For many people, a protein shake or smoothie is a vital part of their diet and fitness regimen. Protein is essential for keeping your body healthy and is vital for people who are especially active. At OptimumSmoothie.com, you can find a very user-friendly recipe database of protein shakes and protein smoothies.
The website allows you to search for recipes, browse the recipes or submit a recipe. Additionally, the protein shakes and protein smoothies are split it a featured category and a most popular category.
“Whether you’re interested in losing weight, building muscle, saddling up for a long-distance bike ride or creating a …read more

Weight lifting is not a specific category of fitness. It is a broad type of exercise that can be manipulated to go in many different directions. Have you ever noticed how you can have a weight room full of people and nearly all of them will have different body types? That’s because different people are training for different bodies.
I personally try to train for a combo body, but I usually lean towards big weight for big muscles. There is no doubt, I will have a higher body fat percentage from heavy lifting (compared to a lighter …read more

Well, it’s not earth-shattering news, but apparently, there is a new category for folks who are vegetarians MOST of the time :-)  You’re called flexitarians, and around Thanksgiving, I have to admit, I become one of you, too.
 In fact, the food industry is targeting these folks, providing vegetarian fare with just a wee bit of protein on the side.  Flexitarians could and would be considered vegetarians most of the time.  But when a slice of meat or fish passes under their noses, they don’t say no.  And restaurants and grocery stores are beginning to package food and menu items just for …read more

It’s winter in the northern hemisphere, and I don’t know about you, but I’ve already seen a fair number of pretty cold days.
For me, this isn’t such a bad thing.  I use this time to turn my thoughts inward, and that normally benefits my practice and my outlook. 
What I do find helps make the transition to these homebound days a little easier is turning a private space within my home into a meditation and practice room.  I can’t move everything out.  I know that.  But I do spend a few days each year clearing out things I don’t need, moving them into another space, …read more

I do everything I can to watch what I eat.  Sometimes, too much.  Already a vegetarian.  Thinking about going vegan.  But first, I think I might go to a “sub-class” of vegetarian nutrition–the raw food vegetarian.
It makes sense. Raw vegetables, fruits and greens are the healthiest things you can put into your body.   But there are people out there who are eating what I call “raw beyond the pale”–consuming raw eggs, raw dairy products, and yes, raw meats.  Organ meats in particular. 
I can do the raw fruits and vegetables.  Nuts, legumes, etc., too.  But a raw kidney snack?  Come on.  I mean, come on.  …read more

That’s right.  Got the results from my physical last week, and they were awesome. I am never sure–at least not since my bout with breast cancer a few years back–how the test results are going to come out.  But I felt pretty good going in, and I have been working hard to change my diet, de-stress whenever possible, and just plain take care of myself.
After meeting with my doctor, one message came through loud and clear–my diet is doing amazing things for my health.  I grew up a die-hard, meat-eating carnivore.  In my late 20s I changed that up somewhat, my thirties, even more so.  …read more

Whether you’re on the vegetarian track or would like to be, rice is a great way to add important B vitamins and fiber to your diet.  It is an important part of the daily diet of over half the world–and a sacred ingredient in places like Tibet and Indonesia, where the rice goddess Dewi Sri–and rice– are believed to have a spirit and a soul.   There are a ton of varieties to choose from–about 120,000 to be more precise.  So how do you choose?
Well, it isn’t easy, but each rice has its own set of culinary qualities.  Here’s a rundown of …read more

My sister is a nutritionist who is so meticulous about food that sometimes I need to take a nap before going to a family dinner at her home. 
She asks so many questions about what I’m eating, I feel like I need to be read my rights :-). But this weekend’s “serving” of  nutritional knowledge may just alter my shopping habits a bit.  Just a bit…
She told me I am at an age (thanks a lot–and no, I am NOT–and to all her friends out there, she’s only a year younger than me) where I need to be stocking up on “functional foods.”  Sounded kind of painful to …read more

It’s a common belief that many of my friends share–if you follow a vegetarian diet, you won’t be able to get as far with strength training and athletic pursuits.
Wrong. True, it is going to be a bit more complex to attain the level of protein in your diet that your body looks for when you’re undertaking a strength traning regimen. But it isn’t impossible.
Many experts recommend 1.6 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (0.73 grams per pound). There are ways for you to get enough protein to reach this recommended amount with low-fat dairy products and …read more

 
As promised, World Vegetarian Day is just a few moments away, and I wanted to take just a few of those moments to share some words of encouragement, and a nudge to you to go out and explore your local groceries and stock up on ingredients you’ll need if you decide to take the plunge and celebrate beyond today. As more of us decide to take the plunge and try going vegetarian, it’s important to note that you have to start with the basics, and that means the ingredients.
If you shop alot, or even a little, it’s hard to miss the soymilk, tofu and veggie …read more