You probably don't need anyone to tell you that Americans are losing the battle of the bulge. Two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, and obesity rates among children have tripled in the past 30 years. The problem is so alarming that earlier this year, a nonprofit group called Mission: Readiness, fronted by senior retired military leaders, issued a …

Whether you've recently gone vegetarian, you're thinking of making the switch, or you've been veg for years, sitting down and eating with friends or family can be both rewarding and difficult.

Dining with your friends or family is a great opportunity to introduce the people you care about to delicious vegetarian food and to explain why you switched (or want …

In light of yesterday's tragedy in Oklahoma, we thought that we would republish this post. It pays to be prepared to help your loved animal companions when disasters strike.

Who can forget those awful images after the tsunami of people and animals displaced by the flooding? Like so many people, I wanted to help but didn't …

I found the tiny black piglet during my first summer home from college. We formed an instant bond—one that I feared would be broken when we separated for my return to school in the fall. At semester's end, I anxiously pulled in the driveway of the farm where I'd boarded him for the winter. As I stood on the lawn, …

One of my best friends is a breast cancer survivor. She went vegan after her mastectomy two decades ago and now eats plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, and soy foods, including tofu, tempeh, miso, edamame, soy milk, and veggie burgers. Study after study has shown that soy foods are beneficial for women, including breast cancer survivors, and …

Open any health or women's magazine, and you'll eventually come across a recommendation to "eat more fish." Fish perplexingly continues to be touted as a "health food," despite the fact that many of the species that people commonly consume-most notably tuna-are contaminated with mercury and other toxins. So why is it considered "healthy"? Because-compared to other meats, which are loaded …

Back in May 2007, I saw a story on the local news: A dog with a bullet in her back and her six puppies had landed in a Los Angeles animal shelter and desperately needed fostering. We were moved, but the timing could not have been more inconvenient. I'd begun work on my latest novel, The Edge of the …