A study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has challenged what we have been following for decades that saturated fats are bad for our hearts. The study found inadequate evidence linking saturated fat intake to cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease. The famous Atkins Diet has been refurbished with a motive to make it easier to understand and maintain. "The New Atkins for a New You", allow dieters to eat more vegetables than the old version did. But the diet's core concept that carbohydrates, not saturated fat, are what make us fat stays intact. The new book, written by Eric Westman, Stephen Phinney and Jeff Volek, directs dieters through four phases, from "Induction" through "Lifetime Maintenance". Westman says that the Induction phase allows dieters to eat some vegetables: leafy, fiber-filled and unstarchy ones such as cauliflower and spinach. The new Atkins also advises to include more fruits, grains and legumes to the diet. Atkins also encourages sodium consumption. Westman explains, "If you don't have a salt-sensitive condition like heart failure, salt in the diet is not restricted on Atkins".

Like many celebrities before her, actress Alicia Silverstone has put together a book that she says reveals the secrets of her great looks and knockout figure. In The Kind Diet, Silverstone attributes her health and beauty to her totally organic, vegan diet, free of "nasty" meat, dairy, white sugar, and processed foods. In The Kind Diet, Silverstone, a passionate animal activist and conservationist, says a plant-based diet is not only good for your body but also saves animals and is one of the "greenest" things you can do."A plant-based diet requires less fuel, water and other resources than animal products, and following a vegan diet is one of the best things you can do to lose weight, improve your health and the health of our planet," says Silverstone. Vegan and vegetarian eating are becoming increasing popular as more consumers discover the health, environmental, and ethical benefits of a plant-based diet. (Even Burger King offers veggie burgers these days.) Nutrition professionals advocate eating a plant-based diet for the many health benefits it can provide.

The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet is a book that highlights the benefits and provides directions on leading a vegan lifestyle. The Kind Diet is written by Alicia Silverstone, who is a noted actress, animal lover and vocal vegan. Silverstone uses The Kind Diet as a way to show that eating a plant-based diet can not only help your body, but help animals and the planet we live on. Throughout the book, many benefits of switching to a plant-based vegan diet are revealed. Those benefits can include clearer skin, weight loss, higher energy levels and smoother digestive function. Alicia Silverstone also tells her story within the book, and shares what made her adopt a vegan lifestyle. Some of the most important things covered in The Kind Diet are the great foods that you can indulge in while on a plant-based diet. Contrary to popular belief, eliminating meat and all animal products from your diet doesn’t mean you have to spend the rest of your life eating grass and herbs. The Kind Diet offers some wonderful recipes to keep you satisfied, and even offers desserts to indulge your sweet tooth.

Hello, it's the Ides of March, the day back in 44 BC when Julius Caesar's friends gathered on the steps of the Senate and stabbed him in the back. Fast-forward a few millenia, and when it comes to kindness, politicians still aren't the first folks we turn to. Despite Bush Senior's push for a kinder, gentler nation, that sort of stuff can't be legislated. It tends to come not from above, but from below, from grass roots, from we, the people, from the heart. This Saturday, it can come from you. Saturday, March 20 marks the 25th annual Great American Meatout, one day devoted to the push for a diet of plant-based bounty and kindness. All you have to do to be part of it is to enjoy a day without meat. Launched by FARM (Farm Animal Rights Movement) Meatout began as a small but earnest effort. Observed all around the globe, it had trouble gaining traction here, where America's meat-mad masses viewed vegetarians and vegans creatures from another planet. Well, we walk the earth, and you might notice, do so with a lighter step both in terms of weight and carbon.Over time, the Great American Meatout has, like the best grass roots initiatives, taken hold.

*Disclaimer - this is only my opinion and is based solely on what works for me. I have great respect for you, veganism, but we need to talk. I think we should both just call this what it was: a fling. A stupid fling that didn't mean anything :). Here’s the thing: I hate this. After being rear-ended (ha ha ha) last week, I took a week off from inducing this self-imposed “six weeks of veganism” experiment. I should also add that it is not just veganism that was part of the plan, it was also refined sugars that had to go, as well as pretty much any heavily processed foods and any other foods that I know full-well irritate my acid reflux like tomato sauce, chocolate candies, etc. Knowing how hard it would be for me to get over the vegan hump though, I was willing to cut myself a little slack with the sugar thing, but I really wanted to stick to the other guidelines I’d set up for myself (particularly not eating foods that are heavily processed - that is more important to me than pretty much anything else; organic, local and minimally processed by industrial means - and I’ve been very good on that front to tell the truth).