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The Vegan-for-a-Week Challenge: How to Survive and Thrive

Going “vegan for a week” seems to be a popular thing. Lately, quite a few blog posts and news articles on this phenomenon have been turning up in my google “vegan” search. These are usually written by people who want to see what it’s like to be vegan, even for just a few weeks.

My impression is that most of these temporary vegans have had reasonably good experiences with finding satisfying food. Most have also run up against challenges, usually due in part to a lack of preparation or knowledge.

I haven’t seen any of these experiments morph into an actual embrace […]

By Ginny Messina|2013-02-19T12:38:22-05:00February 19th, 2013|Tags: detox diet, Umami, vegan challenge|21 Comments

Vegans and Vivisection

Way back in time, when my husband was working on his PhD at Michigan State University, I thought I might get a PhD, too. I applied, was accepted, and enrolled.

One of the things that presented a little barrier for me right from the start, though, was that my advisor wanted me to begin my doctoral career with a “small animal research project” just to get a quick publication and a little bit of research experience. It was a conversation that took place just after I had adopted a shelter kitten who turned out to have feline distemper and appeared to […]

By Ginny Messina|2013-02-11T17:44:07-05:00February 11th, 2013|Tags: animal research, Meat, red meat, vivisection|27 Comments

Weight, Health and Vegans…plus the Fabulous Our Hen House Magazine

No doubt you’ve heard all the buzz about the recent study suggesting that overweight people have a longevity advantage. The researchers performed a meta-analysis of 97 studies, which included nearly 3 million subjects. They looked at body mass index (BMI) and mortality and found that those in the overweight category—BMI of 25 to 35—had a 5 to 6 percent lower mortality rate. Only at a BMI of 35 or above did mortality risk start to rise.

While it’s not the final word on the relationship between weight and health (no single study, no matter how large and well-conducted, is the […]

By Ginny Messina|2013-01-15T09:25:05-05:00January 15th, 2013|Tags: weight|8 Comments

Easy Resolutions for a Healthy Vegan New Year

Happy 2013! There is nothing like a brand new year to inspire health-related resolutions. And while it’s tempting to resolve to make all kinds of big changes, sometimes a few little tweaks here and there are all we vegans really need. Here are ten ideas for vegans—mostly easy ways to fine-tune your diet and lifestyle. One of two of them might help to make your new year a little bit healthier.

1. Give some attention to calcium. It’s simple enough to get enough calcium from plant […]

By Ginny Messina|2013-01-01T09:57:35-05:00January 1st, 2013|Tags: Beans, Calcium, detox diet, Fat, glycemic index, Supplements|29 Comments

Goat’s Milk Soap, Happy Chickens, and Ellen DeGeneres

My local spay/neuter group (I’m on the board of directors) has been discussing the idea of selling animal-shaped soaps that are locally-made from goat’s milk as a way to raise funds. Needless to say, I’m opposed to this. I briefly expressed my concerns—which I know always raises a few eyebrows—and will wait to see what happens. Suffice it to say that I personally will not be promoting the sale of any goat’s milk soap.

The discussion arose at about the same time that Ellen DeGeneres casually mentioned on her TV show that she uses eggs from a neighbor’s backyard “happy chickens.” […]

By Ginny Messina|2020-04-30T11:17:14-04:00December 3rd, 2012|Tags: eggs, Ellen Degeneres, happy meat|65 Comments

A Healthy Start for Vegan Children

Casual recommendations regarding vegan diets can and do take a toll on the health of some vegans. There is no reason why vegans should ever be at risk for nutrient deficiencies. But if they don’t have access to good advice, or don’t follow it, deficiencies can certainly happen. And as one reader of this blog (a vegan mom) mentioned to me after reading a somewhat alarming article on feeding vegan children, “all of these issues are magnified tenfold when children are involved.”

Vegan kids have some clear advantages; their diets are low in saturated fat, free of […]

By Ginny Messina|2019-03-04T10:11:18-05:00November 5th, 2012|Tags: children, infants|35 Comments

Veggie RD Event and Gift Copy of “Vegan for Life!”

Vegetarian nutrition became a bona fide specialty back in 1992 when a small group of RDs established a practice group within the ADA (now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics). It all feels like yesterday to me, but in a couple of weeks—on October 5-6—our group will be celebrating its 20^th anniversary in Philadelphia with some fun and informative events. If you live anywhere near Philly, I hope you’ll consider attending.

On Friday night we’ll be screening the movie Vegucated, followed by a Q&A with Reed Mangels, Ph.D, RD and Sharon Palmer, RD. I won’t be at this event […]

By Ginny Messina|2012-09-24T18:54:17-04:00September 24th, 2012|4 Comments

Ten Tips for Staying Happy and Healthy on a Vegan Diet

There is a long list of reasons why people fail on a vegan diet and return to the world of cheese sandwiches and fish fillets. They might have developed overt deficiencies or vague symptoms of poor health. Some ex-vegans say that they experienced depression or foggy thinking or fatigue without animal foods. Others struggled with challenging social situations or with cravings for animal foods.

The following ideas for staying happy and healthy on a vegan diet are all things I’ve written about before, but I wanted to condense them into a sort […]

By Ginny Messina|2017-11-01T17:14:47-04:00September 12th, 2012|Tags: Beans, convenience foods, Ex-vegans, Fat, glycemic index, Health, Iron, legumes, Mental health, Nutrition, Omega-3 Fats, Resources, Supplements, Umami, vitamin B12, Vitamin D|77 Comments

TheVeganRD on Facebook (Plus Pinterest, Presentations, and Podcasts)

Always slightly behind the curve in the world of social networking, I have finally managed to create a facebook page for this blog and my other vegan projects. If you’re on facebook, please “like” TheVeganRD. And, while you’re over in that part of the world, don’t forget to “like” Vegan for Life, too.

I’ve also made some changes on Pinterest, where I’ve combined my personal and VeganRD accounts. So, if you enjoy really decadent vegan recipes, vintage kitchens, vegan knitting, and pictures of adorable cats, please follow me on pinterest.

I also updated my

By Ginny Messina|2012-09-03T15:42:35-04:00September 3rd, 2012|3 Comments

Be a Vegan Mentor, Find a Vegan Mentor

One of the (very few) things I share in common with Oprah Winfrey is that we were both mentored by our 4^th grade teachers. Mine was Mrs. Kellogg, who worked extra hard to bring me out of my shy-kid shell, encouraged me to write, and made efforts to build my self-confidence. She had a profound impact on me in just a few months.

Over the years, other people, including college and grad school advisors, mentored me as I explored academic and career options. Without a doubt, my most important mentor in nutrition has been my husband Mark Messina. He’s […]

By Ginny Messina|2012-08-27T12:35:25-04:00August 27th, 2012|Tags: Vegan activism|25 Comments