What is a "vegetarian" diet, you may ask. While my research reveals there seems to be no single specific "vegetarian" eating pattern, there are several prevalent types of vegetarian eating patterns. Both the American Heart Association and The Mayo Clinic list the following as types of vegetarian diets:

vegan or total vegetarian in which the only foods consumed are from plants, vegetables, legumes (dried beans and peas), fruits, seeds, nuts and grains;

lacto vegetarian which includes the plant foods listed above plus cheese and dairy products;

The High Protein Soup Diet, is it all that healthy?

Losing weight is no picnic, and as a result, people are trying all kinds of alternatives. Some of those alternatives are just not healthy. Although the Dr. Atkins diet of high proteins and low carbs is still very popular, many have switched to the South Beach diet that allows for more fruits and vegetables.

It is easier for your body to take in carbohydrates and proteins by drinking them as opposed to eating them, especially in our super-fast-paced world wherein is all too easy to feel the need to skip sit-down meals. Consequently, we end up eating a lot of nutritionally depleted fast food or, sometimes worse, not eating a meal at all (which, seemingly paradoxically, makes it more difficult to lose weight or get trimmer).