Discover the benefits of Holistic Healing Here. Site: Jan 5, 2009

the goji berryRestaurant Chains With Vegetarian Options

Eating vegetarian is not as difficult as it used to be. Clearly, many restaurants have recognized that there is a market for vegetarian food and they have added vegetarian options to their menus.

Many restaurants have recognized that they may lose business if they do not provide vegetarian options to their customers. For example, if a group of eight friends plans to go to dinner and one of the friends is vegetarian, the group may forego a restaurant if it does not offer vegetarian options.

This would mean the loss of eight potential customers. Carrying vegetarian options, on the other hand, could win the continued business of these and many other people. Many restaurants have recognized this.

We all know fast food is not the healthiest, but sometimes there's nowhere else to go late at night when you just want a quick bite. There are several fast food chains that offer vegetarian options.

Burger King sells the BK Veggie, which is available at almost every one of their restaurants. If ordered without mayonnaise, the BK Veggie is vegan.

McDonalds has a McVeggie, which is not widely available. Consumers, however, should go to McDonalds and ask for the McVeggie to be placed on the menu. The McVeggie is vegan.

At Denny's vegetarians may substitute any burger with a Boca Burger patty. This provides a lot of options, since Denny's has a fairly wide selection of burgers. The burgers can be eaten with a side of fries, or a side of onion rings.

As far as subs go, Subway has a couple vegetarian options. The Veggie sub can be made with whole wheat bread (NOTE: Subway's whole wheat bread contains honey, which some vegans choose not to eat), fresh vegetables and olive oil and vinegar. Subway also has a veggie patty (like a meat patty without the meat). The veggie patty is not vegan, though it is vegetarian.

Quiznos Subs also has a vegetarian sub. Customers have the options of veggies, mushrooms, cheese, oregano, lettuce and guacamole. The sub is toasted just like all Quiznos subs are. This sub is vegan or vegetarian with cheese.

Other popular restaurant chains carry vegetarian options.

Cheesecake factory, for example, has: angel hair pasta with garlic and marinara sauce, an eggplant sandwich and a portabello burger. Other options on the menu may be adapted to be vegetarian. Just talk to the server.

PF Changs Chinese bistro also has several vegetarian options. They serve seasoned tofu lettuce wraps for appetizers, spring rolls (may contain eggs), coconut curry vegetable, as well as other vegetarian plates.

Other than these chains, there are many other options for vegetarians at restaurants. Some of the most vegetarian friendly restaurant types include: Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican and Italian.

Vegetarian activists recognize the value in ordering vegetarian options from restaurants. By ordering these options, consumers are essentially showing the restaurants that there is a demand for vegetarian food. If the vegetarian options at a restaurant go unpurchased, restaurants may phase them out and that can be one step backwards for the vegetarian movement.

Michael Russell

Your Independent Vegetarian guide.

Does Calorie Restriction Make You Live Longer?

Some people call it the death-defying diet, but does severely restricting your calorie intake really let you cheat death (or at least postpone it for a while)? Or is this just another way of searching for the impossible -- eternal youth with no strings attached? Well, there is no such thing as something for nothing...

* Do you want to live in good health for more than a 100 years?
* Do you want to be permanently hungry?
* Do you want to feel cold all the time?

Most people would answer 'yes', 'no' and 'no' to these questions, and I'm no exception. According to the advocates of calorie restriction you can live an unusually long life -- if you are happy to be cold and hungry most of the time.

Personally, I would rather eat healthy but filling meals and do some exercise -- you'll lose weight but you won't feel deprived.

But for those of you who want to know more -- what IS calorie restriction (or CR)? Well, it's a system of deliberately eating far fewer calories than your body really needs while maintaining nutrient levels. Keeping an adequate intake of vitamins and minerals is very important for general health, and vital if you are following a very strict regime of eating (or not, actually).

It's not a new idea, in fact it's been around since the 1930s, but the best-known promoter of CR was Dr Roy Walford. He showed that CR can fight many of the serious diseases that tend to strike in middle age, and he claimed that it would be possible to live to 120. And yet Dr Walford died at 79 -- from one of the diseases (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, for those who need to know) that are accelerated by CR.

Followers of CR also have to deal with feeling the cold -- they don't experience the insulating effect of body fat to keep them warm and instead have to rely on layers of clothing.

Another side-effect is the effect on your libido. For women CR may increase it -- yippee -- but before you throw away every chocolate biscuit in the house, be warned that CR can decrease men's sex drive!

Then there's the problem of your eating habits. In our food-obsessed society, someone who says no to food is automatically viewed with suspicion, or worse as a crank. You probably know someone who is allergic to nuts, or can't eat wheat, and -- go on, admit it -- you find their restricted eating can be difficult, especially when you're trying to feed them. Imagine how much more tricky it would be if you needed to weigh all your food using super-accurate postal scales just to make sure you weren't eating a gram too much of anything!

And while you're doing all this measuring, calculating and weighing -- not to mention thinking about what foods you can actually eat -- and taking vitamin and mineral supplements, you're feeling constantly hungry as well. Doesn't sound like much fun to me. And we all know what happens when we're not supposed to be eating a particular food: there's nothing we crave more -- be it chocolate, cheese, ciabatta or even celery!

I love to eat. Most of us do. I'm not fat, my body mass index is in the low half of the normal range and I've managed to survive into my forties without starving myself at all. In fact I weigh less now than I did in my twenties; and I wasn't plump then. I enjoy a glass of wine -- usually among the first casualties of any diet. The secret is knowing what's in what you're eating...

Start cooking at home, make smart choices when eating out and keep portions reasonable. That's it. Easy -- anyone can do it -- even me.

� Eleanor Knowles 2008

For loads more details of how to lose weight sensibly and keep it off, including lots of facts about vitamins and minerals, as well as how to work out the number of calories you really need, go to http://EatLeanNotMean.com

Herbs And Spices

The native herbs and spices of a country speak volumes about the healing traditions of that culture. Battles have been fought and territories invaded all for the sake of precious spices. Voyages and trade ensured the spread of these treasures from one part of the world to another, thereby influencing a peoples' way of life.

But just what are herbs and spices?

Herbs are the leaves and flowers of low-growing woody plants without a trunk but with several stems growing from the base. Examples of herbs are parsley, chives, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, dill and celery.

Spices on the other hand come from the roots, bark, seeds, or fruits of tropical plants and trees. Examples are cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper and mustard. Herbs and spices can come in the form of mixtures, and are typically used as seasoning blends such as chili and curry powder.

Herbs and spices have multiple uses. From enhancing food to improving health, they have a very important role to play. Diet related disease is the plague of modern times. Using herbs and spices can regulate levels of fat, sugar and salt in the diet. The calories from herbs and spices are negligible compared to calories from trimmings, dressings, gravies, sauces and fried foods.

Herbs and spices can add taste simply by adding flavor. The tantalizing aromas created by herbs can add a more sensual dimension to eating. Spices are distinguished because they aid digestion, increase the rate of metabolism and impact energy levels positively. Black pepper is used in many traditional cuisines as an example. To store herbs and spices, they should be ground and kept in a cool place to maintain aroma and taste.

Herbs provides detailed information on Herbs, Medicinal Herbs, Herbs And Spices, Chinese Herbs and more. Herbs is affiliated with Mediterranean Diet Food.