To me it's quite obvious that a vegan or vegetarian diet is a healthy lifestyle choice in all aspects. Being a vegan is limiting you from eating most unhealthy foods from ice cream to greasy fried chicken, therefore there's less temptation to pig out. Being a vegan also makes you more conscious of what you're putting into your body. When it's time for me to eat whether it be a snack or an entrée, I aim for food with nutritional value. I have to choose foods that provide nutrition which I would otherwise get from eating meat and this forces me to eat with more awareness. There's proof that vegetarians eat healthier according to a new scientific review.

A scientific review in April's Nutrition Reviews shows that a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss. Vegetarian populations tend to be slimmer than meat-eaters, and they experience lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other life-threatening conditions linked to overweight and obesity. The new review, compiling data from 87 previous studies, shows the weight-loss effect does not depend on exercise or calorie-counting, and it occurs at a rate of approximately 1 pound per week.

Rates of obesity in the general population are skyrocketing, while in vegetarians, obesity prevalence ranges from 0 percent to 6 percent, note study authors Susan E. Berkow, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Neal D. Barnard, M.D., of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

The authors found that the body weight of both male and female vegetarians is, on average, 3 percent to 20 percent lower than that of meat-eaters. Vegetarian and vegan diets have also been put to the test in clinical studies, as the review notes. The best of these clinical studies isolated the effects of diet by keeping exercise constant. The researchers found that a low-fat vegan diet leads to weight loss of about 1 pound per week, even without additional exercise or limits on portion sizes, calories, or carbohydrates.

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Forbes touches base on what's hot in the world of weight-loss technology. Learn about the top eight tech-savvy weight-loss programs, what they do and how much they cost.

 Nutrition Texting (diet.com):

• Price: Free
• How it works: Want to know how many grams of fat are in that Starbucks coffee you're thinking about ordering? Diet.com's new Nutrition on the Go program can give you the details you're looking for in an instant. Just text the restaurant's name and menu item to DIET1 (34381), and the service will send back nutritional information within seconds. The program's database currently contains more than 36,000 menu items from more than 1,700 restaurants.

 Personal Digital Coach (sensei.com):

• Price: $5.75 a week for Sensei on your phone and online (introductory offer)
• How it works: The Sensei for Weight Loss program aims to turn your cellphone into a personal nutrition coach by delivering customized meal recommendations, weekly shopping lists, fitness information and motivational messages. Unlike more conventional tools, Sensei takes into account users' individual preferences, such as a dislike for certain foods and a fondness for eating out.

 Calorie Burning Tracker (bodybugg.com):

• Price: $479.95, includes online food logging with custom meal plans, three-month subscription to Web program, and two phone sessions with a bodybugg coach
• How it works: Want to know exactly how many calories you're burning in a day? Try the bodybugg armband device. Featured on NBC's The Biggest Loser, the bodybugg is worn on the upper right arm. To provide an accurate estimate, it measures motion and steps, how much you sweat, your skin temperature and the rate at which heat dissipates from your body. Use the Web-based program to track calories in and calories out and control your weight.

 Customized Internet-based Personal Training (burnfit.com):

• Price: $30 per week at Burn Fitness in Santa Monica, Calif.
• How it works: CustomFit aims to give gym-goers the benefits of a personal trainer without the cost. After meeting with a trainer to set preliminary health and fitness goals, users are provided with customized, detailed, Internet-based weekly workout plans, as well as daily feedback and guidance on their fitness and dietary progress from trainers. Currently available at Burn Fitness in Santa Monica, the program should soon be an option at gyms across the country.

 Cellphone Personal Training Workouts (pumpone.com):

• Price:  $1.99, one workout available for 24 hours
• How it works: PumpOne, which sends visual personal-training programs to the iPod, can do the same for your cellphone. Choose from over 80 complete workouts, including gym workouts and traveling workouts, that let users take advantage of their own body weights, furniture, water bottles and luggage to get fit.

 Customized Website (weightwatchers.com):

• Price: $65 for the first three months
• How it works: Following the theory that men approach weight loss differently, WeightWatchers has created a customized online system designed just for males. Subscribers can learn about food plans, manage their food intake, track weight-loss progress and find meal ideas and tips. Want to know which beer has the lowest amount of calories while still making you feel full? (Answer: Guinness.) This is the program for you.

 Camera-Phone Food Journaling (myfoodphone.com):

• Price:  $9.99 for one month with two feedback sessions
• How it works: Make food journaling easier and more accurate by using myFoodPhone, a camera-phone food journaling feedback service that connects users with personal nutrition coaches and advisers. Start by creating a photo album of each of your meals and snacks, share the pictures with buddies and advisers, see how your daily intake of each food group stacks up against the U.S. Department of Agriculture's recommended portions and receive personalized video feedback.

 Real-Time Voice Coaching (swirlnet.com):

• Price: $169
• How it works: An all-in-one one-ounce heart rate monitor, music player and virtual personal trainer, the Swirl works in tandem with an online service. Users log on, choose a workout or create one, add a playlist and download the data to the Swirl device. The heart rate monitor and live coach will help you stay in your target training zone throughout your workout.

SOURCE: Forbes

The Fools Gold actress has been spotted twice this week leaving dance classes at a Pacific Palisades, Calif. dance studio. This isn't the first time Kate has been known to dance for fitness, she's also taken Sheila Kelley's S Factor  poll dancing classes. Kate seems like a fun girl and dancing seems like a fun way to get physical and super toned.

Is Dancing for you? Try these Dancing DVDs (Available in the BEFIT STORE powered by amazon.com):

• Jamie King- Rock Your Body
• Dance the Chakras Yoga Workout
• Dancing With the Stars - Cardio Dance

In my mind one piece swim suits have been associated with trying to cover up and bikinis are meant to show off your sexy curves. Recently my opinion of the one piece has totally changed; I find them to be extremely stylish. The current one piece suits are so hot this season that I decided to buy one for the Summer. I especially love the styles available at victoriassecret.com and venus.com. The one piece swim suits are both super revealing and classy at the same time.

How do you plan to flaunt your fit beach body this summer? 

Don't let blisters and sore muscles keep you from doing your workout, instead try one of these do-it-yourself treatments from Lillian M. Beard, MD, author of Salt in Your Sock and Other Tried-and-True Home Remedies.

HEEL BLISTER

The remedy: Carefully apply enough lavender oil (available at health-food stores) to fully cover the blister without popping it; this will help it deflate and dry out faster. Reapply every few hours for three to five days or until the blister heals completely.

Why it works: Lavender is a proven anti-inflammatory that can speed the healing of skin irritations. Bonus benefit: The aroma is incredibly soothing.

To buy lavender oil visit the 'Body Care' section of the BEFIT STORE powered by Amazon.com!

SORE MUSCLE

The remedy: Saturate a cloth with apple cider vinegar and wrap it around the muscle for 20 minutes; the pain should disappear within a few hours. Reapply every three to four hours for continued relief until the pain is gone for good.

Why it works: Apple cider vinegar is a muscle reliever; it helps to draw lactic acid (the stuff that causes soreness) out of your muscles after exercise.

ATHLETE'S FOOT

The remedy: Drop a few freshly minced cloves of garlic into a cotton sock, and then wear the sock overnight. (Just be sure to wash your feet in the morning with something that has a more pleasant scent!) Repeat the treatment nightly until the fungus disappears, usually within 7 to 10 days.

Why it works: Garlic kills all sorts of fungi—including the one that causes athlete’s foot.

HEAT RASH

The remedy: Mix regular oatmeal (not instant) or cornstarch with water to make a thick paste. Apply to irritated skin, let it dry, and leave it on until it flakes off on its own (the residue will continue to work). Reapply only if it starts to itch again (otherwise you risk over drying the area).

Why it works: Both oatmeal and cornstarch help reduce irritation and swelling, and provide itch relief.

The book Salt in Your Sock and Other Tried-and-True Home Remedies is available in the BEFIT STORE powered by Amazon.com.

SOURCE: Health.com