Vegetarian Star

“Two years ago, I became a vegan. One of the reasons I became a vegan is my cholesterol. I stopped eating eggs. I stopped putting bad cholesterol into my body.”

—John Salley, during an interview with The Healthy Voyager Caroline Scott on how going vegan improved his cholesterol levels.

Can food really do what drugs like Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor aim to do? Consider this bit of information from GoVeg. The average American’s cholesterol is 210. The average vegetarian’s cholesterol is 161 and the average vegan’s is 133. Anything above 150 raises your risk of atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries that could lead to heart disease or stroke. A study by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn (Rip‘s dad) published in the American Journal of Cardiology suggested patients who suffer from clogged arteries can become “heart-attack proof” by lowering their cholesterol to 150 or below.

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Most Americans aren’t getting enough servings of fruits and vegetables, according to an article in Time which cites a study done by the Centers for Disease Control. And fruit consumption is lower than before.

In 2009, the CDC found that 1/3 of U.S. adults had 2 or more servings of fruit a day, which is down from 34% in 2000. Twenty-six percent of adults ate at least 3 servings of vegetables a day, which is the same as 2000.

Among the states that had the highest produce consumption, California took the lead for eating the most fruit and Tennessee for the most vegetables. Oklahoma came in last for eating the least amount of fruit and South Dakota residents ate the least amount of vegetables.

While CDC officials are disappointed with the results, Time emphasizes that the study was done before the wave of promoting home and community gardens. A new study is planned for 2011 to assess consumption again.

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Now that Jason Mraz doesn’t always eat vegan, he’s labeling himself with an entirely different phrase referring to the type of food he purchases and eats.

“I’m mostly a vegan because I don’t prefer dairy or cheeses, but I think of myself more as a qualitarian,” he said. “I don’t eat anything with more than three ingredients.”

One definition of qualitarian is someone who eats foods of the highest quality that will benefit both humans and the environment the most.

If you can’t bring yourself to label your eating habits as strictly vegetarian, there are multiple green labels popping up, as Long Island Press states, that can help you describe your consumption.

Like a vegeprefarian. From Long Island Press:

“Someone who is for the most part a vegetarian, but won’t refuse a bit of meat now and then. They might also opt for certain meals without meat.”

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Alicia Silverstone will deliver the keynote speech at the Natural Products Expo East, the East Coast’s largest trade show for natural, organic and healthy products on Oct. 13-16, 2010 in Boston, MA.

As a vegan and author of the diet, lifestyle and cookbook The Kind Diet, Silverstone’s presence at the conference complements the dozens as vegetarian, vegan and organic products that are scheduled for the showroom. Familiar names of food, body care and more can be found on the exhibitor list, such as Aubrey Organics body and hair care products, Barleans, Bi-O-Kleen, Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, Cherrybrook Kitchen Inc. vegan desserts, Clif Bar & Co. and more.

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Men's Journal

Men’s Journal, a mainstream magazine with a readership of over 700,000, recently published an article on going vegan.

The story explains what to expect during the first few weeks, sources for protein, recipes and more.

Tempeh Tacos, Roasted Vegetables With Pasta, tempeh BLT wrap and Easy Bean Dip are a few ways the journal is offering cooking tips to recruit more hegans.

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Russell Brand learned the hard way how not asking for ingredients can turn a vegetarian’s meal sour. Or fishy.

The actor was sampling a dip while dining out when he realized it tasted like something formerly alive in the sea.

“About three days ago was the last time I ate an animal. I was in a restaurant and they have me some dips. One of them was taramosalata. I didn’t know and ate some and it tasted like disgusting fish,” Brand said.

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Leilani Munter. Credit: Alan Moore

Leilani Munter explained to the Huffington Post how she fuels up during race time on the track and on the road.

“Carbs are key. I like a hearty pasta with a meat-substitute. Say a Quorn “chicken” breast cut up and sauteed over pasta, lots of veggies from my garden. I eat a lot of high-protein meat-substitutes. MorningStar Farms has great products. It’s SO tasty.”

“I stock up at the grocery store — fresh produce and meat substitutes — and my garden beforehand. The rest of the team might have hotdogs in the garage, I’ll fire up my Tofurky dogs.”

It’s been said that if humans consume plants from the ground that animals raised for food eat, we’d save a lot of energy, land and feed more people. An article at Food Navigator suggests that eating the plant can also directly give you to the taste of meat–as long as there are a few adjustments made in the laboratory.

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When vegetarian celebrities partner with not so vegetarian companies, it’s one of those C & C Music Factory moments: Things That Make You Go Hmmm.

Carrie Underwood is the new face of Olay skin products and according to USA Today, is the first “celebrity ambassador” for the brand.

Olay is owned by Proctor & Gamble, a company, that continues to test a small percentage of its products on animals.

PETA’s Caring Consumer Database lists Olay as a product tested on animals and the UK Times Online says a preservative found in some Olay products, butylparaben, was tested on pregnant rats in the U.S. in 2004.

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