Displaying items by tag: health

A reader asked me today,

I have a question about b12, are there different types? I heard that vegans have to take supplements because you can't get it from plant sources, but spirulina and nutritional yeast both contain b12

Here are the answers to her questions, and then some. **Please read my health disclaimer**:

You've probably seen me writing about eating gluten-free (GF) recently, but I'm excited to report that I've been GF for almost 2 weeks and I feel AMAZING! Mainly, I have more energy, my body seems lighter and less bloated, and my skin is clearing up.

I was inspired to reduce the amount of gluten I ate when my best friend Sarah started doing it on our trip to Maui. I'm always looking for ways to eat healthier, and I've felt guilty about eating a lot of bread and pasta for a while. Sarah showed me how easy it was and how many GF options were available, especially in L.A. We made delicious pancakes from The Cravings Place, ate GF pizza at 3 different restaurants (Pizza Fusion, Z Pizza, and Fresh Brothers), found options at Veggie Grill, etc. etc.

My real commitment to going gluten-free started on my tour with vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke, who was promoting his new book: Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness (check it out, it's amazing). I brought up the GF idea and he was interested, so we decided to give it a try because we both wanted to feel our best during the intense trip. Within a day we were both feeling a difference and got really excited about it. We also decided to avoid soy as much as possible, which made us feel even better. I think it's a great testimonial that a bodybuilder is living a gluten-free, low-soy, vegan lifestyle! In fact, some of his friends built themselves up on a completely raw diet.

See the slideshow below of the delicious gluten-free food we had in Oregon, Washington, and California. More details and videos soon to come.

I'll keep you posted on my progress. If you're interested in what I've been eating, check out the What Whitney Ate Today section of this site.

You also may be interested in a recent post I wrote about whether the gluten-free diet is a fad, a rare allergy, or a serious issue for everyone. Please share your thoughts with me on how you feel about the matter.