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
Do You Need an Omega-3 Supplement If You Don’t Eat Fish? The Answer
There is confusion about dietary fat, and especially whether or not we need to work to get the essential fatty acids omega 6 and omega 3, into our diet. These are called "essential" fats because they are not made by the body, yet they work hand in hand to lower inflammation, fight heart di…
5 Surprisingly Healthy Foods That Help Promote Weight Loss
You might think individuals who manage to lose weight and keep it off eat only salads, especially if they’re plant-based. Let's put that urban myth to bed. While plant-based eaters do eat salad, they also eat a lot more than that, including foods you probably consider off-l…
This is What Happens to Your Body When You Go Plant-Based
Whenever you adopt a new healthy habit, you want immediate results. The trouble is, change often happens slowly – with one exception: When you transition to a plant-based diet for optimal health and wellbeing, your body starts changing for the better almost instantly. Ever...
How to Eat to Help Lower Risk of Colon Cancer, From Experts
It used to be that colon cancer was an old person's disease. Sadly, more and more younger people are turning up with this cancer, the second most deadly in the US, according to the statistics that show that while risk increases with age, the rates of this cancer are skyrocke…
How to Eat to Reduce Plantar Fasciitis Pain, From a Doctor
When a runner gets heel pain, it can develop into full-blown plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the ligament that runs along the bottom of your foot, connecting your Achilles tendon and your toes, and because it's so hard to treat, you'll do anything to make the pain subside a…
Is Cereal As Unhealthy As Everyone Says? This Expert’s Answer May Surprise You
Cereal is such a staple in the American diet, that people eat it more than any other classic breakfast choice (toast and bacon come in second and third), and four out of five Americans eat it for dinner, according to a YouGov survey. Yet cereal has been maligned as a sugar-laden highly processed foo…
Men and Women Stress Differently. Here’s How to Cope, from Experts
Got stress? Of course you do – you’re human, after all. Yet not all stress is created equally, and how you handle that stress may depend on your sex, as men and women have different ways of expressing and handling that stress. Below, experts weigh in on these differences and of…
This Superfood Has the Most Plant Protein Per Ounce: 5 Reasons to Add It to Your Diet
You may have heard of chlorophyll or spirulina as daily health ingredients to boost your morning routine, but in fact, there's an alga called chlorella that experts are touting as even more powerful when it comes to health benefits–and its oversized protein content–to add …
Will Eating Nuts Make You Gain Weight? No, Explains an RD. Here’s What to Know
Don’t knock nuts. While they have a bad rap for being high in calories, these nutritional powerhouses could be a dieter’s best friend – as long as you don’t overdo it. Nuts often get lumped into the “bad” food category…
Why Eat More Mushrooms, Doctors Say: They Boost Immunity & Fight Cancer
Crossed mushrooms off your list? Not a good idea, as they’re loaded with good-for-you benefits. Mushrooms... you either love them or hate them. And hate them many of us do, according to a recent survey. which found that mushrooms were the most common hated vegetable by cons…