Nutrition

Bacteria usually get a bad rap, but they're truly a digestive system's best friend. A healthy balance of good bacteria in the gut keep you feeling great. Throw off the balance and you suffer some...

When we're young, it seems like we can eat just about anything and it doesn't bother our stomachs. However, as we age, our bodies change in many different ways. Our digestive systems seem to...

Purification diets are done primarily for the purpose of improving health. A purification diet is free from chemically altered or processed foods, and is much like a detoxification diet where the...

Despite the unfair rap they get from some diet plans, carbs are not bad. Carbohydrates are actually a vital nutrient. You may crave them for many reasons. Physiologically you crave carbs due to a...

Calories are a unit of measurement that let us know how much energy different foods supply to us. Eating too many calories can result in weight gain and cutting back on calories leads to weight...

Eating foods high in fiber has many benefits for the body. Fiber helps keep our digestive system functioning properly. Foods high in fiber also help us feel fuller longer, making us less prone to...

Bloating means to be made distended, as with air, water, or food. Other common words used by people feeling bloated are "puffy" and "swollen." With humans, feeling bloated usually concerns the...

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a ubiquitous ingredient that's used to sweeten foods. Since it has become more prevalent in the American diet, critics of the sweetener have correlated it with...

If you have an affliction affecting the peripheral nervous system, you have a neuromuscular disease. According to the neurology website for the University of Pittsburgh, "patients with...

Potassium is a mineral that you will find in a number of different foods. It helps your muscles work properly and helps you keep a regular heartbeat. The kidneys regulate the level of potassium in...

A food sensitivity, or intolerance, is an exaggerated physiologic response to a substance contained in certain foods you eat. Many times the culprit substance is a glycoprotein, but you could also...

Certain diseases such as Crohn's, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and other digestive disorders require a specialized dietary approach to properly treat, necessitating the avoidance of certain...

Fructose and sucrose are carbohydrates in the form of simple sugars. They occur naturally in foods, and both can also be processed for use in commercially prepared food items. Sucrose is a...

Digestive disorders require a tailored nutritional approach to increase the quality of life of sufferers. For a number of diseases such as IBS and Crohn's, removing dairy from the diet while...

A low-phosphorus diet is most often recommended when your kidneys---the organs responsible for regulating phosphorus levels in the blood---are not functioning properly. If your doctor detects high...

A nutritious food is simply one that provides nourishment. But the key to understanding nutritious snack foods is knowing what constitutes "healthy" from each food group.

Colon cleansing helps rid the body of wastes and toxins. Toxins can build up in the system and manifest themselves in a variety of diseases such as cancer and toxicity of the nervous system. Diet...

According to the medical website Medline Plus, candidiasis, commonly known as a yeast infection, is a condition characterized by an overgrowth of yeast within the body. While this condition is...

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in this country. In order to avoid the serious health implications that accompany obesity, children need to be educated about proper food choices. One of...

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, "alcoholism is one of the major causes of nutritional deficiency in the U.S." Alcoholism is a direct threat to healthy eating. When mixed...

America's obesity problem is obvious. With approximately 34 percent of the population considered obese, there is little doubt that it's time to fight obesity in America. (See Reference 1.) Finding...

Estimating the number of calories in your meal is pretty simple when you have access to the nutritional facts for each ingredient. Simply determine how many servings, based on the food's listed...

Knowing what foods to avoid for high cholesterol can help dramatically lower your blood cholesterol levels and improve your overall health. In general, avoiding foods high in saturated fat and...

Regardless of whether you are following a low sodium, low potassium diet for personal reasons or under your physician's orders, understand that these two diet types are not incompatible. While...

Learn about natural, whole foods that are nutrient dense and helpful in winning the battle against fibromyalgia. One of the best ways to assess food’s value is to ask whether it has nutrient...

The frequency of allergies in our society has increased over time, and current research suggests that a likely contributing factor to this trend is our decreased exposure to healthy microbes in...

Iron is considered an essential mineral found in every cell in your body. It is needed to make part of blood cells through the production of hemoglobin and myoglobin, which are proteins that carry...

Testosterone is a naturally occurring hormone that the body uses to regulate organ function and repair damaged cells. The body also uses testosterone to build muscle and mass. Many body builders...

Diet and exercise are the two main components in living a healthier lifestyle and achieving fitness and weight-loss goals. When combined and followed accurately, a strict diet and exercise plan...

The term "alkaline" denotes foods and other materials that have a pH of more than 7.0 (i.e., non-acidic). Your pH is based on the internal environment of your body. A person should consume...

The glycemic index (GI) ranks foods in order based on the time it takes for the food to affect blood sugar levels. Typically, people strive to eat low GI foods because of benefits such as lowering...

Lactose is a type of sugar found in milk products. Some people are unable to break down these sugars. These people are diagnosed with lactose intolerance. However, following a lactose-free diet...

It is true that metabolism is the reason people gain weight and have trouble losing it, but it is also true that people have a considerable amount of control over their own metabolism. You can, in...

Gaining weight can be a healthy thing to do if you are underweight or a professional athlete who needs extra weight to properly participate in a sport. Though there are several products on the...

The glycemic index is a scale which ranks carbohydrates on how quickly they are digested (thus determining how much they affect blood sugar levels). The crux of a low glycemic index is eating...

A clear liquid diet is usually prescribed for people undergoing surgery and medical procedures such as a colonoscopy. It is also recommended for individuals with gastrointestinal (GI) problems...

Starch provides a necessary source of energy for our bodies, but very often people consume more than the necessary amount, which then just turns to fat. If you are watching your weight, or...

People with kidney (or renal) disease must follow an extremely strict diet. Simply eating "healthy" is not even an option. The kidneys' job is to filter. When the kidneys fail, there are certain...

Adding sugar to your food may make drinks and meals taste better, but you pay a hefty price. Excessive sugar intake can cause weight gain, and according to ABC News, increase the risk of heart...

Those who advocate a detoxification program say that detox is helpful in removing harmful toxins that build up in the body over time. Detox can be done by most people who are healthy and ready to...

According to information from Choices' Nutritional Consultants, a low-sodium diet can be prescribed for any number of medical conditions, including diabetes, hypertension or renal disease. A...

Restaurant menus often have warnings about the safety of certain foods. People can be confused about this and wonder if they should order these items. Some foods are required to have warnings but...

Potassium is a key element in the human body, one that is essential for basic cellular function and maintaining water balance. When potassium levels get low, you can experience everything from...

Soft food diets are prescribed to patients recovering from surgery or who have diseases or disorders of the upper digestive system. While some foods, such as mashed potatoes, are obvious soft food...

You'll learn how to shop locally and seasonally, thus minimizing your carbon footprint AND supporting the economics of your own community.

Proper medical care and lifestyle modifications, including dietary changes and a regular exercise program, can ensure that cataracts do not lead to vision loss or blindness.

Potassium is an essential nutrient found in many foods, and is required to maintain heart and muscle function, fluid balance and proper tissue regulation and neural transmissions. But too much of...

Everyone is trying to reduce the amount of fat they consume. Eating soy is one way to achieve this, whether it is soy meat products or soy milk. There are benefits of eating soy, but some wonder...

Yeast-like microorganisms called Candida naturally thrive in the intestines, mouth and other parts of the human body. However, when an imbalance of bacteria takes place, out-of-control yeast can...

The human body is comprised of about 70 percent water, according to Trans4mind.com. In this vast amount of fluids, there is a level of acidity. The pH, or potential of Hydrogen, is the measure of...