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Meet Carmen: the vegan weight lifting and cycling powerhouse! Carmen has been training with me since June 2014. Her complete shift in lifestyle over the past year deserves highlighting – not to mention her impressive athletic accomplishments that include performing unassisted chin-ups for reps, and completing a 120-kilometre charity cycling event last week! In the pic below, Carmen is on the right. Carmen is now gearing up for her first triathlon next month, and continues to challenge herself at the gym. She says, “Grab onto any challenge Karina throws your way and you will never look back! Hey, swimming 750 meters [at the upcoming race] is nothing after doing a challenge of 3000 meters a week for a month!” Carmen and her partner (a client of mine for 2 years and another vegan cycling and lifting powerhouse) often train together – which sets them both up for success. Carmen says, “Don’t underestimate the power of exercising as a family! When you share similar goals, it is easier to meet them as there is a support mechanism and a healthy mutual ‘guilt trip’ when bowing out of exercise or eating healthy. Instead of feeling guilty for being at the gym versus spending the weekend with those you love, exercise together and then have the rest of the day to enjoy each other’s company knowing you did something good for your body and mind.” Read on for my interview with Carmen. How long have you been working with Karina? I started my training with Karina back in June 23, 2014. What a year it has been! Why did you start working with Karina? What was happening in your life that made you take this step? When I hit 46 I started to notice a marked slowdown in my metabolism. Yes, lucky me I had entered into my perimenopause stage which translated into additional inches around my waist! I was looking for a fun way to exercise like boxing, which I had done in the past, but could not find a good fit. During Vancouver’s VegFest last year, my partner introduced me to her trainer Karina, whom I had heard lots about. Karina, in her infinite wisdom, asked me what I liked to do and hooked me with “Come and see me, I can show you some fun boxing exercises that will do the trick for you”….well the rest is history! What were some of the hurdles you dealt with as you got started? One of my biggest hurdles was being quite anaemic for years and did not know it! For all you women out there, get your blood tested! Typically unless you are way below the norm, your doctor may not flag this as an issue. The scale for Ferritin is 15-180, which is a crazy scale. I was at a 9 and had the energy of sloth (at least I did not look like one)! Now I take a kick ass iron supplement (FeraMax-150; consult your doctor) and I am around the 35-40 mark. What a difference. Fast-forward one year of eating smarter, exercising 6 days a week, and training with Karina – and I am a completely different person! I feel like I can accomplish anything! In fact, I just completed 120 km bike ride from Burnaby to Harrison Hot Springs for a charity…what a rush. (This is from the person that previously got tired from walking just a few blocks.) What was difficult for you? I had to change my perceptions. At the time I thought that exercising twice a week was sufficient; I remember my jaw dropping when Karina informed me that my goal should be double that if not 5 or 6 times a week. “Seriously?!” was my retort. And if you think about it, there are 168 hours in a week, putting aside at least 6 of those for exercise, is not asking too much. Another challenge was going to a gym and being literally lost! I would pick a station and lose interest immediately or not even know how to use it properly. Coming to the gym equipped with Karina’s workout program made a world of difference. What was easy for you as you started? Many will tell you that I have an extremist personality, and they are right! So once I felt empowered at the gym and felt the benefits of exercising there was nothing stopping me; exercise became not a task but something I look forward to. Before training with Karina I would wake up to my alarm and find any excuse to reset it and go back to bed. (Come on, I know I am not alone on that one!) Another challenge was halting my training as I was on the road for work every other week; now I book hotels based on their gym quality and make sure that I work out even at the end of a long day. Karina even put together a 15-minute workout that I could do in my room if I could not get to the gym when I was on the road…. Trust me, it is such an intense 15 minutes that it kicks my butt to the gym instead! Are your reasons for increasing your health and fitness different now than they were when you started working with Karina? If yes, how? I would not say my reasons are different but rather my goals have changed; I want to take my fitness to the next level. I have lost about three inches around my waist, have muscle definition in my legs and arms and want to maintain this. Trust me, take 10 days off for a vacation and the weight creeps back up - welcome to middle age! But beyond maintenance I want to do things I never thought I could, like a sprint triathlon in August! What are some of the day-to-day changes/adjustments you had to make (and continue to make) to maintain and improve your fitness? I was vegan before I met Karina and it was one of the things that attracted me to her training wisdom. But it did not mean that I was always making smart choices when it came to the food I ingested. Karina gently introduced the idea of logging my food though MyFitnessPal and set a goal in the amount of protein I needed. This was a great tool as it made me make smart choices and drop dumb-ass ones like eating popcorn at the movies – a sacred ritual for me. Did you know that a large movie theatre popcorn bag contains 1200 calories? That is all your workouts in a week thrown down the drain, yikes! So now I make my own popcorn (Karina’s recipe) and I think twice before “treating” myself and reaching for a bag of potato chips. There are more than 450 calories in a small bag – really, do you know how much yummy healthy food I can eat instead? Now it does not mean I do not eat treats, I am just more conscious about them. What does health mean to you? It means everything. I want to live a long healthy life without being a burden to family or society; if I can increase and extend my quality of life by eating right and exercising, then why not? Why is good health important to you? We cannot control the cards we are dealt but there is definitely a circle of influence upon which we make a decision either way. Take my sister for example; it was a rare cancer that took her away seven years ago at the age of 47. That is my age today – way too young. I do not know what she could have done differently, but I do know she had a very stressful life which left no time for herself. For me that was a turning point. I became vegan, got rid of petrochemical products wherever I could, and made a paradigm shift in my work persona so that I could eliminate stress. Now that I have adopted a very active lifestyle and make smarter eating choices, I feel I am doing everything I can. The rest is up to whatever life throws at me. What’s your secret (or not-so-secret) health/fitness superpower? It goes without saying that being vegan is one of the biggest advantages to being healthy! Check out Carmen's one year physique progress! As you read in Carmen's interview, fitness isn't all about aesthetics, but it's certainly a great side effect of working toward athletic performance goals! Have questions? Wanna chat health and fitness? Just wanna say hi? Get in touch with me any time. Download Karina's 350-item vegan grocery list! Need inspiration for healthy plant-based eating? Need to spice up your daily meal routine? Download your free vegan grocery list! With more than 350 healthy items (some of which might be new to you), you'll be a vegan nutrition superhero in no time.

Introducing the awesome, hard-workin’, butt-kickin’, hilarious Silvana Pagnotta! And on a very special day, too: today (June 6) is her 19-year cancer remission anniversary! In this photo, Silvana had just bench pressed 100 pounds for the first time, which is a huge, impressive, praise-worthy milestone. Silvana started training with me in February 2015. In just a few months, she’s completely transformed her fitness and nutrition lifestyle, which is why I chose her as my June Client of the Month. Her efforts will inspire you to start (and maintain!) a healthy, active living routine of your own – even with a busy work schedule and family commitments. Silvana knows how this works first hand. She has a demanding full-time job, and also cares for an ill parent. This means making the trip out to Kamloops from Vancouver on a regular basis, and often staying there for extended periods of time. Yet, even with work- and family-related stresses and commitments, she still maintains a regular gym workout schedule, alternating heavy lifting days with circuit (conditioning) training days, and sets aside one day per week to prepare healthy meals and snacks. Here are some wise words for you from Silvana herself. Why did you start working with Karina? What was happening in your life that made you take this step? For a long time I had tossed around the idea of a personal trainer. I have been working out for about 15 years doing various forms of activity (running, hiking, yoga and some weights), but this year I really wanted to make a more serious commitment to myself. Also, I really wanted to focus my efforts toward weightlifting as I had been reading about the benefits of lifting over the cardio I was mostly doing. My weight training was weak (double entendre s'il vous plait). I had just come out of a very stressful year helping with a sick parent and my mental and physical state were getting the best of me. Also, as I am getting older, it is harder to just "wing it" at the gym. I would go to the gym, do mostly cardio, and just do weights that were available. I needed a program and started thinking more seriously about a trainer to get me where I want to be: healthy and strong. So, why Karina? I had the pleasure of getting to know Karina several years ago as a work colleague, and also during the time she was going through a personal training program. In fact I do believe she had me be a part of one of her assignments. Anyway, she came to mind after having not seen her for about 3 years. Why Karina? The better question is, why the heck did I not contact Karina sooner?! Everything I have seen Karina accomplish is done with such intense passion and commitment that I knew she was the right choice to be my kick-ass coach! What was difficult for you as you got started? What was easy? Convincing myself that I was worth the time and money commitment was hard. I had to commit to blocking off time in my schedule so that I would have no excuses. What is easy is that I now have a plan. I know exactly what I am doing when I walk into the gym and feel like my efforts are maximized! What are some of the day-to-day changes/adjustments you had to make (and continue to make) to maintain and improve your fitness and nutrition? Other than blocking off the time in my calendar for workouts, one of the biggest challenges initially was to clean up my eating. I am now much more conscious of what I am eating for a snack (snacks were my biggest problem). Edamame for 10:00 am snack? Don't mind if I do! Roasted chickpeas? Yes please! Also, a huge HUGE part of this was dedicating a food prep day. It really is the key for me in eating better and being prepared. Why is good health important to you? I have suffered from illness in the past a couple of times and I know that I have to be the best I can in my body in order to stay healthy and strong. I celebrate 19 years in remission on June 6th. Also, I have witnessed what bad food choices and lack of exercise can do in my family. I know there are some things that are out of our control, but I want to be sure I am treating my body, my mind, and my soul to the best life possible! Oh and I want to be deadlifting and bench pressing into my senior years! Want your own kick-ass results? Check out my fitness coaching programs. Download Karina's 350-item vegan grocery list! Need inspiration for healthy plant-based eating? Need to spice up your daily meal routine? Download your free vegan grocery list! With more than 350 healthy items (some of which might be new to you), you'll be a vegan nutrition superhero in no time.

I interviewed registered dietitian Susan Levin for insight into special considerations vegan athletes (or vegans who are very active) may need to make when it comes to nutrition. Ms. Levin has a specialty certification in sports dietetics. She is the director of nutrition education for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting preventive medicine – especially better nutrition – and higher standards in research. She researches and writes about the connection between plant-based diets and a reduced risk of chronic diseases. She also assists in teaching nutrition and health classes to participants in clinical studies that explore the links between diet and various medical conditions. Ms. Levin is an avid runner and a VegRUN.org coach. Other than an overall increase in calories, how should a vegan athlete's diet differ from someone who is less active? Are there any particular nutrients to take note of for endurance athletes versus strength athletes? For starters, an athlete’s dietary needs may not change that much regardless of dietary preference, depending on the level of activity. So if you follow a vegan diet and start exercising the minimal recommended amount, your natural hunger cues tend to take care of your increased needs. For athletes who train regularly, carbohydrates should always be the bulk of the diet. Endurance and strength training both call for increased protein, but only slightly for endurance training (from 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight to 1.3-1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per day). For strength training, those needs range from approximately 1.2 to 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Athletes should keep in mind that most of us consume about twice our needs in protein without even trying. Protein is not hard to get! Because plant foods are nutrient-dense as opposed to calorie-dense, a vegan athlete who trains intensely and regularly may find that he or she needs to eat more often in order to maintain weight and to prevent weight loss. For these athletes, smoothies and shakes are good options to supplement the diet throughout training. Any thoughts on how a vegan diet could potentially benefit the performance or recovery of athletes? Peer-reviewed research is sparse on this subject, but public interest seems to be growing. I think a lot of athletes approach training as a time to teach the body how to get faster or stronger through repetition of a specific exercise. What training really is, is a time to figure out how the body excels at a particular event. That means, among other things, figuring out how to fuel for optimal performance. Many professional athletes have realized, through trial and error, that a vegan diet allows them to train more often because of the shorter recovery time needed. There are several theories as to why a vegan diet would be better than other diets. Training is actually a stress on the body and its immune function. A vegan diet full of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes provides a clear immune boost with its high antioxidant content (and avoidance of pro-inflammatory products found in meat and dairy products). This immune boost could be what allows vegan athletes to train and recover in rapid succession. Plant-based fitness is bourgeoning among professional and amateur athletes alike. Any thoughts on this trend overall? I’m thrilled to see the trend, because adopting a nutrition or exercise plan should support all aspects of health, not just one like weight loss or strength. That’s what I love about the combination of a vegan diet and exercise – it supports heart health, cancer prevention, diabetes prevention, healthy body weight, less joint pain, improved mood, less risk of dementia, and the list goes on and on. I only see the trend continuing as more people experience the benefits first hand. This interview is an excerpt from my book Vegan Vitality. Calories and macros on a vegan diet: A free e-book for you! ​​ Download Karina’s free 32-page ebook that shows you how to track your food, calculate calories, and set macro goals on a vegan diet. You’ll even get step-by-step instructions – complete with a printable grocery list – for how to prep a week’s worth of delicious Buddha bowls in 60 minutes or less.

Allow me to introduce Izzy Pope-Moore! She's been training with me for about 4 months, and I've been very impressed with her dedication to her fitness routine. She maintains a regular yoga practice on her own, and goes to the gym at mind-bogglingly early morning hours three days a week. She has three different volunteer gigs and a full-time job, so if Izzy can find time for fitness and healthy eating, so can you! [EDIT Dec. 27, 2016: 2 years later, Izzy is still training with me! She's since undergone major abdominal surgery that required 9 incisions, and battled tendinitis in her wrist. Here's a quick update on Instagram.] Read on for my interview with Izzy. ------------------------------------------ Why did you start working with Karina? What was happening in your life that made you take this step? It was due to a combination of things. I had suffered from pneumonia in my late teens and this took a huge toll on my body. Even though I am quite thin, I never really felt toned. I used to look at other women and wish I had nice arms and legs. Someone made a comment to me that my lack of muscle tone could be due to my vegan diet. They didn’t believe veganism was healthy or that you could build muscle on a vegan diet. I like to prove people wrong! At the beginning of each year, I try and set an intention for the year ahead. I decided that for 2015, I would make fitness a priority in my life. I had heard of Karina at Veg Fest 2014 and decided that if I was going to get a personal trainer, I wanted a vegan one! What were some of the hurdles you dealt with as you got started? What was difficult for you? Trying to fit gym sessions into my already hectic schedule! I now get up at 5.30 am so I can hit the gym for just after 6 am. I am a total morning person and know that I won’t have the patience or the energy to work out after work, so I do it before. I also found it difficult to feel confident in the gym. I had never had a personal trainer, and had no idea how to operate most of the equipment when I started. I also felt very self-conscious in a gym dominated by guys! These days I feel fine, however it did take a while to get to this stage. What was easy for you as you started? Sticking with it, despite the crazy early starts. I’m a pretty dedicated and passionate person. Once I get behind something I run full steam ahead! Are your reasons for increasing your health and fitness different now than they were when you started working with Karina? If yes, how? Yes, although there is still an element of trying to prove a point to the anti-vegan bandwagon, I am now more focused upon making myself feel more confident and stronger. What are some of the day-to-day changes/adjustments you had to make (and continue to make) to maintain and improve your fitness? Before beginning to train with Karina, I was practising yoga 5 times a week. I cut this down to twice a week with gym sessions three times a week. I am now super conscious of what I eat, especially with regards to fats and proteins. I no longer feel like I am “starving” myself just to be thin. I eat like a horse and I still look awesome. I definitely make better food choices and try and plan my food for the day/week around the level of activity I am undertaking on a specific day. What does health mean to you? Being physically able to do all the things that I want to do. I spent a significant part of my late teens and twenties not being able to do everything I wanted to do due to suffering from a variety of stomach problems caused by pneumonia. Now I’ve recovered from that, there’s been no stopping me since and I want to carry on for as long as I can! Why is good health important to you? I am always on the go, managing multiple things at once. Most people I know have a variety of health problems. I want to try and prevent as many health issues for myself as I can so that I can continue to run around like a crazy person when I am old and grey. I want to be one of those crazy ninety year olds who still acts like she is in her twenties! What’s your secret (or not-so-secret) health/fitness superpower? Veganism! I love the fact that I am building some serious muscle without consuming animal products. Recently, a new colleague at work was shocked when she found out that I am vegan. Her response was “You’re vegan? But you look so healthy!” I replied, “I sure am! Hands up anyone else in the office who was at the gym at 6 am deadlifting 100 pounds?” Anything else you’d like to add? Karina is awesome. She knows how to make my workouts challenging but fun. In the 4 months that I have been training with her I am amazed at how much stronger I have become. I can feel the benefits of having stronger muscles in my yoga practice. Although it’s still early days, I am amazed at the definition I am beginning to get in my arms and legs. I know I still have a lot of work to do, but I also know I am up for the challenge. I’m excited to see what the future holds! ------------------------------------------ These photos are only 15 weeks apart. Check out the hard-earned muscle Izzy's gained! She's gone from finding 12-pound dumbbells challenging to bench press, to benching 20's with no problem whatsoever. I love working with Izzy and am excited to see what's in store for her moving forward! Please share this article with your friends - or anyone who could use a motivation boost to keep killin' it in the gym. Have questions? Wanna chat health and fitness? Just wanna say hi? Get in touch with me any time. Download Karina's 350-item vegan grocery list! Need inspiration for healthy plant-based eating? Need to spice up your daily meal routine? Download your free vegan grocery list! With more than 350 healthy items (some of which might be new to you), you'll be a vegan nutrition superhero in no time.

A client of mine recently said, “I heard that fructose is converted to fat more than other forms of sugar. Does this mean I need to stop eating fruit if I want to maintain a lean physique? I really love my apples!” Here's what I told her: Keep eating your apples! Yes, there may be negative effects of eating too much fructose (same goes for glucose). However, the amount of fructose you need to eat to start seeing negative effects is extremely high. Research studies use solutions of pure fructose, rather than making their subjects eat fruit. Check out this more in-depth article that reviews some of the research. From the article author, Michael Matthews: "How exactly was this study conducted, though? Well, they had 16 guys consume a solution consisting of 3.5 grams of fructose per kilogram of weight every day. I weigh about 90 kilograms, so that would mean I would have to eat 315 grams of fructose per day. If I wanted to get that from bananas, I’d have to eat about 45. Or about 80 cups of strawberries. Or 800 cherries. Or 26 apples." As you can see, negative effects of fructose require extremely high levels, which are usually found in artificially sweetened beverages (and lab studies!), not fruit. Some more research bits and pieces for you to check out: Check out this study, which made two important points: 1. "Fructose intake at normal population levels and patterns does not cause biochemical outcomes substantially different from other dietary sugars." 2. "Extreme experimental models that feature hyperdosing or significantly alter the usual dietary glucose-to-fructose ratio are not predictive of typical human outcomes or useful to public health policymakers." Fructose and Weight Gain: A Bad Rap? "There's no reason to avoid fructose itself," says Madelyn Fernstrom, PhD, CNS, director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. If you're looking to lose weight -- or at least not gain any -- Fernstrom recommends that you limit your consumption of fructose-sweetened beverages and snack foods just as you would any simple carb. Of course, cutting back your total calorie intake wouldn't hurt either." Is Fruit Making You Fat? The Facts About Fruit, Fructose, and Fat Loss "In the recent study that was interpreted by the media and many readers as "fruit makes you fat," the subjects didn't even eat fruit! They were fed a huge dose of liquid fructose all at once -- 85 grams of carbs with a 75% fructose solution -- for a total of 64 grams of fructose." "In humans, the liver can handle about 50 grams of fructose daily without stimulating any fat synthesis" <--- that's about 5 apples! Or 3.5 cups of blueberries! Here's a meta-analysis of 41 experimental studies: "Fructose is sometimes seen as a "dietary bad guy" in the battle against obesity, but a new study suggests it doesn't seem to cause weight gain when substituted for other carbs in diets providing similar calories." "We're saying don't worry so much about the fructose. Concentrate on the energy. And certainly don't discount fruit." ...and there's much, much more research that all concludes the same thing. So, based on the available research evidence, there's no fat-burning or body composition-related reason to completely cut fruit from the diet. In fact, I argue that would be unhealthy and unnecessary deprivation! It doesn't sound sexy, but moderation really is the name of the game. Anything in excess can cause negative outcomes, whether it's fructose, vitamins, or any other food ingredient. So keep eatin' your apples! Have questions? Wanna chat health and fitness? Just wanna say hi? Get in touch with me at any time. Calories and macros on a vegan diet: A free e-book for you! ​​ Download Karina’s free 32-page ebook that shows you how to track your food, calculate calories, and set macro goals on a vegan diet. You’ll even get step-by-step instructions – complete with a printable grocery list – for how to prep a week’s worth of delicious Buddha bowls in 60 minutes or less.

The Paleo diet seems to be on its way out (every BS fad diet dies after its 15 minutes of fame), but in case anyone out there still wonders about its efficacy - and to drive those last few nails into its coffin - here's a question we had over on the Karina Inkster Healthy Living Academy Facebook page. Q: What’s your take on the Paleo diet? A: Here are 8 reasons why it's 100% BS. 1. Paleo supporters argue that whole grains weren’t part of our prehistoric diets. Well, neither were broccoli, artichokes, lettuce, grapefruit, and most of the other produce we enjoy today. But you don’t see any Paleo people banning those, do you? Also, there are countless research studies supporting the role of whole grains in increasing longevity, decreasing obesity, and lowering risk for heart disease. 2. Paleo people are obsessed with grass-fed beef. Reality check: there’s not much difference between grass-fed and regular grain-fed beef. Most cattle eat grass for the first two thirds of their lives – whether they’re labelled as “grass fed” or not. Nothing special here. Regular beef cows then get fattened up with corn and other grains while grass-fed cattle continue eating grass (and contributing to soil erosion, methane emissions, and manure run-off). Grass-fed cows – just like other cows – can be pumped full of hormones to fatten them up before slaughter. If the average American were to switch all of his/her meat consumption to grass-fed instead of grain-fed, he/she would save about 1300 calories per month. That’s only about a third of a pound of weight loss. 3. There are countless inconsistencies between what our ancestors likely ate 10,000 years ago and what today’s Paleo people eat. Turkey was introduced to Europe in the 16th Century, but it’s on the OK list for Paleo. Yams are on the Paleo no-no list. They’ve been eaten in Africa for eons. Also, there’s evidence that our ancestors ate grains (on the Paleo no-no list) as much as 200,000 years ago. Take that, “haven’t had time to get used to grains” theorists. The modern animal that most resembles those eaten 10,000 years ago is the antelope. It’s only 5% fat. Beef contains 50-60+% fat. Turkey breast has about 35% fat. The animals available today are nowhere close to the wild ones eaten 10,000 years ago. When’s the last time you saw wild boar or woolly mammoth at the grocery store? 4. Nobody’s certain what people 10,000 years ago ate anyway. It’s all based on guesses and limited evidence. Also, what Paleo people don’t seem to talk about is location. Just because people in Europe ate a certain way 10,000 years ago (apparently what the Paleo diet is modelled upon) doesn’t mean people in Africa ate that way (in fact, much research supports the notion that prehistoric diets consisted of up to 80% plants, depending upon location). 5. One of the most important critical thinking questions you can ask yourself is, “Compared to what?” A few studies have showed that Paleo style eating is healthier than the typical Western diet. So are pretty much any non-typical-Western diets. Just because a Paleo diet may have health benefits, doesn’t mean it’s the most effective or most healthy option out there. I’d love to see a peer-reviewed study with a significant number of participants that pits the Paleo diet against other non-typical-Western diet options to see which one comes out on top. As far as I know, there’s no such research. 6. The Paleo diet hasn’t received much clinical research attention (that should be a warning sign). But meat consumption has. For example, a two decades-long study of 110,000 adults found that eating red meat – in any amount – significantly increases the risk of premature death. Just one 3-ounce serving of unprocessed red meat per day was linked to a 13% greater chance of dying during the study. (See the study abstract). 40 years of clinical nutrition research (summarized in The China Study) found that animal protein (again, in any amount) increases one’s risk of developing cancer. Plants, on the other hand, have the ability to “turn off” the expression of cancer genes, and can reverse heart disease rather than create it. 7. The Paleo premise that we’re somehow best suited to the hunter/gatherer lifestyle of our ancestors is based on a flawed understanding of human evolution. We’re never perfectly suited to our environments, and our biology hasn’t magically stopped changing since the dawn of agriculture. It’s ridiculous to assume we can pinpoint a single way of eating to which we’re best suited. Marlene Suk, professor of ecology, evolution, and behaviour at the University of Minnesota, writes, “The notion that humans got to a point in evolutionary history where their bodies were somehow in sync with the environment … reflects a misunderstanding of evolution. What we are able to eat and thrive on depends on our more than 30 million years of history as primates, not on a single, arbitrarily more recent moment in time.” 8. In 2011 the US News and World Report ranked the top 29 popular weight loss diets. The ranking criteria included nutrition, safety, effectiveness for weight loss and disease prevention, and ease of following. Paleo came second-to-last. Calories and macros on a vegan diet: A free e-book for you! ​​ Download Karina’s free 32-page ebook that shows you how to track your food, calculate calories, and set macro goals on a vegan diet. You’ll even get step-by-step instructions – complete with a printable grocery list – for how to prep a week’s worth of delicious Buddha bowls in 60 minutes or less. Wanna chat? Have a health and fitness question? Hit me up!

Over on the K.I. Facebook page, Zoe posted, "The whole phenomenon of 'eating for your blood type'. Hype?" Yup, definitely hype. There’s not a single scientific study in existence that supports the claims of the Blood Type Diet. In case some readers are wondering, the Blood Type Diet (popularized by a book called “Eat Right For Your Type” by Peter D’Adamo, published in 1996), suggests that in order to optimize our health and regulate our weight, we need to eat according to our blood types. By the way, the book was written by a naturopath who didn’t conduct a single study to support his claims. According to D’Adamo, people with Type B blood are the only ones who can tolerate dairy, and people with Type A blood should avoid meat and dairy, as well as kidney beans and lima beans. You get the idea. The Blood Type Diet also suggests that our blood types dictate how susceptible we are to illness, and how we should exercise. None of this has been supported by research. In fact, it’s all been refuted. One large-scale research study found that there are, indeed, health benefits to following some of the “blood type” diets. That should be obvious, because blood type diets all focus on eating unprocessed, healthy food (which is better than the majority of standard North American diets). What this study also found, however, was that the health benefits had absolutely nothing to do with individuals’ blood types. Everyone benefited from a healthy diet equally; people with blood types matching their prescribed diets didn’t do any better than people whose blood types didn’t match. See this article for more info. What're you wondering about? Got a burning health- or fitness-related question? Head on over to my Facebook page and ask away! Download Karina's 350-item vegan grocery list! Need inspiration for healthy plant-based eating? Need to spice up your daily meal routine? Download your free vegan grocery list! With more than 350 healthy items (some of which might be new to you), you'll be a vegan nutrition superhero in no time.