The Veg Effect

The-Veg-Effect-Documentary

My friend and fellow fitness enthusiast Stic, of the hip hop duo Dead Prez, was recently featured in a documentary called “The Veg Effect”.

To watch this series visit https://vegeffect.com

This documentary follows 5 different individuals who have adopted, on various levels, a vegetarian diet and lifestyle.

On set with Stic during filming for The Veg Effect!

Stic is 100% veg and recently challenged himself to gain 20 lbs. of lean muscle on a whole food, plant-based diet, void of supplements, pills and powders – just straight up food! He did his strength training with me and his wife, and holistic nutritionist, Afya put together his nutrition plan and was a complete wizard in the kitchen. Because of this, and his dedication to the plan, he accomplished the 20 lb. gain in 2.5 months, one and a half months faster than his goal!

This eventually became our book, Eat Plants, Lift Iron which you can learn more about by clicking here!

Our story was a small part of he and his family’s feature in the Veg Effect documentary, and it was a huge honor to be invited to be part of it!

Doing some heavy bag work with Stic during filming for The Veg Effect!

Click here to check out Stic and the rest of the Veg Effect features!

About the Veg Effect from vegeffect.com:

“This isn’t some scare-you-into-a-rage film about the food industry. Or about regretting yesterday.

This is a documentary series about how we can change the world by answering one simple question: What are we going to eat today?

Directed by Alison Klayman (Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry) for MorningStar Farms®, the series follows 5 real stories, from real people with very different lives, each choosing to make a difference with their own personal way to veg.”

The documentary series is currently available on: vimeo, YouTube, dailymotion, amazon, iTunes, and EatingWell.
 

With my friend Stic after filming for The Veg Effect!

 
Stay Strong AND Healthy and find YOUR #waytoveg!
 
-Scott

Essential Fats for a Healthy Vegan Diet Plan

omega-fatty-acids

We hear conflicting information about “good fats,” “bad fats,” and the amount of fat we should consume as part of a healthy diet all the time… so what are the facts?

Believe it or not, our bodies can synthesize almost all of the fat it needs. Saturated, monounsaturated, and trans fat (including cholesterol) do not need to be consumed through the diet. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are the only two which the body cannot synthesize and therefore they are considered “essential fats”. This article will focus on the facts on essential fats so you can make food choices that will meet your body’s essential fat needs.

The Omega-6 that needs to be obtained from the diet is called Linoleic acid (LA). Technically, only one kind of omega-3 needs to be obtained through our diet: Alpha-lenolenic acid (ALA). ALA has the ability to produce other omega-3 fatty acids in the body such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). However, this conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA within our bodies is relatively limited, and it is therefore often recommended that EPA and DHA be consumed through the diet as well, either through food sources or supplements. For information on supplementation click HERE

Infographic-Omega-3

How much omega-3 and omega-6 do we need to consume in the diet?

ALA (omega-3) and LA (omega-6) compete for metabolism, which means too much of either one will reduce the metabolism of the other. This is one of the reasons a recommended ratio of 1 (or about 2:1) for omega-6 to omega-3 was developed (1). Unfortunately most Americans consume excessive amounts of omega-6 and are deficient in omega-3, with an average ratio of 16:1!

Both omega-3 and omega-6 play essential roles in brain function, normal growth and development. The high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3, however, promotes the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases (3). Omega-3 (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio), on the other hand, has been shown to prevent against these major diseases and also help control lupus, eczema, and rheumatoid arthritis (2).

The high ratio of omega-6 can be attributed to grain fed animals (including the meat, dairy, and eggs that come from them), mayo-based foods, and the increased vegetable oil consumption: safflower, sunflower, corn, and soybean oils, coming from processed foods and cooking methods.

Remember, the idea is that both of these fatty acids are essential for proper health and play a  role in the prevention of many diseases. The key is balance between the two. It’s very easy to consume omega-6 in our diet, and a bit tricker to get those omega-3’s. Here are the top plant sources of omega-3 (which also have low ratio of omega6/3):

  • Flax seeds*
  • Hemp seeds*
  • Chia seeds
  • Algae/seaweed
  • Beans, leafy greens, squash-help meet the RDA (4)
  • Supplements for ALA, DHA, or EPA

*Including their oils.

And here is a chart showing the omega 6 and omega 3 content of common oils (5):

efacontentoils

  1. https://www.eufic.org/article/en/artid/The-importance-of-omega-3-and-omega-6-fatty-acids/
  2. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/omega-3-fats/
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909
  4. https://plenteousveg.com/vegan-sources-omega-3/
  5. https://chriskresser.com/how-too-much-omega-6-and-not-enough-omega-3-is-making-us-sick/

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions!

New member!

Sheila Shlegel Vegan Nutrition Student

Hello Sexy Fit Vegan community! This is my first blog post as a Sexy Fit Vegan member. I thought a quick introduction would be nice before I jumped right in! It’s very exciting to start this new journey and be a part of such a wonderful organization that Ella started.

Just like Ella, I am very passionate about the wonderful benefits of a plant-based diet and a fit lifestyle. There is no question that many women (and men!) are frustrated with their weight and health overall. There are way too many contradictions and advertisements floating around for that quick fix remedy or pill. One of the wonderful things about Sexy Fit Vegan is the consistency of information. There are no pills or magic potions or unrealistic promises, and there certainly is no starving yourself! A whole, plant-based diet with regular physical activity has consistently shown to improve your quality of life1,2.

Including a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes offers wonderful benefits, but a healthy body is also an active body. That is one of my favorite things about Sexy Fit Vegan: the belief that a plant-based diet is most beneficial but also that a physical lifestyle is just as important! They are the yin and yang to a healthy body.

I am currently in graduate school obtaining my Master’s in Dietetics and Nutrition and so far I have learned so many things that I am eager to share with you. Many of my blog posts will be sharing current information I am learning and I will do my best to provide any empirical research to back up most of my posts, and not just something I personally believe in!

Follow my board on pinterest for a ton of healthy and delicious plant-based recipes. Thanks again Ella for having me on your team! 🙂

Until next time!

Sheila Schlegel

<3 Sheila

  1. Tuso, MD, P., H Ismail, MD, M., Ha, MD, B., & Bartolotto, MA, RD, C. (2013). Nutritional Update for Physicians: Plant-Based Diets. The Permanente Journal, 61-66. Retrieved April, 2015, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/
  1. Frank W. Booth, Ph.D., Christian K. Roberts, Ph.D., and Matthew J. Laye, Ph.D. Lack of exercise is a major cause of chronic diseases. Compr Physiol. 2012 Apr; 2(2): 1143–1211. Retrieved April 2015, from doi: 10.1002/cphy.c110025