• Day 3 as a Vegetarian: Hmmm. I Could Get Used to This.

    I don’t want to sound preachy, and maybe this is attributable to a recent reduction in stressors, but I’m feeling pretty good inside. Giving up meat, fish and poultry hasn’t been at all difficult because there are so many alternatives. Often, it’s just a matter of not adding meat to a meal. Yesterday, for example,…

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  • Part 2: Interview with a Vegan

    This is my second day of my Week of Vegetarianism, and I really enjoyed choosing foods with a higher level of consciousness than before. I thought I had certain things in the pantry and freezer, but turns out the black beans were M.I.A. So instead of a black bean burrito for lunch, I had fab…

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  • Part 1: Interview with a Vegan

    Leslie J. Ansley is an award-winning journalist and entrepreneur who blogs daily for TheRoot. She lives in Raleigh, NC.

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  • Weight-Loss Hypnotist Coming to Town. Tempting . . .

    I’ve actually signed up because I am deathly curious. I opted for the pay-at-the-door option, because of the very good chance I won’t show up. Part of me wants to believe there’d be some benefit, but I am the most skeptical person I know, and there are many other uses for the $60 cost for…

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  • It's Hot, We're Broke, No Job, Bills Are Due, and We’re Supposed to Eat Salad?

    My friend is a ball of stress and frayed nerves. She’s had trouble sleeping for three weeks, is unemployed and has applied for at least 20 positions in the past month. Highly qualified for many positions, she’s been passed over because younger, cheaper workers are plentiful, even if they lack the skills listed in the…

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  • 48 Cupcakes, 1 Ice Cream Cake . . . and That’s Just Today

    I am picking up four dozen cupcakes in about three hours. It’s August, which means it’s Birthday Season in the Ansley household. Today, Skyler turns 18. Since she coaches as well as cheers, she’ll be at the gym all afternoon and evening. It’s become somewhat of a tradition that if a cheerleader’s birthday falls on…

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  • Study: ‘Soul Food’ Kills

    OK, that’s a little dramatic. Nonetheless, my alma mater has delivered, on a scarlet-and-gray platter, the latest nail in the coffin of African-American eating habits. (Emphases and edits, mine): Researchers looking for differences in eating habits of African Americans based on whether or not they had Type 2 diabetes uncovered an unexpected result: No matter…

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  • Whose Fault Is It You’re So Overweight?

    So, have you figured out, yet, why you are so overweight? I’m asking because a good friend is going through a pretty rough stage in her life. I’ve known her for more than 25 years, and what a long, strange trip it’s been. On the surface, we seem to have zero in common: Ethnicity, family…

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  • Incredible Shrinking Celebs

    Some of the biggest stars just aren’t anymore. In the current issue of People magazine, John Goodman tells how he lost 100 pounds and Drew Carey, 80 pounds. I really liked John Goodman in HBO’s Treme, probably because he was a frustrated writer. I think fellow Ohioan Drew Carey is wasting his talent as host…

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  • ‘Operation Beautiful’: Corny, Yet Critical

    Little girls are starting to diet at age 8. That was the first thing that caught my attention this a.m. as I was half-listening to the Today show. I suddenly felt aggrieved. Age 8 means unicorns, rainbows, Barbie dolls and a closet full of pink dresses, pink jeans and pink sneakers. I rarely curse, but…

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