I just returned from ESPN the Weekend, at Disney World's Hollywood Studios. One of the highlights for me was when I stumbled across an interesting conversation between football all-stars Donovan McNabb, Chris Carter, Tony Gonzalez and a few others. The men were on an open stage being interviewed my Mike Greenberg of the Mike and Mike Show. What caught my attention was the taunting of Tony Gonzalez with strange veggie jokes. Why were they poking fun at this "lettuce man"? Little Miss Fitzness had to stop and listen.

The taunting was followed by Kansas City Chief tight-end Tony defending his vegan lifestyle. I was both surprised and impressed. Tony was bragging about his ability to jump rope and hit the weight room while his teammates were stuck in the mud the day after a game. He's beaten lethargy, increased his energy, and found many more fascinating benefits since he changed his eating habits. The nearly 250 pound tight end is not someone anyone would guess to be a vegan, but I think that's why he's so neat.

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Inflammation and stress have been proven to have harmful effects on a person's health, and now a group of experts have put together evidence that how you prepare food is just as important as what you're preparing when it comes to eating healthy. Cooking foods at high temperatures without water (like frying or baking) increases the amount of AGEs (advanced gycation end-products) present, which are directly linked to increased inflammation and oxidative stress levels. Cooking foods by steaming, boiling, and stewing (or better yet, eating raw and fresh whenever possible) yields much fewer AGEs.

This is a hard one for me, because although I love steamed veggies I really love everything baked and stir-fried too!

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