The Essentials Of A Vegetarian Diet

A vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat any meat.  Vegetarians must find alternative sources to the nutrient they need.   

Protein:

• Protein builds muscles, keeps red blood cells healthy, and helps growth.  Good sources include:
• soy/soy products
• meat alternatives (e.g. veggie burgers)
• dried beans, peas, and lentils
• nuts, nut butter, and seeds
• grain
• peanut and peanut butter
• dairy products
• eggs

Iron:

To obtain enough iron, vegetarians must eat twice as much iron as non-vegetarians. Iron from sources like plants aren't absorbed as well as iron from animals.  It helps carry oxygen to various parts of the body.  The iron from vegetarian sources are better absorbed when eaten with foods rich in Vitamin C.  Some good sources are:

• soy/soy products
• meat alternatives
• dried beans, peas, and lentils
• fortified grain products
• nuts and seeds
• prune juice
• dried apricots
• vegetables

Zinc:

Zinc is essential for growth, development, healing wounds, and strengthening immune systems.  Some sources are:

• soy/soy products
• dried beans, peas, and lentils
• some nuts
• peanuts/ peanut butter
• pumpkin seeds
• sesame seed butter
• whole grains

Linolenic Acids (Omega-3 Fat)

Omega-3 Fat helps prevent heart disease, helps nerve and brain development, and is important for your eyes.  Sources include:

• oils like canola and flaxseed
• ground flaxseed
• soybeans
• tofu
• walnuts

Advice:

Get enough calcium, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D

Eat fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, seed, nuts, dairy products, and eggs.  

Leafy greens contain lots of calcium.

For more information, visit the links below:

http://www.dietitians.ca/Downloads/Factsheets/Guidelines-Lacto-Ovo.aspx

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php

http://www.vegetariannutrition.org/food-pyramid.pdf  --- THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE

Spring Arriving 3 Weeks Early Because of Global Warming

What is Global Warming?  Dictionary.com defines it as “an increase in the earth's average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect.”

Due to global warming, the onset of spring plant growth will come approximately 3 weeks earlier.  Rapid shifts in plant phonology are occurring in the Pacific Northwest and mountainous regions of the United States, with smaller shifts in the southern regions because spring usually arrives earlier.

Andrew Allstadt, an author of Environmental Research Letters, says that projection show that winter will be shorter.  Great for us, right! But birds and other animals base their migration time off of day length in their winter range.  Some might arrive at their breeding ground only to find their required plant resources already gone.

Another problem is false springs, where freezing weather returns after plants have begun to grow.  Projections show that these events will decrease in most areas.

But false springs are expected to increase in the western Great Plains region.  False springs damage plant production cycles.  

Allstatd also said that research is going to cover all cases of extreme weather (e.g. droughts and heat waves).  Scientists are also interested in seeing how bird populations in wildlife reserves will be affected.   


For more information, go to: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151014085418.htm

Water And Blue Skies Found On Pluto By New Horizon Spacecraft!

The New Horizon spacecraft flew by Pluto, sending back incredible information: Blue skies and water ice exist on Pluto! Who would expect a dwarf planet 7.5 billion kilometers away to have things in common with Earth?

Blue Skies:
Most likely, the haze particles on Pluto are red or grey. But the way the particles scatter blue light makes the atmosphere blue. And that's the big mystery.
Carly Howett says the blue sky tells about the composition and size of the haze particles.  “A blue sky often results from scattering of sunlight by very small particles. On Earth, those particles are very tiny nitrogen molecules. On Pluto they appear to be larger — but still relatively small — soot-like particles we call tholins.” She quoted.
It’s thought by scientist that tholin particles form high in the atmosphere. Ultraviolet sunlight breaks apart and ionizes nitrogen and methane molecules, allowing them to react to eachother, forming complex negatively and positively charged ions.  The more complex molecules continue combining and growing, eventually becoming small particles.



Water Ice:
Many small, exposed regions of water ice were also detected. Jason Cook explained that finding out why water appears where it does is the big challenge right now. I wonder if it has anything to do with the composition and/or temperature of the planet.
Surprisingly, water ice on Pluto is colored red.  I wonder why that is.



Go to http://www.nasa.gov/nh/nh-finds-blue-skies-and-water-ice-on-pluto for more information!

Portabella Mushroom Battery

What do you use everyday?  Your cell phone?  Your car?  What about batteries? I know I use batteries nonstop.  When I came across an article that said research is studying how to make batteries out of Portabella Mushrooms, I had to research more.
Lithium-ion batteries are made of synthetic graphite, which costs lots to make and harms the environment greatly.  Instead of using graphite, using biomass (biological material from a living or recently living organism) would be cheaper and eco friendly!
Mushrooms have lots of small spaces that liquid and air can pass through, (They're highly porous). This creates more space for energy to go through, improving the battery’s performance.
Also, a mushroom’s high potassium salt concentration helps increase the flow of electrolyte-active material. As more pores are activated, the batteries performance increases.

"With battery materials like this, future cell phones may see an increase in run time after many uses, rather than a decrease, due to apparent activation of blind pores within the carbon architectures as the cell charges and discharges over time," said Brennan Campbell, a graduate student in the Materials Science and Engineering program at UC Riverside.

I’m really excited for this new type of battery to come out!

For more information, go to: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150929142522.htm