We Endorse the things that make you feel & look your best:
Low-Fat, Vegan Diets & Daily Exercise

At VegSource, we are big supporters of the program of John McDougall, M.D., whose safe, effective program encourages you to make a permanent change to a healthy lifestyle -- and has the added benefit of weight loss. Our opinion is based not only on the solid scientific research backing up Dr. McDougall's program, but on a lot of personal success by the founders and guests of VegSource.

We do not recommend "fad" weight loss programs like "The Zone" or "The Atkins Diet," or other diets which are primarily calorie-restrictive and potentially dangerous to your health. The answer to weight loss is not a pill or gimmick that will "melt away fat" while you keep on with the same habits that got you overweight and unhealthy in the first place.

Robust good health is a product of attention in three critical areas of your life: 1) what you eat; 2) what your activity level is; and 3) how you feel emotionally.

• Switching to a low-fat, vegan diet is one of the most positive steps you can take for your health. Fat and cholesterol are major players in causing and/or promoting many degenerative diseases like cancer, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and more. When you feed your body the fuels it was ideally designed to run on -- fresh fruits and whole vegetables -- you will find your body shedding pounds and returning practically effortlessly to your optimal weight and condition.

• Taking a daily brisk walk or getting some kind of regular aerobic workout will not only improve cardiovascular fitness and help combat obesity, it improves your psychological outlook, too. And you don't have to sweat for hours a day at your local gym. Even modest regular exercise can pay big dividends.

• Your state of mind and emotional outlook also play an important role in your body's ability to fight off disease or to recover your health. A variety of meditation and relaxation techniques have been shown to provide significant health benefits -- and increasingly experts are concluding that having positive and successful love relationships can have a tremendous impact on your health, healing, and well-being, as well.

Important studies, like the China Project, have demonstrated that the best approach is to work on the big picture of health. The big picture means adopting a healthy lifestyle, which consists of a healthy diet (rich in veggies and grains, and low in fats), regular physical activity, and stress-management, all of which combine to get and keep you healthy. This is the aim of losing weight at VegSource -- getting well and staying healthy. We're not focused on some "wonder supplement."

If you drink ten cups of green tea but then sit in front of the TV all day eating burgers and fries, don't kid yourself into thinking you're reducing your risk of breast cancer... And if you're taking some wonder potion from your doctor or an infomercial that promises you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight -- well, you can check CNN.com regularly to read articles about all the magic weight loss potions that promise "safe weight loss" and then end up being very unsafe or ineffective.

At VegSource we urge you to make a positive change in your lifestyle that can help insure you'll be trim and look and feel good -- as well as be healthy and stand the best chance of avoiding disease and other problems all too common today. Read some of the success stores like Evelyn Johnson, and check out Dr. McDougall's discussion board, where you'll find lots of help and testimonials, like this one from Ron Dion, after six weeks of "McDougalling":

I have lost 25 pounds but more important I am no longer sick. I recomend this program for anyone who wants to live a longer healthier life. I have not felt this well in forty years.

The principles we endorse are found in the programs of Charles Attwood, M.D., John McDougall, M.D., Dean Ornish, M.D., and others who advocate combining daily exercise with low-fat, plant-based diets.

We highly recommend Dr. McDougall's books, The McDougall Program and The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss, as excellent guides to losing extra pounds and showing you how to live in the healthiest possible way. You'll regularly read people's posts about these books on Dr. McDougall's board -- a lot of us know first-hand just how fantastic these programs are.

We also endorse Dr. Attwood's Low-Fat Prescription for Kids as an excellent book to make a transition from the standard rich diet to a healthy low-fat, plant-based diet. It's a book not just with info on what's best for kids to eat, but it presents a perfect diet for the whole family.

These diets are not "all or nothing" approaches. Even if you don't follow the guidelines to the letter or all the time, you'll find that the more you do, the more you'll benefit. Keep that in mind!

Be sure to visit Dr. Attwood's site and Dr. McDougall's site.

Those of us who have embarked on the McDougall program are happy to answer questions and give any advice and support we can. And remember -- if we've successfully lost the weight we wanted to lose by using these principles (and we have!), well you can, too! Just post your questions and comments on our boards, and keep us updated. We're looking forward to sharing and applauding your progress!

Have fitness, diet or health questions? Remember, if nobody on the discussion boards can help, you can always ask our experts!