Veggie Blog

When you think of sports fitness, you probably picture the games themselves: football, tennis, swimming or running. Sports are a fun way to stay fit, and they are also physically demanding. Unlike general fitness, which is mostly about health, sports fitness is about building the strength, stamina and skill to perform in your chosen activity. Four everyday habits can help you do that.

1. How much should you drink?

Water is the one thing your body cannot do without. When you sweat a lot and do not replace the lost fluid, you risk dehydration and heat illness, which can be serious. Drink before, during and after exercise, and more in hot weather. For most workouts that last less than an hour, water is enough. For long or very intense sessions, or exercise in the heat, a sports drink can help, because it provides carbohydrate for energy and electrolytes such as sodium that you lose in sweat. Many sports drinks are also high in sugar, so you do not need them for a short walk or a gym session. The CDC’s guidance on heat and athletes has practical tips.

2. Why eat more vegetables and fruit?

People who play sports need a good supply of vitamins, minerals and fiber, and vegetables and fruit are among the best sources. They also supply antioxidants and carbohydrate to fuel your activity. Aim to fill half of your plate with them, and add whole grains, beans, nuts and a source of protein. Eating well gives your muscles what they need to recover and helps you to cope with the demands of training. If you are vegetarian, you may enjoy our post on building stronger bones as a veggie.

3. How much calcium do you need?

Strong bones help to prevent stress fractures and other injuries. According to the National Institutes of Health, adults aged 19 to 50 need 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, and women over 50 and everyone over 70 need 1,200 milligrams. Milk, yogurt and cheese are rich in calcium. If you eat a plant-based diet, good sources include calcium-fortified soy milk and other plant drinks, tofu set with calcium, and some leafy greens such as kale and bok choy. Sardines with their bones are another source for those who eat fish. Food is the best source. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements lists the amounts you need and encourages you to talk to a health care provider before you take a supplement.

4. Why is warming up so important?

A warm-up prepares the muscles, joints and heart for exercise and lowers the risk of injury. Start with five to ten minutes of light activity, such as jogging in place or an easy bike ride, and then do movements that look like your sport. If you play tennis, swing your arms and rotate your hips. If you run, do some leg swings and lunges. Save long static stretches for after the session, when your muscles are warm. Cool down with some gentle walking, and then stretch.

Putting it together

Sports fitness is a combination of good food, enough fluid, strong bones and a sensible warm-up. Add rest days, sleep and well-fitting gear, and you will be able to enjoy your sport for years. For more advice, see our posts on preventing sports injuries, moderate exercise for fitness and health and fitness.

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Carrots are a staple in vegan and vegetarian kitchens, and for good reason. My original post listed five benefits, and some of them need a correction, so here is the evidence.

Do carrots improve your eyesight?

Not in the way the old post suggested. The American Academy of Ophthalmology lists the idea that eating carrots will improve your vision as a common eye myth. The truth behind it is that vitamin A is essential for healthy eyesight, and carrots have high amounts of it. Vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness, but it is rare in the United States, and carrots will not give you better vision than a healthy person already has.

How much vitamin A is in a carrot?

Carrots contain beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A. The NIH explains that 12 micrograms of dietary beta-carotene equal 1 microgram of vitamin A (RAE). According to USDA data, a medium raw carrot (61 grams) provides about 510 micrograms RAE. Women need 700 micrograms a day, and men 900, so one medium carrot covers roughly three-quarters of a woman’s daily need.

Do you need vitamin pills if you eat carrots?

No, and the old post was right about that. You can meet your vitamin A needs with food, and it is safer. The NIH reports that two large trials found beta-carotene supplements increased the risk of lung cancer in smokers, by 18 percent in one trial and 28 percent in the other, which also included former smokers and asbestos-exposed workers. Talk to your doctor before taking beta-carotene pills if you smoke or have smoked. Our post on antioxidant foods explains why colorful vegetables beat supplements.

Does carrot juice fight cancer or slow aging?

The old post claimed that carrot juice has anti-cancer properties, that beta-carotene slows aging and that carrots are good for the skin. I could not find solid evidence for those claims, so I have dropped them. Juice also has less fiber than the whole vegetable: USDA FoodData Central lists 0.8 grams per 100 grams for canned carrot juice and 2.8 grams for raw carrots. A glass of carrot juice is a fine drink, but it is not a miracle substitute for water or for eating the whole thing. If you want more advice on vitamins from food, see vitamin deficiency: who is at risk.

Do you feel like you might want to be a veggie? Or maybe you want to try something different and be a part of something to save the future of earth’s animal life. If you ever think about these things you should take the step and be a man and try to be a veggie. I know many people love to eat meat but now in 2008 we actually have so many vegetable and veggie products that we feel we don’t need meat anymore. The veggie test goes like this. Ask yourself if you want the earth to have a long life. Then ask yourself if you want your children to grow up in a nice environment, for the last questions you have to ask yourself “would I give up meat to save the future of the earth’s climate problem and my children”. If you answer yes to these questions or even just to one of them I recommend that you become a veggie.

The first thing you have to realize before become a vegan is that you have to know deep down in your heart that you want to be a vegan, not because other people do and you just follow them. It’s not wrong to follow the good example of others but you will not be a vegan for long and don’t feel happy while you’re eating.

Since you realize that you really need to be a vegan. There are many reasons why people turn to be vegans like loving animals, healthy, clean the stomach and more. But since you can focus on what you want to do. You can start by eat less meat as much as possible, reduce the number of meat day by day. At the same time, eat them with vegetable. Until you can stop eating meat, start eating veggies completely. If you’re the one who doesn’t like vegetable, first eating the one you like. There must be some kind of vegetables you like to eat, start from them first.
Start to eat less outside the house but cooking food by yourself and all food should not have meat in it. if you don’t know how to cook, ask someone to do it for you. Your first vegetarian meal should be delicious, so it can convince you to feel good eating them.

Also if you are the person who trust in animal right, it’s a lot easier to stop eating meat. Meat in the opinion of the vegans is just like the dead meat and they don’t eat dead meat to harm their bodies.