan friends don’t preach.

And likely they do think that when you eat animal products you have contributed to the harmful life and tragic death of another sentient being. But you don’t want to hear that, So you don’t need to preach either.

I want my loved ones to not smoke, to limit saturated fat, to eat fewer animal products. I also want them to wear their seat belts and drive safely and look both ways before they step off a curb. When they are young (my kids) I get to weigh in on their choices and explain why we stay away from junk food and limit sweets. Now that everyone I am related to is a grown-up, they make their own choices. As do I.

4. No, I Don’t Think I Will Go Back to Eating Red Meat Again

Everyone asks: If you leave The Beet will you go back to eating steak? The answer is no. Now that I have reported on study after study about the harmful ways red meat contributes to cancer and heart disease along with other lifestyle conditions like high blood pressure, inflammation, and obesity, I have no interest.

During the pandemic, I avoided COVID for two and a half years (until I finally got a mild case at an indoor drinks event during my college reunion). I believe that my plant-focused diet with tons of vegetables and legumes, nuts, and seeds helped my body’s immune system create helpful defenses. Most days I get up at 6 am to work out and have plenty of energy and feel strong. My only downfall was drinking more wine or eating more sweets than I should have!

Will I eat meat again? I hate to say never but from where I sit today, I have learned about the cruel and unhealthy ways that meat is raised and farmed, so my answer is no. That doesn’t mean I never liked it. I did, but I liked smoking too, and I don’t do that anymore either.

I used to love the way my mom made marinated steak, but I had many early “loves,” including roller skates and lots of delicious dishes like beef stew and meringues and she even served us tongue, which is about as gross a meal as I can imagine. (She was southern!) I have given up meat, and I don’t play with trolls today either.

5. Vegan is Not Plant-Based but Healthy is Healthy

Skittles technically are vegan but they are not plant-based. Lots of junk foods can be called vegan but if something is not made primarily of plants, it can be vegan but not healthy. That said, what is healthy is a diet full of vegetables and fruit, legumes and whole grains, and nuts and seeds. The key is finding food as much in the same form as it grows as possible.

Refined grains and added sugar and white flour or white rice are going to spike your blood sugar, call out the insulin and cause your cells to store extra blood sugar as fat. So you can say that you are plant-based or vegan and still eat tons of simple cards, added sugar and wine. That was a trap I fell into for a while and it caused me to lose muscle and gain fat.

I’m now back to eating healthy, not hiding bad habits behind labels like being plant-based or mostly plant-based. Healthy is healthy. If you are eating healthy, good job. You know who you are!

The post 5 Things I Learned Going Mostly Plant-Based for Over Three Years appeared first on The Beet.

Sona Serves NYC’s Best Indian Food. Here’s How to Make the Chana Masala

Lucy Danziger — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 21:16:45 +0000

Perhaps you’ve heard that Priyanka Chopra Jonas is a partner and co-founder of a chic Indian restaurant in New York City, called Sona. Or maybe you’ve heard of Sona because of its welcoming, spacious atmosphere, friendly bar scene, and delicious, upscale Indian food. Whether you want to eat traditional dishes or innovative new creations, and whether you prefer plant-based options or a full range of hearty fare, Sona does not disappoint. Check out the Sona menu here.

We recently visited Sona on a mid-winter day and got to sit at the bar to eat the amazing food, and before that, we visited the kitchen, where we were invited to watch Chef Hari Nayak create two of his signature dishes. He showed our small team exactly how to make Gunpowder Gobhi with Cauliflower and Chana Masala with Chickpeas. Check out the Reel below to show exactly how to make the dish at home.

Other than the fact that this extremely accomplished chef (with six cookbooks to his name) is both friendly and efficient, we could have been in a scene out of Hulu’s The Bear. The tight kitchen was teaming with activity and the sous-chefs were all busy preparing the dinner menu items ahead.

For the Best Indian Food Head to Sona, NYC

Sona Indian Restaurant at New York’s 36 East 20th Street is an oasis where you can enjoy upscale Indian food that ranges from traditional favorites to delightful innovations, with plenty of plant-based options on the menu. Sona is the perfect place to go for a date-night dinner, or even a relaxing lunch since its warm space and lovely atmosphere immediately make you breathe a little easier and enjoy a meal away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

One time when we went to Sona recently we sat near Priyanka’s brother-in-law, Joe Jonas, and his wife Sophie Turner. (Any fans of Game of Thrones know her as Sansa Stark.) In fact, we were seated right next to the duo and tried not to glance sideways once we settled on the banquet, being New Yorkers used to dining among notables.

Within just a few moments, the food arrived and every bite was so delicious and remarkable that it became easier than anticipated to focus on the meal and our own dinner experience than any of the famous faces dotting the room. The people-watching at Sona is great, but the food is even better!

Here’s How to Make Sona’s Chickpeas, at Home

If you have ever wished you could recreate your favorite restaurant meal at home, consider this your dream come true. We asked Sona’s chef to show us his secrets and he obliged. Other than the fact that he had pre-mixed the garlic paste, this recipe was super fast and relatively easy to stir up, in his aluminum bowls and super-hot skillet.

Here’s the secret, but if you are ever in New York and want great Indian food, head to Sona. You may or may not see Priyanka, but we guarantee that you will have an amazing meal and experience.

Check out how to make Sona’s Gunpowder Gobhi with Cauliflower and Chana Masala.

For more plant-based recommendations, check out The Beet’s Find Vegan Near Me articles.

The post Sona Serves NYC’s Best Indian Food. Here’s How to Make the Chana Masala appeared first on The Beet.

Jason Derulo’s Secret to Fitness? Birch Water. Should You Try It?

Lucy Danziger — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 15:29:20 +0000

Jason Derulo isn’t just a chart-topping Grammy-winning singer-songwriter with one of the biggest accounts on TikTok, with over 56 million followers on his page. He is also one of the fittest humans walking on the planet, and like many other famous singers, his approach to healthy nutrition is partly plant-based.

We caught up with Derulo (in an exchange over email) to ask him for his secrets to his fitness and healthy diet success and were surprised to learn that one of the things he relies on is a secret weapon drink that is now widely available.

Along with daily workouts, DeRulo has become a major fan of drinking the natural substance from tree bark called Birch water, which is the active ingredient in a beverage called TREO.

What are the benefits of birch water?

Birch water is derived from the sap of birch trees and provides natural minerals and antioxidants such as manganese and magnesium. Birch water is low in calories and it may even improve skin and hair health, though more research is needed.

Birch sap is naturally sweet, contains minerals, electrolytes, and micronutrients, and is an alternative to coconut water in sports drinks.

Here’s what Derulo had to share about this new-found natural hydration choice and why he has come to enjoy more plant-based protein choices in the mix of his healthy diet.

The Beet: Does eating dairy-free make you feel healthier? Have you seen any differences in performance when you eat this way?

Jason Derulo: Since transitioning to eating more plant-based foods, I have noticed that I have a lot more energy. I have noticed that I am able to work out for longer periods of time without breaks.

The Beet: Why do you like plant-based protein?

Jason Derulo: Limiting the amount of dairy in my diet and eating cleaner with the addition of plant–based beverages such as TREO has definitely helped me increase my stamina.

The Beet: What makes you stay fit and build muscle?

Jason Derulo: Before and after a workout, I think it’s super important to hydrate. That’s why I like TREO so much because Birch water, TREO’s star ingredient, is packed with vitamins and minerals to hit hydration goals quicker. In terms of working out and staying fit.

The Beet: How often do you work out?

Jason Derulo: I like to work out twice a day, five to six times a week. I do a mix of cardio and weight training and core exercises.

The post Jason Derulo’s Secret to Fitness? Birch Water. Should You Try It? appeared first on The Beet.

Winter Special Offer: Get 50% Off The Beet’s Plant-Based Diet Cooking Course

Lucy Danziger — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 22:06:34 +0000

If you’ve ever wanted to learn to meal prep delicious, healthy plant-based dishes here is your chance. Sign up for The Beet’s first-ever cooking course and make this coming year the time when you get healthier and achieve all of your well-being goals!

Sign up now for our Holiday Special price of $19.99, or 50% off the regular price!

A Plant-Based Diet is a healthy, sustainable way to “hit reset” on your health and well-being goals, whether you want to lose weight, have more energy, lower inflammation, improve your cholesterol, or start a healthier lifestyle that will help you do all of the above!

Eating a healthy plant-based diet has been proven to help lower your risk of lifestyle diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. Start today!

Special Offer: Save 25% today with this Winter Special Offer! Sign up Today!

As part of your purchase, you’ll receive a free e-book with recipes, expert tips, weekly shopping lists, and much more, in one convenient place.

The Beet’s Healthy Plant-Based Diet cooking course and free e-book will make it easier than ever to follow the meal plan and achieve your healthy eating goals.

When you sign up for the Healthy Plant-Based Diet cooking course you get:

14-Day Meal Plan for Sustainable, Healthy Weight Loss
All-Day Energy by Eating Foods with Fiber to Keep Blood Sugar in Check
Meal Prep Lessons That Make Eating Plant Based Easy and Affordable
2 Weekly Shopping Lists to Print Out, Take to the Store. Save Time and Money
40 Delicious, Satisfying Recipes: Breakfasts, Lunches, Snacks & Dinners
Helpful Videos That Make Following the Meal Plan Simple and Fun
3 Units, 15 Lessons, 29 Tasks, and Nutritionist-Guided Advice
15 Stick-With-It Tips to Help You Reach Your Goals and for Lasting Results
Everything You Need to Know to Get Nutrients on a Plant-Based Diet
Lifetime Access to the Course and its Contents on your Device
A 100+ Page E-Book to Have Everything You Need in One Place
1 Supportive Community – Join The Beet’s Facebook Group. Share What Works!
Resource Guide and Helpful Graphics to Envision Success

SIGN UP TODAY!

This Black Friday Sale won’t last!

Get 50% off the regular price of $39.99. Yours for $19.99.

When can you start your course? Any time after Thursday, December 1st.

Sign up now and start your course on December 1st or January 1st, or whenever you like! Want to get going right away? You can, with the free e-book.

When do you get the e-book? The minute you sign up.

Does the course ever expire? No! You will have access to all the course materials and lessons on your device forever, so you can check back and refer to it anytime you want to make delicious recipes and remind yourself of all the great meal-prep tips and information.

Pay now (half off the regular price) and start any day you like after December 1st. Then you can access it any time after that, and start on the day that works for you!

What are you waiting for? Take the first step in your healthy lifestyle, starting today!

The post Winter Special Offer: Get 50% Off The Beet’s Plant-Based Diet Cooking Course appeared first on The Beet.

Your Beginner’s Guide to Going Plant-Based: Easy Recipes, Expert Tips & More

Lucy Danziger — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 15:00:51 +0000

Do you want to try eating plant-based but are unsure of where to start? Chances are you have questions! Where do I get my protein? What on earth is there to eat? Is it better to start slow and gradually go meatless, or just leap right in?

No matter the approach you choose, or the reason –– for your health, for the planet, or for animals –– the eventual goal is to take all the meat and dairy of your kitchen and focus instead on filling your plate with as many vegetables, legumes, fruit, nuts, seeds, and whole grains as possible.

How Do I Start a Plant-Based Diet?

Here are the most common questions you may have ahead of your switch to a more plant-based diet. From plant-based protein sources to vitamin supplements, we asked experts to break down the most frequently asked questions.

Getty Images Getty Images

The Top Questions Surrounding Eating a Plant-Based Diet

1. Who Should Go Plant-Based?

Anyone who wants to be healthier or save the planet. You don’t need to have a doctor’s note that tells you to clean up your diet. Assume that the best practice, health-wise, is to prevent all major diseases as much as possible, by choosing a healthier lifestyle. That means eating more plant-based foods, fewer animal products, and staying away from junk food or highly processed (bagged, boxed) snacks.

When you think about the climate disasters that have befallen the globe this past summer, from floods in Europe to droughts and fires in the western United States, it’s clear that climate change is upon us, and no longer a “future” problem. Animal agriculture accounts for one of the biggest contributors to man-made greenhouse gases, while plant crops such as sorghum and others grab CO2 out of the atmosphere and return it safely to the soil, to enrich our food.

If you want to eat for the planet, and for your health, then go mostly or fully plant-based.

2. What is the Difference Between Plant-Based and Vegan?

You’ve likely been hearing the term plant-based crop up in conversation or on grocery store shelves and restaurant menus everywhere, but what does it mean exactly? There is widespread confusion surrounding the terms plant-based and vegan because, while similar in meaning, they are not exact synonyms, yet are often used interchangeably.

Vegan refers to a diet without any animal products, and plant-based refers to a diet that is largely comprised of plants. So, while a vegan diet may be plant-based, plant-based diets are not always vegan. Knowing the difference between vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian (where you eat mostly plant-based but still allow yourself small amounts of meat, dairy, and fish in a flexible diet), can help you decide the dietary approach that’s right for you.

3. When is the Best Time to Eat Plant-Based?

Start now, even if it’s just by adding juicing one meal a day. People sometimes wait to start any diet, until after a wedding, a vacation, or an illness. If you do it now, you’ll benefit from the seasonal vegetables that are plentiful this time of year. Start and if you need to take a break or have a meal that is not fully plant-based don’t worry. Every incremental step in the plant-based direction makes you healthier.

In fact, just three days of adding juicing to your diet are enough to tip your microbiome to be healthier, one study found, and the benefits lasted 14 days later. And another recent research finding shows that just 5 plant-based meat alternatives a week (instead of real meat) is enough to change your microbiome and make it healthier.

The point is the more plants and less meat you eat, the healthier you’ll be, starting now. So rather than wait, just start and do the best you can. You’re moving in the right direction!

The amazing thing is how quickly your body will react and begin to feel better. In just a matter of days, your body gets healthier on a plant-based diet.

4. Why Should I Go Plant-Based?

Here at The Beet, we want to encourage as many people as possible to adopt a more plant-based diet, but don’t just take our word for it: There are well dozens of recent studies that show how a plant-based diet can benefit your heart health, lower your lifetime risk of cancer, help you avoid diabetes and keep you from ever hearing that you are a candidate for having a heart attack, or suffering a stroke or any of the other related symptoms of heart disease.

The main reason that going plant-based is that you are getting your protein and nutrients from clean sources –– plant foods that grow in the ground, on bushes and trees, and the leaves themselves –– as opposed to from meat which comes bundled with artery-clogging saturated fat that can cause high cholesterol, high blood pressure and even heart failure.

Not to state the obvious, but plants have fiber (it’s what keeps them reaching for the sky) and all that fiber acts as probiotics and prebiotics in your gut, switching it over from unhealthy bacteria balance to healthy bacteria, which is the genesis of what drives our body’s health processes. Your gut health essentially rules the immune system, circulation health, and all the other cellular processes in the body.

Going plant-based (adding more whole foods and cutting out animal products and highly processed foods with added sugar that have had all the nutrients stripped out of them) has so many incredible health benefits associated with it that you will help your body fight every major lifestyle disease.

Every week, there are new studies that show that eating plant-based is healthier, as research proves, again and again, that plant-based foods are healthier for you – from your gut to your heart, as well as for your brain and your immune system – and see how you feel when you start eating this way. It only takes a few weeks to start seeing results like clearer skin, lower cholesterol, and reduced blood pressure.

If you want to check with your doctor and get a baseline blood test and blood pressure reading before you start your new plant-based diet, you may enjoy knowing that what the research says is true: Your major health markers will improve, along with your diet.

Getty Images Getty Images

5. What are Plant-Based Protein Sources?

Everyone asks this. From plants! Where do great apes or racehorses get their protein? And these are all bigger, stronger, faster animals than you are. It turns out that protein in plants gets passed through the animal that eats it to us, but with a whole lot of unhealthy stuff in the mix, especially saturated fat.

If we just cut out the middle man (or beast) we can get all the protein you need that’s clean, packed with vitamins and nutrients, and are full of gut-healthy fiber. Plant-based foods like tofu and seitan have plenty of protein, but so do whole foods. Don’t believe us, check out the top 10 sources of plant-based protein, according to a nutritionist.

If you don’t want to eat tofu or seitan (both amazing sources of protein), then pile on the veggies, snack on nuts, choose whole grains like brown rice, and make a habit of sprinkling seeds on your salads and smoothies. Vegetables, legumes, and whole grains like quinoa, plus nuts and seeds all are great sources of protein on a plant-based diet.

Everyone is obsessed with protein, but fiber is actually your diet’s unsung hero. It keeps us feeling food, and slows down the food that gets absorbed into the body, which makes your body believe that fuel and essential nutrients are still on hand, so no need to eat again, Plants have fiber, and animal products don’t. Add as much fiber to your diet as you can to be your healthiest.

To get more fiber in your diet, focus on eating more plants, especially the 20 best sources of fiber.

Getty Images/Dorling Kindersley Getty Images/Dorling Kindersley

6. How to go plant-based? Here’s how to start, according to an RD

As we said, there is no single best way to go plant-based and it depends on your personality. If you ever smoked, did you kick it cold turkey, use the patch, or just cut down? The same question applies here. The best way to go plant-based? The way you’ll do it and stick to it.

To steer you towards the best way to begin eating a more plant-based diet, a Registered Dietician breaks down their tips to ensure you’re taking the right path for your health when you start on your plant-based journey.

One tip: start with breakfast. Oatmeal and berries, avocado toast, almond butter, and bananas all are amazingly filling, protein-packed healthy plant-based meals to start the day. Try new things and stick with them even if you falter. This isn’t an all-or-nothing binary equation. The more plants you eat the better, so keep going.

Worried about whether you’re going to be eating a balanced diet? You do need to pay attention to getting all the nutrients you need. Here’s how to have a balanced diet when going plant-based, from an RD. One way to have a balanced diet is to plan your protein sources and make sure that you eat enough heart-healthy fat since both keep you feeling full for longer than carbs and you won’t go reaching for junk food as readily.

Keep your pantry stocked with whole grains like oatmeal and brown rice or pasta, and make a huge batch of vegetable and tomato sauce and freeze it in smaller portions so no matter how hungry you are when you get home from work you can whip up a healthy meal in the time it takes to defrost. Meal prepping on Sundays is a great way to keep healthy food in the house.

7. Do You Need Supplements On a Plant-Based Diet?

You don’t technically need a supplement because you are eating plant-based. You likely would need to take B12 or vitamin D whether you ate a carnivorous diet or not, since both these are hard to come by naturally in the food you eat. There is a reason that milk (and some plant-based milk) is fortified: Americans don’t get enough vitamin D in their daily diets to reach what is considered a healthy amount.

We also need to prioritize Omega-3, a heart-healthy fatty acid that is found in algae, and that when fish eat, they pass it to us if we eat the fish. In any case, there are a few different vitamins and minerals that are tough to get, no matter how many veggie-packed grain bowls you down in a day. For that reason, there are seven supplements to consider taking on a plant-based diet. But before you take anything, other than whole foods, check in with your MD since she or he may want to do a quick blood test and see if you are in the normal range.

8. Is Eating Plant-Based Expensive?

Everyone jokes that Whole Foods should be called Whole Paycheck. Okay, so that one store does seem to set us back more than we expect every time we visit, but it may be because instead of buying just one plant-based ice cream we feel the need to sample six or seven.

But is a plant-based diet expensive? Actually, the opposite is true: It’s less expensive to eat vegan or plant-based, especially if you are leaving meat and dairy out of the basket. Studies show that eating plant-based can actually cut your grocery bill significantly, flying in the face of the myth that eating healthy also means paying more.

One survey of shoppers found that going plant-based lowered their grocery bills by $23 a week, and other studies have found similar results. Rice and beans aren’t expensive, which is why half the world lives on these staples, no matter what their economic situation.

If you want to save money at the market, there are tips for buying in bulk on sale and saving a bundle.

9. Where Can I Learn More About Eating Plant-Based?

Now that you’re almost ready to get started, check out these documentaries to learn even more about how a plant-forward diet can benefit your health, and follow these plant-based influencers to inspire you along your journey.

You’ll find that influencers, athletes, actresses, singers, musicians, and others all want to share their tips for success on a plant-based diet. For inspiration and helpful tips to help you stick with it, check out these great sources:

What to watch, including documentaries like What the Health
Who to follow, on IG for major inspiration
Plant-based athletes who are actually game-changers
Celebrities who ditched meat, from actresses to musical artists
The 5 best tips to stick with it from the editors and others

10. What Do I Eat On a Plant-Based Diet?

These breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and desserts are all the recipes to last all week and get started on your plant-based journey.

Want to get The Beet‘s Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Going Plant-Based emailed to you every day to make it even easier? Sign up here.

Sign-Up for the Beginner’s Guide to Plant-Based Eating

The post Your Beginner’s Guide to Going Plant-Based: Easy Recipes, Expert Tips & More appeared first on The Beet.

Which Celebrity Diets Actually Work? The Healthiest, and Which to Skip

Lucy Danziger — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 15:10:50 +0000

When Rebel Wilson lost a vast amount of weight, shedding not just pounds but her Bridesmaids Hollywood persona, her fans were eager to know how she did it, and what prompted her to change her eating habits. Wilson revealed that she didn’t set out to lose weight, but simply to make 2020 the “Year of Health.” She began journaling, and even practiced writing down her negative thoughts and shredding or burning them rather than letting them eat at her (or cause her to stress eat).

Like many celebrity dieters, Wilson focused on eating a predominantly plant-based diet rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, and nuts –– all foods full of nutrients, and high in fiber that helped her feel full for longer. Wilson added walking and other physical activity to her daily routine, and the pounds melted off.

The result of these doable, positive changes was not a deprivation diet but a lasting lifestyle shift that helped her shed pounds and keep them off. More importantly, it was part of a decision to be kinder to herself, according to her social posts, and to gain control of her emotional eating. This particular celebrity diet is a stellar example of how to shift one’s mindset and focus on prioritizing health and making positive changes that allow for a lasting lifestyle of sustained healthy habits.

Not all celebrity diets are as doable or as healthy as Wilson’s. Some are also not sustainable, while others require surgery, and still, other stars rely on medication to achieve weight loss.

Here, we take a look at the weight loss strategies that work, as well as some that are not worth trying to emulate – since the point is to be healthy long-term, and eat nutrient-rich foods that keep you full and energized to help you reach your physical, mental, and well-being goals.

Find a strategy that is right for you and that you and your medical provider both agree on – since you should always check with your doctor or nutritionist before embarking on any dramatic change in eating.

Which Celebrity Diets Work?

Not all celebrities take a healthy approach to weight loss, and even if they do manage to lose weight, it may not be something you should try, since you need to follow the plan that is right for you. Oprah is an investor and an advocate for WW (formerly Weight Watchers) and it has been an approach that consistently helps her maintain a healthy diet. So while it may not be new or sexy, WW works, for the right person.

By contrast, some A-listers are taking the diabetes drug Metformin in order to lower blood sugar levels and allow the body to burn fat for fuel. But this drug has side effects that range from diarrhea to more serious conditions, according to the Mayor Clinic, so no one should consider taking anything without discussing it with their doctor.

Celebrity Diets For Weight Loss: Which Ones Are Worth Trying?

1. The Sirtfood Diet

Adele brought the Sirtfood Diet to our attention two years ago, when she lost some 90 pounds, but many other stars have tried the Sirtfood Diet, including Pippa Middleton, Lorraine Pascale, the Food Network chef, Jodi Kidd, and a boxer named David Haye.

A Sirtfood Diet is mostly plant-based and contains high levels of foods that help trick your body into burning fat at a higher rate. Sirt foods help signal the body to should rev up your metabolism and increase muscle mass while you burn fat.

The foods you eat are called “Sirt” foods because they are high in sirtuin activators, which promote seven proteins that regulate metabolism, inflammation, and the longevity of cells. When you eat more foods that contain sirtuin activators, it helps speed up fat burning in the body while creating lean muscle mass.

What Are Sirt Foods?

arugula
blueberries
coffee
dark chocolate
kale
matcha green tea
Medjool dates
red wine
soy
walnuts

But another reason you lose weight on the Sirtfood Diet is that during the first week of the plan, you eat just 1,000 calories a day and drink three green juices throughout the day, each containing Kale, arugula, parsley, celery (including the leaves), half a green apple, lemon juice, and matcha green tea. By week two you can increase your calorie intake to 1,500 a day and drink two Sirtfood Juices a day, and eat two Sirtfood meals.

Bottom Line: Calorie restriction works, but it’s impossible to sustain. What’s healthy about this diet is that it encourages eating greens and high-antioxidant foods. High-fiber foods (such as arugula and kale, parsley, and other dark leafy greens) keep you feeling full longer. However, the more restrictive any diet is, the less likely it is that you can sustain it.

When we tried the Sirtfood Diet, we lasted about half a day, until the middle of the afternoon, when we had to lie down and take a nap. This diet just does not allow for enough calories to fuel an active person, and the restrictions are too harsh to stay on it for more than about 24 hours.

2. The Mayr Method

Rebel Wilson lost more than 60 pounds during her “Year of Health” by following a diet called the Mayr Method, which is less of a diet and more of a healthy approach to changing your relationship with food. The eating strategy itself is focused on a healthy diet of mostly whole foods like vegetables and lean protein, but the key is to stop stress eating, which leads to reaching for junk, and instead be mindful about what’s triggering your emotional eating in the first place.

Practicing journaling and writing down petty slights or unhappy emotions and then flushing or burning these notes helps you process your emotions in a healthier way than smothering them in donuts and chips. By learning how to kick stress-eating to the curb, you are less likely to reach for high-sugar or carb-loaded snacks to comfort your feelings.

Wilson learned to follow the Mayr method, a nearly 100-year-old approach to healthy weight loss that combines emotional healing with smaller portions, plenty of plant-based foods, lean protein, and taking long daily walks for gentle but consistent calorie-burning every day.

A unique aspect of the Mayr Method is that it isn’t so much a specific diet as it is a way of approaching food and exercise that is kinder to your body and allows you to stop being self-destructive with food.

Wilson explained her new approach to her fans in a social media video, telling them how this method helps people put themselves in better situations where they feel in control of their food decisions and less distracted by other thoughts while they eat, so they don’t make poor choices.

Bottom Line: The Mayr Method is a healthy approach to losing weight and keeping it off. The Mayr Method focuses on eating more plant foods like vegetables and high-protein foods which is great. And because it is about being “good to yourself,” it can become a lifestyle. You learn to eat healthy foods that make you feel energized and avoid inflammatory foods such as added sugar, processed foods, dairy, caffeine, and gluten.

We also love the part about Rebel Wilson’s weight loss approach that encourages practicing self-care, self-kindness, and journaling. There’s no question that this method helps you break self-destructive habits and feel better about yourself as you prioritize your health.

3. Intermittent Fasting

Stars like Halle Berry, Scarlette Johansen, Jennifer Aniston, and many others have talked about how effective Intermittent Fasting can be when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight. This strategy, of only eating during short stints and abstaining the rest of the day or night, is as old as Hollywood itself. Some people succeed by only eating one or two meals a day, and not eating for 12 or 14, or even 16 hours, allowing the body to reset and burn fat for fuel.

The question isn’t whether Intermittent Fasting works, but how to do it safely and effectively, by prioritizing eating foods that are nutritious and full of fiber during the hours when you do choose to eat.

Nearly every celebrity who has to get ready for a movie or a red-carpet appearance has tried Intermittent Fasting. This practice requires you to not eat for a long window of 14 or more hours, then eat only during the remaining window of 8 or 10 hours, and choose foods that are healthy, nutrient-dense, and high in fiber. The science was first tested on patients with dire health issues such as obesity and type 2 diabetes and has been written about extensively by doctors, like Dr. Jason Fung, who has co-authored the book, Life in the Fasting Lane.

Dr. Fung told The Beet that Intermittent Fasting can also help the body fight off infection, since in the absence of food, the body is better able to do the important housekeeping of finding viruses and other cells that are foreign or broken, and perform “autophagy” where it literally eats these cells and destroys them.

How long you fast for is up to you but we don’t recommend pushing it too long. However, Dr. Fung tells us that we sometimes “get hungry” just because we are accustomed to eating breakfast lunch, and dinner, and that our hunger signals are not necessarily to be trusted. We don’t need to eat that often for our health and longevity, he explains since most of us have plenty of fat stores that our body can use to get to a meal a little while later.

Bottom Line: IF is not for everyone. If you are hungry (or hangry) and distracted, then eating more often and choosing smaller portions might be the better route for you. But if you have the ability to eat an early dinner and then a late breakfast, and space out your meals, you may be able to train the body to use the calories already stored (as fat) and lose weight.
When you do eat, however, choose the healthiest foods you can, to resupply the body with nutrients, antioxidants, and the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals to give your cells the important building blocks they need to be healthy and fight off disease.

4. The Low-Carb Diet

When Kim Kardashian needed to lose weight to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Happy Birthday dress, she chose to cut out carbs and managed to drop 16 pounds, making the red carpet appearance a success.

Counting carbs has become popular with keto diets. But should you cut out all carbs and eat fewer than 1,000 calories a day to lose weight? It’s actually a terrible idea, according to all medical and nutrition sources.

According to the USDA, you only need to reduce your daily calories by 500 to lose one pound in a week, or 1,000 calories per day to lose two pounds. So if you’re regularly eating 2,500 to 3,000 calories a day (and most Americans actually eat 3,600 a day) simply cutting down on total calorie intake is enough, without over-restricting or cutting out an entire food group.

Not to be confused with keto, the low-carb diet is a gentler way of teaching your body to burn fat instead of carbs, by eating fewer calories from carbs. But we know that not all carbs are unhealthy. Most vegetables (like carrots) and fruits (apples and oranges) have naturally occurring sugars that come packaged with healthy vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other antioxidants that make them healthy foods that should not be avoided.

As it is, most Americans don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. Only 1 in 10 of us get the recommended 5 servings a day, and instead eat carbs in the form of refined flour, highly processed foods, added sugar, and sweets. If you cut out those and instead focus on eating natural whole foods, you will lose weight and stay energized and healthy.

Bottom Line: Rapid, dramatic weight loss often leads to gaining it all back.

Achieving rapid weight loss (more than 2 pounds a week) tends to come in the form of losing muscle, bone density, and water weight rather than fat, and when you regain the weight you usually add it back as fat (unless you are strength training). The result: You’ve succeeded in lowering your metabolism.

Instead of cutting out all carbs and restricting your calories to less than 1,200 a day, try cutting out added sugar, refined or processed flour (like crackers, white bread, regular pasta, and white rice), and all junk food. When you choose healthy high-fiber foods such as fruit and vegetables, you stay full longer and unlock satiety cues while curbing cravings.

5. Raw Vegan Diet

Lizzo shared with her fans that being vegan has been pretty easy for her, and it looks like she’s ready to level up and begin a new challenge. In an IG story she posted on July 28th, the “Bop Star” announced to her 9.1 million followers that she was making the leap to go fully raw vegan, a decision that she made after citing its numerous health benefits.

A raw vegan diet requires you to only eat plant-based foods that haven’t been put through any cooking, heating, or processing so the food remains in its most natural state. We applaud Lizzo’s quest for health and focus on natural whole foods. “So since being vegan I’ve found that I eat a lot of meat substitutes, whether it’s tempeh or jackfruit or Beyond burger or whatever,” Lizzo told her followers.

Lizzo then added more about why she was adopting this new lifestyle, saying, “Just to piggyback on the conversation I was having earlier on raw veganism, a lot of nutrition has been, you know in the zeitgeist lately, and a lot of it has been exterior-based, but being raw has a lot of internal benefits, and those are the ones that are important to me. …

“So for all those people who have GERD, or who have digestive issues, it gives your stomach a break from breaking down and digesting all of those complex, hard-to-break-down substances we eat… “I think it’s important whether you’re vegan, not vegan, pescatarian, vegetarian,” she encouraged fans, “to have one meal a day that’s just simple, from the earth.”

Bottom Line: The more minimally processed whole foods you eat the better, especially when it comes to high-fiber vegetables, fruit, legumes, and whole grains. You don’t have to go fully raw vegan to benefit from this kind of eating. Just try to get more plant-based foods in your diet and avoid processed foods, including fake meat or packaged foods with added sugar.

6. Juice Cleanse

Stars like Blake Lively and Nicole Richie have been reported to enjoy cleanses over the years, and science supports juicing as a way of adding more healthy nutrients to your diet. As long as it isn’t your only source of calories, juicing can be a healthy way to get vitamins and antioxidants. The problem is that when you use a machine to get juice from vegetables and fruit, you also remove most of the fiber, which means these foods won’t keep you as full as if you ate the whole ingredients instead of drinking only the juice.

Research has shown that even juicing some of the time, over a short stint of 3 days, can help to jumpstart gut health, and possibly promote weight loss. The subjects in this study showed improvements in their gut microbiome after juicing, even days later. According to the study, which followed subjects for 17 days, a three-day juice-intensive diet resulted in increased weight loss and healthier gut microbiota, and the healthy bacteria stuck around for 14 days after the juicing period was over.

Bottom Line; Add juicing to a healthy diet rather than replacing every meal. Juicing can be a great way to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet, but it can wind up being extreme if you do it as a replacement for meals. Instead of removing all the pulp and fiver, add back some pulp or squeeze the juice, allowing some of the fiber to stay in the drink. Dietary fiber is a key component in keeping our gut microbiota healthy.

7. The Alkaline Diet

Kelly Ripa eats an alkaline diet, which is a way of focusing on a mostly plant-based diet that cuts out inflammatory foods like processed carbs, red meat, and added sugar. Dr. Daryl Gioffre, celebrity nutritionist, and alkaline diet expert explains that eating more alkaline foods reduces acid-promoting foods (not to be confused with citrus or other fruits). Ripa’s diet is clean, mostly plant-based, and brimming with green vegetables and moderate protein intake — mostly plant-based sources with wild-caught fish thrown into the mix.

Alkaline diets are not absolutes, however, which means they are more sustainable over time. “Our motto when working together with her demanding schedule is it’s all about moderation, not deprivation, Gioffre has said, adding that none of his clients think of this as a “diet” per se, but simply making their nutrition part of a healthy lifestyle.

Bottom Line: Steer clear of added sugar and load up on fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and lean protein. Avoid inflammatory foods like processed meat or refined carbs, and make the healthiest choice by prioritizing nutrient-dense foods.

So What Works for Healthy Weight Loss? A Plant-Focused Approach

A Plant-based or plant-focused diet full of whole foods is the best way to think about how to eat for sustained weight loss. It doesn’t have to be a strict diet or rely on restricting calories since if you eat more fiber-filled foods, you will stay full longer and keep blood sugar at a healthy level and avoid unwanted blood sugar spikes.

Seeking nutrient-rich foods and avoiding added sugar, as well as avoiding saturated fat (in red and processed meat) and highly processed foods will naturally lead to weight loss.

Bottom Line: Any diet that is plant-focused and avoids processed foods and refined carbs will likely help you lose weight and feel energized.

Check out The Plant-Based Diet and Cooking Course, to learn how to meal prep and eat healthier all year long.

The post Which Celebrity Diets Actually Work? The Healthiest, and Which to Skip appeared first on The Beet.

The 22 Best Foods to Lose Belly Fat, Lower Insulin Resistance, From a Doctor

Lucy Danziger — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 18:00:24 +0000

If belly fat has you down, know this: There is likely a medical reason you’re experiencing this stomach issue, and it’s making it hard to lose weight. Once you know why you have belly fat, you can start to solve the problem, and it’s not as difficult as you might think, according to scientific studies and experts like doctors who treat patients plagued with unwanted belly fat.

What Causes Belly Fat and How to Lose It

There’s good news and bad news about belly fat. The bad news is that, according to a recent government estimate, no fewer than 88 percent of the US population is walking around with belly fat, and most likely it is a symptom of insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is a condition that can lead to type 2 diabetes since your body essentially stops listening to your insulin response to food, which makes you produce even more insulin, and this cycle continues until you either change your diet and get healthy, or the insulin production, which is essentially stuck in the “on” position, short circuits and your pancreas begins to wear out, which is essentially the state in which diabetes starts to happen.

The good news about belly fat? There are dietary changes, specifically a plant-based high-fiber diet strategy, that can help you reverse insulin resistance to lose weight, shrink belly fat, and get back on the road to being your healthiest.

Why Is Belly Fat so Bad for Your Health?

Belly fat isn’t just a vanity issue, but a sign of underlying health issues, which can become conditions that compromise your health, such as type 2 diabetes. So when belly fat shows up and acts stubborn, which it often does, and you find it hard to lose weight, you need to heed your doctor’s advice and do something about it. That’s the message from one MD we spoke to, who treats people with metabolic conditions, including obesity, diabetes, and insulin resistance. Here’s how to get rid of belly fat.

By changing your diet, and adopting a low-carb, high-fiber approach by eating more vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains (and less processed foods such as refined grains like added sugar and white flour foods), you can reverse metabolic syndrome, which is a condition that includes insulin resistance, this doctor’s research has found.

Before you despair about what you can’t eat, or how hard it is to lose weight and belly fat, there are 22 foods that have been scientifically shown to help fight belly fat, and can even reverse insulin resistance, if you eat them daily, and avoid simple carbs (such as sugar, crackers, chips, sweets, and other processed foods) that drive up blood sugar.

You can get rid of both belly fat and lower your insulin resistance, and achieve overall health, just by avoiding processed foods and adding these 22 foods to your diet, and it works even better if you exercise daily. First, cut out added sugar, animal fat, and processed or fast foods that are full of the types of simple carbs that cause insulin to spike in the first place.

What Is Insulin Resistance and How Can You Reverse It?

Insulin resistance is a term that describes what happens when your body “stops listening” to insulin, so you create more and more of it, in an effort to get blood sugar to safely be used by the cells or carted away to be stored as fat. Insulin resistance is especially hard to solve since once the extra fuel (whether it’s sugar or fat) gets locked up, your blood sugar dips, and you sense that you’re hungry – even though you just ate not too long ago – and you eat again to satisfy the hunger cue. Then insulin goes up again, and your cells resist the signal, and as insulin gets ignored (or resisted) it pumps more and more, until finally there’s an answer.

Your blood can only hold a teaspoon of glucose or blood sugar at one time, so insulin is just trying to do its job to clear out the excess glucose before it can cause harm, but until you either fast or eat high-fiber foods, this ugly cycle continues, explains Dr. Cucuzzella, MD, author of the book Low-Carb on Any Budget. Insulin resistance–and excess belly fat–starts because your blood, all five liters of it, can only tolerate a finite amount of sugar in it, specifically the equivalent of a teaspoon or110 milligrams per deciliter, says Dr. Cucuzzella, who is a Family Medicine professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine.

When you eat more sugar or simple carbs (such as junk food, white bread, white pasta, sweets, chips or other highly processed foods) than your body can burn up by moving about, insulin response goes up, signaling to the body to store the extra fuel as fat. “Insulin knocks on the door” to tell your body that blood glucose needs to be delivered to the cells, first to the liver, muscles, and other cells, to be used for fuel, but then to your fat cells, where it can be stored till later.”

Things go awry when you eat more sugar than you can use, he explains. The average American meal has about 60 to 75 grams of carbohydrates in it. On average Americans eat about 250 to 300 grams of carbs a day, which is about ten times what your body can use–unless you’re training like an Olympic athlete. (Side note: Dr. Cucuzzella says he has eaten 20 to 30 grams of carbs a day for ten years, and as someone with diabetes, this level “keeps me well and running.”)

The more carbs you eat, the more insulin is released, causing insulin resistance

If you throw the typical meal with those 60 to 75 grams of carbs, then your insulin is going to do whatever it has to do to store the extra. Instead of knocking on the door, it is now pounding on the door, to alert the body that there is too much blood sugar, and it has to do something to get the body’s attention, so it starts rising and rising and rising. When those fat cells are full, the body says: enough! But insulin has to bang on the door even louder to get the body to listen and move that sugar out of our bloodstream.”

This back-and-forth signaling (the insulin getting louder, bullying the body to store extra glucose as fat, the body resisting this message since it has had enough), sends insulin higher and higher, and the body becomes more and more resistant to the message. The body just does not want to hear from insulin again and again, like a spam caller. It stops picking up.

A better way to phrase it is carbohydrate intolerance, which means your body does not hear or see the insulin. Your body eventually acts the way someone who is gluten intolerant acts when they eat wheat: You get inflamed, your immune system overwhelmed, and your gut reacts as if all these carbs are making it sick, which in fact they are.

Whether you eat plant-based or not you have to be conscious of added sugar and simple carbs. If you were peanut-allergic, you can’t eat them, but to someone who has central obesity, or who has insulin resistance, they are essentially carb allergic.

Only 12 percent of the population is “metabolically well,” Dr. Cucuzzella says, and for the other 88 percent with metabolic conditions, eating foods that help lower blood sugar is the key to shedding that unwanted belly fat, lowering the volume on insulin, and getting healthier.

What Is Metabolic Syndrome?

“The primary driver of belly fat and insulin resistance is excess sugar in the bloodstream, which comes from the food we eat,” such as excess carbohydrates, causing insulin resistance and creating a “metabolic storm” inside our bodies,” Dr. Cucuzzella explains.

As the metabolism breaks down, people develop a condition called metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions, which together act to increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Given the implications associated with these conditions (increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and a high cholesterol profile ), Dr. Cucuzzella has written an article, “Is It Time for a Lockdown on Sugar?,” published in the current issue of Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.

Why is Belly Fat Dangerous?

Belly fat is more than just a cosmetic issue, he adds: “Belly fat or abdominal fat is the dangerous fat,” Dr. Cucuzzella says. “It’s called visceral fat, not brown body fat. We need brown fat as protection for vital storage. Women store differently than men, and more for endocrine function and for reproduction. But when you store it in the abdomen it increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. The primary driver of that apple shape is metabolic syndrome.

“Of the patients I see, 90 percent of them have it and they don’t know it. Essentially the body does not metabolize carbs the way it should. When you look at glucose per deciliter of concentration, they may not even eat more carbs than other people by the time they come to see me, but their body has become intolerant of the carbs they do eat.”

The problem is that if the liver is already filled and your muscles are filled (with the energy they need) and then you add more carbs and fat to the blood and over time, you have liver fat. . So not just sugar but the fat that comes with it, so now you have fat trapping. Insulin is a switch, which says store. So if you need to use that fat as fuel you need to reduce carbs and you can do that with a mostly plant-based diet.

Carbs are the primary driver of insulin. So to do this you have to lower insulin and if you do that you need to lower carbs. It’s not going to go away with a 30-day diet, he explains. Instead, the answer is to change your way of eating and to approach it as a lifestyle. You have to make that switch.

Reverse Metabolic Syndrome and Lose Belly Fat

The number one thing that Dr. Cucuzzella recommends to his patients is to follow a diet of low-carb, high-fiber foods, and to stick to eating real or whole foods. By doing this, it’s possible to lose belly fat and ultimately succeed at lasting weight loss.

“It’s really not anything extreme. It’s what your grandmother would eat: Nothing in a box or a bag with a label. Plenty of real food with carbs, but also high in fiber, so while a banana would qualify, it will behave differently in the body than leafy vegetables.”

Eating a diet high in fiber and low in carbs is the best way to combat and reverse insulin resistance, Dr. Cucuzzella says. Choose carbs that have fiber, like green leafy vegetables, and focus on getting as many of these high-fiber foods as you can, while cutting out the simple sugars and starchy foods.

“Fiber is magical. What fiber does is feeds the gut. Take zucchini for example. It might have six grams of carbs but 2 grams of that is fiber. That means the carbs in zucchini are not behaving like glucose in the body. The fiber will become food for the healthy bacteria in our gut. The same thing is true if I eat an apple, the carbs behave differently than apple juice with no fiber. Fiber feeds the healthy trillions of bacteria in the gut and helps to fight obesity and heart disease, and it makes you feel full.

“We don’t understand all the ways that the microbiome helps keep us healthy,” says Dr. Cucuzella, “but we know that feeding it vegetables, and high-fiber foods such as greens, can help reverse disease and lower insulin. Simply said, eat fiber, in the colors of the rainbow, to provide nourishment to the microbiome and lower your insulin response to the food you eat.”

Why It’s So Important to Eat Fewer Simple Carbs

Carbs create inflammation explains Dr. Cucuzzella, which is dangerous when you get sick from the flu or other virus. “I work in a hospital so people in the hospital often have these conditions associated with insulin resistance, which is obesity and hypertension, and diabetes. If you want to protect yourself from the flu or the next wave of COVID-19, get healthy now. You can lower the chances of having complications or severe symptoms if you get healthy now by maintaining a low-carb diet.

“If you are ever in hospital you need to have the host or body be healthy to fight the infection. The cytokine storm causes hyperglycemia. And when we have hyperglycemia our whole immune system function is disabled and it starts a cascade of negative effects. We don’t have a good treatment for the cytokine storm yet. You have to ride it out. The people who have it the worst are people with some spectrum of high blood sugar or metabolic syndrome.”

The 22 foods to eat to help lower insulin resistance

Here is Dr. Cucuzzella’s list of non-starchy plant foods that he gives to his patients, from his book, Low Carb on Any Budget. It should not be expensive to eat healthily. He calls it the Green Food list. Eat these to help lower insulin resistance and lose stubborn belly fat.

Avocado
Asparagus
Bell Pepper
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Green Onions
Jalapeño
Mushrooms
Olives
Onion
Pickles
Romaine Lettuce
Spinach
Sauerkraut
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Macadamia Nuts
Almonds
Walnuts
Pecans

Bottom Line: Stubborn Belly Fat Could Be a Sign of Insulin Resistance. Here Are 22 Foods to Fight Back

Belly fat may be a sign that you are battling with insulin resistance, a potentially dangerous condition that can lead to diabetes, according to this doctor. To fight back and get rid of stubborn belly fat, and reverse your insulin resistance, eat these 22 foods that are part of a high-fiber diet rich in vegetables, legumes, fruit, and whole grains, and avoid highly-processed foods that cause insulin levels to spike.

For more ways to incorporate a healthy, plant-based diet into your life, check out The Beet’s Health and Nutrition articles.

You may think iron is synonymous with meat, and while animal protein certainly has it, that doesn’t mean you can’t get enough iron if you eat a mainly plant-based diet. In fact, you can, if you know the right foods to choose and how to pair them. The daily recommendation from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for iron intake is 18 milligrams (mg), but not all iron sources are created equal. Here’s what plant-based eaters need to know about iron and which iron-rich foods are best to help reap the benefits.

1. White Mushrooms

Getty Images

1 cup cooked = 3 mg iron (17% daily value (DV))\There are many reasons to eat mushrooms on the regular, but their meaty texture (try a Portobello cap as a meat replacement for a burger!) and ample protein are two of the highlights. Add them to your stir-fry, tacos, or even instead of meat in a faux Bolognese sauce.

2. Lentils

Getty Images

1/2 cup = 3 mg iron (17% DV)You don’t need to eat a huge serving of lentils to get a hearty dose of iron. Just a half-cup provides close to 20% of the iron you need in a day. Just like mushrooms, lentils have a meaty texture that works well in burgers, tacos, or grain bowls.

3. Potatoes

Getty Images

1 medium potato = 2 mg iron (11% DV)The poor potato has gotten such a bad rap. Fear of this carb-rich spud is unwarranted because it’s actually an affordable and delicious source of iron and potassium. So go ahead and have that hash, baked potato, or potato soup and leave the skin on for some added fiber.

4. Cashews

Getty Images

1 ounce = 2 mg iron (11% DV)Most nuts contain iron, but cashews are a standout because they have less fat than some of the other nuts. One ounce of cashews (about 16 to 18 nuts) has 160 calories, 5 grams of protein, and 13 grams of fat. Add a handful of cashews to smoothies, soups, or sauces for some extra creaminess.

5. Tofu

Getty Images

½ cup = 3 mg (15% DV)Not only does tofu have plenty of protein and calcium, but it’s also a good source of iron. It’s very versatile and takes on the flavor of any sauce or marinade, making it a great meat substitute.Keep in mind that you can easily get the iron you need from a plant-based diet.

The post The 22 Best Foods to Lose Belly Fat, Lower Insulin Resistance, From a Doctor appeared first on The Beet.

Welcome to The Beet’s Plant-Based Diet, The Natural Way to Lose Weight

Lucy Danziger and Nicole Osinga, R.D. — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 15:48:24 +0000

Welcome to The Beet’s Plant-Based Diet!

We all know that fad diets don’t last. That’s not what this is – this is the start of a lifestyle change for you. We’ve developed this plan as a way to teach you how to create balanced, plant-based meals, learn valuable meal prep skills, and help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Get The Beet’s Plant-Based Diet in a beautiful e-Book to download, print, and keep handy!

Your password to open the ebook is: “GoVeganGetHealthy2022”

Instead of sharing the e-Book with friends (since they won’t have access to all the great content online) have them sign up for The Beet’s Plant-Based Diet and do it together. They will get all the daily newsletters, expert tips, and helpful online support that you get.

Enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

How to win: Invite a friend to join The Beet’s Plant-Based Diet, tag your friend on The Beet’s Instagram account – and both sign up for the diet. When we see that you are both signed up and tagged on our IG post, you’re both entered to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a tote bag from The Beet. (Both you and your friend have to be in the program for you to win your gift cards and tote bags.)

Get all access to The Beet’s Plant-Based Diet on your phone or computer, anytime!

Here is Everything You Need to Succeed at Your Weight Loss Goals

Each of these meals is designed to provide approximately 1,500 calories a day, with about 65 to 80 grams of protein each day! This amount of protein will help you maintain lean muscle mass and keep you full. Your micronutrient needs are also being met with this meal plan, including iron–which can be especially hard to meet on a plant-based diet.

The only vitamin that you will need to boost when following this meal plan is a vitamin D3 supplement and vitamin B12. As a Registered Dietitian, I don’t just want you to cut calories, I want you to eat nutrient-rich, whole foods, so that you are satisfied and energized!

This plan will work for you and you don’t have to work to fit it! You won’t feel deprived and you will want to stick with it. This is why it will be the foundation for sustainable results for a healthy, lean body now and in the future.

Meet the Creators, an Accomplished RD with the Editors of The Beet

Nicole Osinga is a Registered Dietitian with the College of Dietitians of Ontario, holding a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Human Nutrition. She provides personalized, evidence-based nutrition solutions for her clients and audience.

“Eat real, whole foods. Eat mostly plants,” she says. “Focus on the texture, taste and quality of the food; don’t get hung up on calories or points. Nourish your body instead of restricting yourself. Prepare most of your food yourself.”

Nicole creates personalized strategies for her clients, to help them achieve their nutrition and health goals. She also provides meal plans that fit her clients’ lifestyles, encouraging them to prep meals in advance. Nicole has an encouraging, motivational, and understanding approach.

The Beet is your all-in-one guide to a plant-based diet for the sake of your health, the planet, and animals, covering health news, the culture, recipes, weight loss, product news, and disease prevention through a plant-based diet. Edited by Lucy Danziger, former Editor-in-Chief of SELF magazine, The Beet takes an inclusive approach, welcoming anyone who wants to get further along on their plant-based journey. The Beet turned to Nicole as the perfect partner to create The Beet’s Plant-Based Diet.

How to Be Successful: Start With Some Simple Meal Prep

To set yourself up for success, I recommend that you do a little bit of meal prep. With this plan, you receive a grocery list for the recipes of the week. I would recommend doing your grocery shopping on a day other than the one you chose for your bigger meal prep. This is simply to prevent feeling overwhelmed.

I recommend you choose one day a week where you do a bigger prep. For me, it’s Sunday, but it doesn’t have to be for you. Use that day to create lunch and dinner meals from Monday- Wednesday. You can do another one or two small preps throughout the week for later lunch and dinner recipes.

Breakfast recipes can be made in advance (such as with the overnight oats) or the morning of. Snack recipes can be prepped in advance or the morning of as well, depending on time.

If you would rather not meal prep in batches, you don’t have to! You can simply follow the meal plans, cooking each day. However, I’ve found that the people who have the most success with the plan do some form of meal prepping to set themselves up for success. Happy Prepping!

If you want to get alerts from the Editors download The Beet’s free app!

Remember to join The Plant-Based Diet Group on The Beet’s Facebook page for support, updates, and live visits from the editors and experts.

Happy, healthy Plant-Based Dieting to you! Be in touch. We want to hear from you!

– Lucy & Nicole

The post Welcome to The Beet’s Plant-Based Diet, The Natural Way to Lose Weight appeared first on The Beet.

17 Immune-Boosting Foods to Help You Fight Off Viruses

Lucy Danziger — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 15:00:46 +0000

Why do we all need to know the best foods to boost the immune system? Because while we all are so over COVID-19, unfortunately, COVID is not done with us. Plus, it’s flu season, so it only makes sense to supply your immune system with everything it needs to defend itself against any virus.

COVID and other viruses leave you tired, stuffed up, and off your game. Even a mild case is a drag, so now is the time to strengthen your immune system by eating all the right foods, getting sleep, exercising, and taking care of yourself. Here are the 17 best foods to choose to help you stay healthy all winter long by boosting your immune system.

There are simple things you can do to supply your killer T cells and other immune responses with all the ammo required to fight off viruses. Eat healthy and incorporate into your daily diet the best immunity foods that have been shown to help fight off COVID, both before or after you are exposed.

Below is a list of the best immune-boosting foods to add to your diet. To further strengthen your immune system get plenty of sleep, fit in your daily exercise, and do all the self-care rituals that help you relieve stress.

Read More: Try the 3-Day Immunity Boosting Meal Plan

A Plant-Based Diet and COVID

Soon after the first wave of the pandemic hit, doctors and immunological experts began to recommend that their patients most vulnerable to serious symptoms (with a pre-existing condition or who have diabetes or lung conditions) switch to a mostly plant-based diet, which is known to bolster up the immune system.

One doctor urged his patients to eat mostly fruit and vegetables and stay away from inflammation-causing meat, dairy, and processed food, in light of COVID-19. And of course, get the vaccinations and boosters that are available to you.

The Best Immune-Boosting Foods to Eat

Getty Images Getty Images

1. Apples

Apples are the reigning prince of fruit when it comes to fiber, with 4.4 grams per fruit, which helps shift your microbiome to lower inflammation and fight diseases from heart disease to diabetes and even cancer. The more fiber in your diet, the more your immune cells can sweep for “other problems” including attacking agents like viruses or other infections.

To understand the role of soluble fiber and immunity, scientists studied how fiber can help shift the gut microbiome to lower inflammation in the body and strengthen immunity in a study that showed the immune cells “change” from having to work on inflammatory diseases to instead focus on invaders from outside.

“Soluble fiber changes the personality of immune cells – they go from being pro-inflammatory, angry cells to anti-inflammatory, healing cells that help us recover faster from infection,” said Gregory Freund, a professor at the U of Illinois College of Medicine. This happens because soluble fiber causes increased production of an anti-inflammatory protein.

How much soluble fiber to eat in a day: The recommended amount is that women need at least 25 grams of fiber a day and men should get at least 38 grams of fiber a day, but more is better. An apple has more than 4 grams of fiber, but you can also get fiber from oats, as well as black beans, broccoli, pears, sweet potatoes, figs, avocados, nectarines, flax seeds, sunflower seeds as well as other fruits and vegetables.

2. Citrus Fruits

Your body does not produce vitamin C, which means you need to get it daily to have enough to create healthy collagen (the building blocks for your skin and healing). Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient found in leafy greens and citrus, especially grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, and clementines. It acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage caused by free radicals.

How much vitamin C do you need a day? The recommended daily amount to shoot for is 65 to 90 milligrams a day, which is the equivalent of one small glass of orange juice or eating a whole grapefruit. Almost all citrus fruits are high in vitamin C. With such a variety to choose from, it’s easy to get your fill.

Getty Images Getty Images

3. Red Peppers

Want even more vitamin C than that orange you eat every morning? Add red bell peppers to your salad or pasta sauce. One medium-sized red bell pepper contains 152 milligrams of vitamin C, or enough to fulfill your RDA.

Peppers are also a great source of beta carotene, a precursor of vitamin A (retinol). Vitamin A is important for healthy skin, mucous membranes, and your immune system. Beta carotene helps keep your eyes and skin healthy, as well. One cooked pepper has 19 percent of your daily recommended amount of beta carotene.
How much beta carotene do you need a day? You should try to get 75 to 180 micrograms a day which is the equivalent of one medium bell pepper a day. But a red pepper has more than two and a half times your RDA for vitamin C so eat them all winter long.

4. Broccoli

Broccoli may be the most super of all the superfoods on the planet. It’s rich in vitamins A and C as well as being a good source of lutein, a powerful antioxidant, and sulforaphane, another potent antioxidant.

Broccoli also contains additional nutrients, including magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, lutein, and iron which support your immunity. Lutein is one of 600 known naturally occurring carotenoids and is found in high quantities in green leafy veggies such as spinach and kale.

There’s another thing you need to know about broccoli, and why it’s important to not overcook it. Broccoli contains sulforaphane, a compound that is a killer to a bug chewing on the stalk in the garden and equally deadly to “invaders” like viruses when they enter the body. Sulforaphane is a sulfur-rich compound found in several cruciferous vegetables like bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kale, but broccoli has the most.

How much should you eat in a day? There is no RDA for lutein, but experts say to get at least 6 milligrams. That means try to eat a half cup or more of broccoli a day. Throw it in sauces, salads, and grain bowls.

Getty Images Getty Images

5. Garlic

Garlic isn’t just a great flavor enhancer, it’s essential for your health. Ancient humans valued garlic as an infection fighter, which is why so much of our traditional diets include it as a first ingredient (making pasta sauce for instance). Value it and use it liberally for fighting infections.

Garlic’s immune-boosting properties are tied to its sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin. Allicin is thought to improve your immune cells’ ability to fight off colds and flu, and viruses of all kinds. (Smelling more garlic on the subway? It could be smart coronavirus management.) Garlic also has anti-microbial and anti-viral properties thought to fight off infections.

How much should you eat in a day: The optimal amount of garlic to eat is more than most of us can fathom: Two to three cloves a day. While that may not be doable, realistically, some people take garlic supplements to get 300 mg of dried garlic in a powdered tablet.

6. Ginger

Ginger is another ingredient that has super properties when it comes to fighting off illness. It has been shown to decrease inflammation, which can help if you get swollen glands or a sore throat, or any inflammatory ailment.

Gingerol, the main bioactive compound in ginger, is a relative of capsaicin and can be used in sweet or spicy dishes. It has been found to alleviate pain and fight nausea, which is the reason ginger ale was given for upset stomachs, back when it contained actual ginger. Now few store-bought formulations do. Make your own ginger tea. Gingerol is responsible for many of its medicinal properties. It has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.

How much ginger should you eat a day? Most recommendations land on 3–4 grams of ginger extract a day, or up to four cups of ginger tea, but no more than 1 gram a day if you are pregnant. Some studies have linked high dosages to an increased risk of miscarriage.

Getty Images/500px Prime Getty Images

7. Spinach

Spinach is not only packed with vitamin C but also antioxidants and beta carotene, both of which give your immune system the healthy boost it needs to fight off invaders.

Don’t overcook your spinach, since the more it’s cooked the less active the antioxidants will be. If you eat it raw or lightly steamed you’ll keep more of the nutrients intact.

How much should you eat a day: Aim for 1 cup of fresh spinach or 1/2 cup cooked per day, but this is the right moment to try the raw or slightly wilted approach. Order warm or wilted spinach salad when you go out, or make it yourself with olive oil, pine nuts, and vegan parm.

8. Almonds

Vitamin E in almonds will help ward off colds and flu and is key to your immune system humming along. It’s a fat-soluble molecule, meaning it requires the presence of fat to be absorbed, so nuts are the perfect package for E to make it into your system.

How many almonds should you eat in a day? A half-cup serving, or 46 whole, shelled almonds, provides almost 100 percent of your RDA of vitamin E. Almonds are great for you but they don’t come with a “free” pass, since 1/4 cup is a serving and has 162 calories, so double that for your RDA and you’re eating about 325 calories. Throw them into smoothies instead.

Getty Images/Westend61 Getty Images/Westend61

9. Turmeric

If you ever feel healthier eating curry, it is probably because of turmeric, which is an ingredient that gives it its burnt orange color. But this highly pigmented spice is known for its anti-inflammatory qualities. The ingredient curcumin has been found to decrease muscle soreness after a hard workout. How does it help immunity? decrease exercise-induced muscle damage.

How much turmeric should you eat in a day? Try adding extra turmeric to your diet during periods of stress or during flu season. Or take 500-2,000 mg of curcumin to help fight inflammation and power up your immune system.

10. Green Tea

Teas have been shown to help boost immunity and fight aging since they are packed with antioxidants and powerful phytochemicals. Whether you prefer green tea or black tea, you will benefit from the compounds called flavonoids, powerful antioxidants in most herbal teas. Green tea has high levels of EGCG, (epigallocatechin gallate) another hard-working antioxidant.

EGCG is known to boost immune function, and originally all tea leaves contain this anti-oxidant, but when black tea is fermented it deactivates most of the EGCG. Green tea is steamed so the EGCG is still active when you drink it.

Green tea also contains L-theanine, an anti-oxidant that appears to help in the production of T-cells in your body, the killer L-theanine may aid in the production of germ-fighting compounds in your T-cells.

How much green tea should you drink in a day? The optimal amount is three to five cups in a day, but most people won’t get to that level. Any amount is better than nothing. Swapping out a usual beverage daily for green tea could improve your health.

Getty Images Getty Images

11. Papaya

Papaya delivers over twice your recommended daily amount of vitamin C in one fruit –– though you’re likely to eat a few slices on a salad or in a smoothie. It also contains an enzyme called papain that has anti-inflammatory effects, and inflammation is one factor in most illnesses, so avoiding it can help your body fight off bacterial infections like sinusitis.

Papayas contain potassium, vitamin B, and folate, which is a powerful cell rebuilder. Exactly how folic acid works to build immunity is linked to its role in protein synthesis, and researchers think that any mechanism in which cells proliferate can be affected (which is why it’s critical for pregnant women). People who are folate-deficient have compromised immune systems.

How much folate should you eat a day: Whether you are pregnant or not, folate (vitamin B9) is a great vitamin to keep your cells healthy and strong. The recommendation is 400 micrograms a day, or get it from legumes, spinach, papayas, and avocados.

12. Kiwi Fruit

When you think of anti-oxidants, you should think of fruits that grow in the sun, since their vitamin pack comes from having to fight off the oxidation of the strong rays that beat down on them in the tropics. Kiwis are a great example. They are full of folate, vitamin K, vitamin C, and potassium.

These vitamins in combination work in the body to build healthy cells, fight infection and keep your immune system humming along. Vitamin K deficiency is rare but when people don’t have enough they suffer from weak bones and compromised immune systems. The inflammation system in the body is also dependent on vitamin K, especially your killer T cells that mobilize and fight cancer and other diseases.

How much vitamin K should you eat in a day? Vitamin K is one of the unsung heroes of the body. Women should get 90 micrograms a day, and men should have 120 micrograms.

Getty Images Getty Images

13. Sunflower Seeds

Most seeds are filled with nutrients since they give the plant a healthy start. But sunflower seeds are especially healthy since they provide phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin B-6 as well as vitamin E. Your immune system needs vitamin E to function at full throttle. You can also get vitamin E from avocados and spinach and broccoli.

How many sunflower seeds should you eat in a day? Anywhere from 1 ounce (30 grams) per day to a healthy handful is considered healthy, but because they are high in sodium you might want to refrain from eating the entire bag. The raw seeds have 204 calories per quarter cup.

14. Miso Soup or Paste

You’ve had miso soup at your favorite Japanese restaurant and perhaps even thought: “This tastes incredibly healthy! If a bit salty.” Both thoughts are true. Miso is a fermented paste that adds a salty umami flavor to many Japanese dishes and soups. Most miso is made in Japan, where the ingredient has been used since the eighth century.

Miso needs no preparation and adds a touch of saltiness to soups, marinades, and dressings. Some people credit miso as a factor in Japanese longevity. Japan has more centenarians per capita of the population than anywhere else in the world –– and Japan has one of the lowest rates of obesity.

The nutrients in miso, which is a soybean paste that has been fermented with salt and a koji starter, boost immune system function by delivering healthy probiotics to the gut, making your microbiome healthier. How does Miso benefit your immune system? It is a “SIRT” food, which are foods that contain high levels of ‘sirtuins’ or proteins that regulate cells and activate metabolism. A diet high in sirts is believed to lead to weight loss, increased wellness, and longevity.

How much miso should you eat in a day? Researchers believe that consuming one bowl of miso soup per day, as is the tradition in Japan, lowers the risks of breast cancer. Other than its high sodium content there is no reason to stay away from miso with all its varied health benefits. We say cheers to that.

Getty Images Getty Images

15. Blueberries

Nothing helps your body fight off infection better than a bowl of mixed berries, especially blueberries, which contain powerful antioxidants that give the fruit its vibrant color.

Blueberries contain a flavonoid called anthocyanin, which helps boost your immune system and fight off systemic stress of any kind including toxins.

In a recent study, researchers found that flavonoids play an essential role in your respiratory tract’s immune defense system, especially helpful in the case of infections that target the lungs such as COVID-19. People who eat a diet rich in flavonoids are less likely to get sick from an upper respiratory tract infection, or common cold than those who don’t eat berries regularly.

How many blueberries should you eat? Get one cup of berries a day in a smoothie or bowl, as a snack or dessert. The calories burn slowly thanks to the fiber in the fruit, so you can eat them and not worry about a spike in blood sugar.

16. Mushrooms

Mushrooms have been shown to help support the immune system, in study after study. They are high in antioxidants like selenium that help support immune function and protect your cells from disease-causing damage. Mushrooms are also a rich source of vitamin D, which is critical for the immune system and lower levels of vitamin D have been tied to worse symptoms of COVID.

All mushrooms contain vitamin D and some mushrooms increase their vitamin D levels when exposed to sunlight or UV light, according to the Mushroom Council. The nutrients found in mushrooms have also been shown to suppress growth and help prevent the recurrence of hormone-dependent breast cancers, studies have shown.

How many mushrooms to eat in a day? Even just adding one small mushroom a day was linked to a decrease in the risk of breast cancer. When it comes to immunity, the more mushrooms you eat the healthier you’ll be.

Getty Images Getty Images

17. Carrots

Beta carotene is one of the “server” antioxidants that helps your body use vitamin A, which is a vital nutrient for cell growth and in supporting your eyes, heart, lungs, and kidney function. A large carrot contains six milligrams of beta carotene, enough to convert to 1,000 mcg of vitamin A.

How many carrots to eat in a day? You can eat carrots or drink carrot juice. One study showed that drinking 16 ounces of carrot juice a day for three months helped to significantly increase the total antioxidant profile and lowered markers for inflammation, heart disease, and blood pressure. Carrot seeds and extract have been shown to have powerful anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

Bottom Line: Eat These Immunity-Boosting Foods to Fight Viruses.

The fact that COVID is hanging around means that we should eat immune-boosting foods daily and do everything possible to boost our immune system. Try incorporating these 17 foods that have been shown to strengthen your immune system, and help you be stronger and healthier on a cellular level.

For more research-backed advice, visit The Beet’s Health & Nutrition articles.

The post 17 Immune-Boosting Foods to Help You Fight Off Viruses appeared first on The Beet.