I am not an advocate for becoming a full time vegan. I intentionally created Tiny and Full as a part-time vegan program to help you get the benefits of the vegan diet but avoid the negatives. As many of us know, the vegan diet is more popular than ever. For most of us, though, it's a lifestyle change that is just too hard to maintain. It's also missing crucial nutrients for optimal wellness.
There are more people who have quit being vegan than there are those who are actual vegans. It's tough. It's also easy to become deficient in Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Iron, Zinc, Calcium, and Omega 3s without proper attention and care. Many vegans have to turn to supplements which are expensive and not always easy to keep up with.
However, by just being a vegan until lunch, and then adding in animal-based foods for lunch and dinner, you are not only creating a sustainable lifestyle that you can stick to, but you are ensuring a balanced diet with the proper nutrients. It's important to remember to place an emphasis on plant-based foods, especially vegetables and fruit, throughout the day, but don't eliminate animal protein and byproducts completely.
Just remember, only be a part-time vegan!
If you have followed me in the past or read any of my books, you know I have been a long-time advocate to reduce our intake of sugar.
While I still believe refined sugar is to be minimized and avoided, I have come to a realization through research I've been studying that the sugar in fruit is not something we have to eliminate.As my past clients know, I've always said the sugar in fruit counts. For those of you who may be diabetic, you know that sugar does affect the Glycemic Index and your insulin, but when it comes to weight loss, fruit will not harm your efforts. Yes, fruit has sugar. However, fruit is also full of so much fiber and nutrients that as a whole, eating fruit is good for you.
Again, I still believe we consume too much sugar and there is hidden sugar tucked away in so many of the foods we eat today, especially processed foods. However, I do have a new perspective on the sugar in fruit and I can tell you that I've been eating fruit constantly for over 6 months now and I lost more weight than I have on any of my previous plans. And I'm keeping it off.
If you'd like to read some of the articles and studies that changed my mind on fruit, I encourage you to check out some of the articles and studies below.
hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vegetables-and-fruits/
- Hung, H.C., et al., Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of major chronic disease. J Natl Cancer Inst, 2004. 96(21): p. 1577-84. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15523086
- He, F.J., et al., Increased consumption of fruit and vegetables is related to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: meta-analysis of cohort studies. J Hum Hypertens, 2007. 21(9): p. 717-28. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17443205
- He, F.J., C.A. Nowson, and G.A. MacGregor, Fruit and vegetable consumption and stroke: meta-analysis of cohort studies. Lancet, 2006. 367(9507): p. 320-6. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16443039
- Appel, L.J., et al., A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. DASH Collaborative Research Group. N Engl J Med, 1997. 336(16): p. 1117-24. jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-to-eliminate-cardiovascular-health-disparities/research/PDFs/Appel.Dietary%20Patterns%20on%20BP.1997.pdf
- ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16287956
- Kavanaugh, C.J., P.R. Trumbo, and K.C. Ellwood, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's evidence-based review for qualified health claims: tomatoes, lycopene, and cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst, 2007. 99(14): p. 1074-85. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17623802 - this study shows no link - not including.
- Bazzano, L.A., et al., Intake of fruit, vegetables and fruit juices and risk of diabetes in women. Diabetes Care, 2008. 31(7): p. 1311-7. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18390796
- Mursu, J., et al., Intake of fruit, berries, and vegetables and risk of type 2 diabetes in Finnish men: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Am J Clin Nutr, 2014. 99(2): p. 328-33. care.diabetesjournals.org/content/31/7/1311.abstract?cited-by=yes&legid=diacare;31/7/1311
- Brown, L., et al., A prospective study of carotenoid intake and risk of cataract extraction in US men. Am J Clin Nutr, 1999. 70(4): p. 517-24. ajcn.nutrition.org/content/70/4/517.full
- Christen, W.G., et al., Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cataract in women. Am J Clin Nutr, 2005. 81(6): p. 1417-22. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15941896
- Moeller, S.M., et al., Overall adherence to the dietary guidelines for americans is associated with reduced prevalence of early age-related nuclear lens opacities in women. J Nutr, 2004. 134(7): p. 1812-9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15226474
- Yokoyama Yoko, Nishimura Kunihiro, Barnard Neal D, Takegami Misa, Watanabe Makoto, Sekikawa Akira, Okamura Tomonori, Yoshihiro Miyamoto. Vegetarian Diets and Blood Pressure: A Meta-analyisis. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(4):577-587. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24566947
- Macdonald H, Black A, Aucott l, et al. Effect of potassium citrate supplementation or increased fruit and vegetable intake on bone metabolism in healthy postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;88:465-474. ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/2/465.full.pdf
- George S, Park Y, Leitzmann M, et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of cancer:a prospective cohort study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89:347-353. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19056579
- Millen A, Subar A, Graubard B, et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and prevalence of colorectal adenoma in a cancer screening trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;86:1754-1764. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18065596
- Dauchet l, Amouyel P, Hercberg S, Dallongeville J. Fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis of cohort studies. J Nutr. 2006;136:2588-2593. jn.nutrition.org/content/136/10/2588.full.pdf
- Nikolic M, Nikic D, Petrovic B. Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of developing coronary artery disease. Cent Eur J Pub Health. 2008;16(1):17-20. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18459474
- Bendinelli B, Masala G, Saieva C, et al. Fruit, vegetables, and olive oil and risk of coronary heart disease in Italian women: the ePIcor study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;epub ahead of print dec 22 as doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.000521. ajcn.nutrition.org/content/93/2/275.full.pdf
- Joshipura k, hung h-c, li t, et al. Intakes of fruits, vegetables and carbohydrate and the risk of cvd. Pub Health Nutr. 2008;12(1). ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736062/
- Oliveira A, Rodriguez-Artalejo F, Lopes C. The association of fruits, vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and fibre intake with high-sensitivity c-reactive protein: sex and body mass interactions. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009;63:1345-1352. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19623199
- Joseph J, cole g, head e, Ingram d. nutrition, Brain Aging, and neurodegeneration. The J Neuroscience. 2009;29(41):12795-12801. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19828791
- Dai Q, Borenstein A, Wu y, Jackson J, larson e. Fruit and vegetable juices and Alzheimer's disease: The Kame Project. Am J Med. 2006;119:751-759. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16945610
- Buijsse B, feskens e, schulze m, et al. fruit and vegetable intakes and subsequent changes in body weight in european populations: results from the project on diet, obesity, and genes (diogenes). Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90:202-209. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19458016
- Bes-rastrollo m, martinez-gonzalez m, sanchez-villegas A, de la fuente Arrillaga c, martinez J. Association of fiber intake and fruit/vegetable consumption with weight gain in a mediterranean population. Nutrition. 2006;22:504-511. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16500082
- Vioque J, Weinbrenner t, castello A, Asensio l, de la hera m. Intake of fruits and vegetables in relation to 10-year weight gain among spanish adults. Obesity. 2008;16:664-670. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18239583