Lenten sacrifice, almsgiving, prayer and fasting: Live simply and at peace

The Catholic penitential season of Lent starts early in 2016, on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10. Through acts of prayer, fasting, meditation, a Catholic seeks to imitate Christ's suffering and passion. Those acts give back, too, in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. They're the deepest Christian expression, but they aren't exclusively Christian. Most major religions have similar elements. No human could really imitate the divine. But it shouldn't prevent trying. Here's how a Catholic family can observe Lenten sacrifice from a world religions perspective.  

Lenten Kitchen: Meatless grill recipes, vegetarian fish recipes for Lent

Labor Day is the last day for grill recipes and "grill" means meat, meat and more meat, right? Wrong and wrong. Here are meatless grill recipes using your broiler. Use these vegetarian fish recipes for Lent. The Catholic Church observes a Lenten fast in the dead winter to follow Jesus to the cross and Easter. For 40 days, Catholic families eat simpler. For some, a Lenten fast means avoiding meat, dairy and sweets. And it also means a LOT of hungry people if you have a big family. So proactive Catholic moms develop an arsenal of meatless, vegetarian Lenten Kitchen recipes. Vegetarian is how most of the world eats, so these meatless grill recipes for Lent a Catholic in solidarity with the poor.   

Weight loss foods: Vegan cream soups, cream of leftover vegetable soup recipes

 Are you sick of hearing how overweight the world is? Well, that's a real dilemma for those raised in a frugal Hollander household where throwing food away is a mortal sin. The clean plate club rules in Dutch homes! Well, you can have your skinny and keep food from going to waste. Here are soup recipes to use up those leftover veggie scraps daring you to throw them out? Make Cream of Leftover Vegetable soup! What could be more perfect for weight loss? Here's are vegan cream soups, cream of leftover vegetable soup recipes and other vegan cream soups and weight loss foods from the Diet Kitchen.  

Lenten fasting: Give up junk food, meat for Lent for weight loss, social justice

Catholic enter the penitential season of Lent early this year. Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday is Feb 9 and Ash Wednesday kicks off the Lenten season on Feb. 10, 2016. Still haven't decided what to give up for Lent? Why not give up sugar and abstain from meat for Lent? Not only is a meat and sugar fast good for weight loss, it's the social responsibility of developed nations to help those in need in underdeveloped nations. For uber socially responsible Lenten fasting, give up junk food too! 

Refined sugar linked to breast cancer: Control sugar addiction, sugar cravings

Sugar is linked to breast cancer, a study from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found. Research on mice showed that large amounts of refined sugar, such as the average American diet is composed of, increases breast cancer risk reported WPVI on Jan. 4. Eating sugary foods causes the growth of certain enzymes and fatty acids in breast cancer cells. Breast cancer is not the only health danger from sugar--Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes (aka metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance), Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), obesity, tooth decay, heart failure and kidney damage have their etiology in over-consumption of refined sugar. With all the dangers associated, it's time to curb the sugar addiction. Here are sweet tooth tamers and tips to control sugar cravings.   

Ketogenic diet helps cognition, obesity: Good fat, high protein, low-carb diet

 Does is ever seem that there's always a new "big thing" in diets? Foods take turns coming fire--fats, sugar, meat, carbs--then later it switches and you hear another food is the problem. This revolving door is part of why obesity is at 38%. Folks have given up trying to find a diet that works. But there might finally be a definitive answer--a ketogenic diet is THE diet it seems. Everywhere you look, some celeb has lost weight on a ketogenic diet. The University of Alabama at Birmingham reported Dec. 18, that the ketogenic diet has been shown to treat cognition problems, particularly in elderly HIV patients. The ketogenic diet could also fix schizophrenia. Low-carb, high protein diets have proved superior to other weight loss programs in treating obesity, as well. 

Ketogenic diet: High-fat, high-protein, low-carb diet aids fat burn, weight loss

Originality the ketogenic diet was used only to treat epilepsy. Now, thanks to advocacy from celebrities who've had surprisingly high weight loss with it, the ketogenic diet is in vogue. Global New Wire reported Nov. 12, that medical experts are finding the ketogenic diet--which is essentially a high fat, high-protein, low carb diet--burns fat and aids weight loss. And not just a little weight loss. Results from the ketogenic diet have been dramatic. Some experts question whether ketosis is dangerous for the body. But it may actually be healthy. What's ketosis? It just means the body no longer gets many carbs and so doesn't depend on carbohydrates for energy. Needing fuel to burn, the body seeks out deep tissue fat that is buried in cells, around internal organs and in the belly, thighs, buttocks, hips and under the arms. With 2/3 of the U.S. overweight and 35-percent obese, maybe it's time to rethink some of these less traditional diets, medical advisers say.  Ketogenic diet: High-fat, high-protein, low-carb diet aids fat burn, weight loss