Karen Asp is the contributing health editor for TheBeet.com. A vegan for over 10 years (and vegetarian for almost 20) whose vegan journey began after making a pact with a cow while hiking in Austria, she’s an award-winning journalist and author (Anti-Aging Hacks is her latest book) who specializes in fitness, health, nutrition, travel and animals. Karen writes the monthly pet feature for Better Homes & Gardens and is a contributing writer for VegNews and regular contributor to numerous other leading publications, including Martha Stewart Living, Eating Well, Forks Over Knives, Clean Eating, Real Simple, Sentient Media, Oxygen, USA Today’s magazines, Midwest Living, O, Reader’s Digest and Woman’s Day. A frequent podcast and web show guest who loves educating people about healthy living and veganism, she’s also a fitness trainer who’s certified in plant-based nutrition, athlete with Nordic walking world records, PETA vegan mentor and soon, a Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator. Visit her at karenasp.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @karenaspwriter.
Karen Asp
Here’s How Much Zinc You Need to Boost Immunity Right Now
Got zinc? That may be the question of the moment, especially if you’re popping zinc supplements like candy in hopes of building your immune system. Yet immune function is a complicated topic, and while having the right amount of zinc on board could help prevent infections, taking excess zinc may not be the best strategy.
What i...
6 Plant-Based Foods to Help You Gain Weight the Healthy Way
When it comes to weight, most people want to lose it, not gain it. Yet there are many individuals who struggle to put weight on and keep up a strong, healthy physique. “Diet culture is so rampant in our society that we often fail to recognize that many people may have wellness goals unrelated to weight loss,” says Jennifer Mimkha, R.D, plant-based dietitian i
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Why You Should Be Eating More Quinoa For Healthy Weight Loss
The more you learn about quinoa, the more you realize there's every good reason to add this whole grain to your diet. Not only is it a complete source of plant-based protein, but it can also help stabilize blood sugar, a key benefit when the goal is weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight.
W...
These 10 Plant-Based Foods Can Help You Sleep Better
If you’re one of the 1 in 3 Americans not getting the sleep you need, you’re probably reaching for every sleep aid you can think of. The one place you may not be looking? Your pantry.
While you may know that there are certain foods like anything with caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods that can hinder your sleep, other foods can induce sleep. “Sleep-wake cycles follow
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7 Plant-Based Foods That Crush Salt or Sweet Cravings, According to Experts
It doesn’t matter how much of a health nut you are, everybody gets food cravings. While they can be detrimental to a healthy diet if they overtake you to the point of overeating, you shouldn’t fear them. “Cravings aren’t bad,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D.N., Chicago-based dietitian
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What Is Cultured Meat? Is It Good for You? Experts Weigh In
Cultured meat is coming, and all signs point to it becoming one of the biggest revolutions in the modern food industry – for two reasons: It could seriously disrupt animal agriculture, and it promises to alleviate most of the harmful impact of meat production on our environment.
It
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The 7 Foods to Eat to Help Reduce Anxiety, According to Research
If anxiety is getting the best of you, know that you’re not alone. In the years leading up to 2018, anxiety was already on the rise, hitting young adults the hardest, according to the Journal of Psychiatric Research. During the pandemic, it skyrocketed and now anxiety is the most common mental condition in America with more than 40 million Americans suffering from it. Meanwhile, our worrying
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To Lower Blood Pressure, Eat These 5 Foods and Avoid These 5
Got high blood pressure? Most likely the answer is yes, given that almost half of American adults have this condition, putting them at greater risk of heart disease and stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Yet that blood pressure is largely under your control...
Could Too Much Coffee Lead to Alzheimer’s? New Study Finds Link
It's no secret that Americans have a love affair with coffee. Almost six in 10 of us drink coffee every day and choose it over any other beverage. We now sip two cups per day, on average, according to the National Coffee Drinking Trends report. Up ...
Which Bread is the Healthiest: Rye or Wheat? An Expert Explains
Bread is back, thanks in large part to the pandemic, and while whole wheat bread usually steals the show for being one of the healthiest breads on the planet, don’t overlook rye. Rye’s popularity has been on the rise over the years, #ryebread trending on social media in recent months.
Yet if yo
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