Karen Asp

Karen Asp is the contributing health editor for TheBeet.com. A vegan for over 10 years (and vegetarian for almost 20) whose vegan journey began after making a pact with a cow while hiking in Austria, she’s an award-winning journalist and author (Anti-Aging Hacks is her latest book) who specializes in fitness, health, nutrition, travel and animals. Karen writes the monthly pet feature for Better Homes & Gardens and is a contributing writer for VegNews and regular contributor to numerous other leading publications, including Martha Stewart Living, Eating Well, Forks Over Knives, Clean Eating, Real Simple, Sentient Media, Oxygen, USA Today’s magazines, Midwest Living, O, Reader’s Digest and Woman’s Day. A frequent podcast and web show guest who loves educating people about healthy living and veganism, she’s also a fitness trainer who’s certified in plant-based nutrition, athlete with Nordic walking world records, PETA vegan mentor and soon, a Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator. Visit her at karenasp.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @karenaspwriter.

Is Dark Chocolate Actually Healthy? We Asked Experts, and Here’s the Truth
You might view dark chocolate as a health food, but is it? Before you bite into that piece of chocolate, understand why dark chocolate may not deserve the health halo it’s been wearing. Chocolate may not be the nutritional equivalent of kale, but it’s still lauded as a healthy food far and wide because of the antioxidants it contains ...
The Best Way to Feel Up After a Workout Is Plant Based Food & Drink, Experts Say
What should you eat to refuel after a tough workout? And do you actually need to eat after a sweat session? (That depends on whether your primary goal is to build lean muscle or incinerate calories and lose body fat.) Trainers like to push protein shakes and bars, but do you really need to eat right before or after you exercise...
Want to Lose Weight? Study Finds a Plant-Based Diet Beats Mediterranean
No doubt you’ve heard the accolades for the Mediterranean diet. This plant-rich diet, which allows some animal products (such as low-fat cheese, fish, and lean protein), has been lauded as the best diet for long-term health. Yet here’s the million-dollar question: How does the Mediterranean diet stack up against a vegan or plant-based diet when it comes to overall health and weight loss... Read Mo
Try One of These Simple Tips to Eat Healthier Today, From Nutritionists
Have you already broken your New Year’s resolutions? Don't feel bad, since most people have given up on resolutions even before February started, which is why they’re not worth setting. What is worth striving for? Nutrition related-goals that are attainable, and will lead you to eat healthier every day, especially if one of your intentions is to eat more plant-based be healthier now and in the fut
Attention Low-Carb Dieters: You’re Missing Out on Health Benefits of Grains
When it comes to whole grains, there’s not a lot of middle ground. You either love them or hate them–and stay away because you're following a low-carb diet–even though nutrition experts and the US Dietary Guidelines agree that whole grains are part of a healthy diet and encourage individuals to eat more...