Category: Nutrition

The Importance of Prenatal Vitamins as an Expecting Mother

The Importance of Prenatal Vitamins as an Expecting Mother

Most expecting mothers receive the same commands: rest, drink water, and eat well. While those are valid points, did you know that prenatal vitamins are crucial for the health and well-being of a pregnant woman and her baby? Taking prenatal vitamins ensures an unborn child gets the basic nutrients it needs for healthy development. Why […]

Gluten Sensitivity vs Celiac Disease: Know the Difference

Gluten is a buzzword today. You can’t go to a restaurant or grocery store without seeing a variety of options labeled “gluten-free.” So why is gluten bad for some people? Going on a gluten-free diet has become a trend in American society. There are some people who can benefit from eliminating gluten from their diets. […]

Foods for the Heart

Education is so important when it comes to decreasing the overwhelming statistics when it comes to women and heart disease. In fact, if you were to poll several women and ask where heart disease ranks on a top 5 list of caused deaths in women, only a few would give you the correct, and unfortunate […]

The Best Foods to Eat Before and After Working Out

Nutrition is by far the most important aspect that influences your overall performance during workouts. Deciding what to eat before and after working out will undoubtedly impact your level of performance and the gains of each exercise session. However, the internet is a hub for misinformation and false claims spread by people who solely seek […]

How to Prevent Osteoporosis Before It’s Too Late

Want to know how to prevent osteoporosis? Remember the milk commercials when our favorite stars and athletes would recite “calcium helps prevent osteoporosis” while they smiled through their milk mustache? Those commercials were so prevalent that this fact became ingrained in our minds. And it’s true, calcium does help prevent osteoporosis. But there are many other […]

Have You Taken Your Chocolate Today?

What are the health benefits of dark chocolate?  Ahh, dreams really do come true! Daily chocolate intake is thought to be linked to a reduced risk of diabetes. But before you dive into the bag of bite size peanut butter cups, read on… The Luxembourg Institute of Health recently published a study in the British Journal […]

Unique Challenges for Overweight Women

Both men and women who have body mass index (BMI) that is above the range of normal can experience associated health problems with being overweight or obese. However, women especially can experience some unique challenges and health problems associated with being overweight that can be more troublesome or that are unique just to them, such […]

Anemia: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), anemia affects nearly a quarter of the world’s population; which equates to over 1.6 billion people. Sadly, the demographic group with the highest prevalence is preschool-aged children. It is a condition that is similarly correlated with malnutrition around the world, principally due to the role of iron deficiency […]

Diabetes: Symptoms, Treatment, and Early Diagnosis

In western societies, and in some rapidly industrializing nations such as India, diabetes is one of the most prolific public health problems we face. But what exactly is this disease that is running rampant through the population, and what do you do if you are diagnosed with diabetes? What is Diabetes? Diabetes mellitus, almost universally […]

Does Your Diet Invite High Blood Pressure?

In most cases, women tend to view diets from the wrong perspective. We see them in the negative light because of our own yo-yo dieting habits. Or we see dieting as restrictive. We limit the foods we claim to actually want for the sake of health, weight loss, or a combination of the two. Instead, […]

Knowledge is Power

By the year 2020, you will notice new nutrition labels on packaged foods. The new design will help you make more realistic and informed decisions about the food you consume. The FDA has finalized the new rules for nutrition labels and given major production companies a deadline to alter their labels by 2020. We want […]

Go Ahead, Reach For The Chocolate

Every now and then, you hear on the news about new advancements in health, or you read a study online that gets you really excited. If you’re a chocolate fan, this might be your piece. Recent studies are indicating that in addition to being delicious, chocolate can actually have a positive effect on your brain. […]

Coffee Might Help You With More Than Just Staying Awake And Alert

It’s a pretty common morning routine to wake up and go for the coffee before you’ve even begun your day. If we are all being honest, most of us don’t limit ourselves to just that one cup. Now, there’s good news. The next time you reach for a cup of coffee at home or stop by […]

The Effects of Inflammation

If you think hitting the gym is just about losing weight, it’s time to think again. More and more studies are showing that exercise does a lot more for you than just shrink your waistline. A recent study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports is linking regular exercise to improvement […]

What Is The Downside of Salad?

If you are watching your weight or trying to get more vitamins and nutrients through your diet, salads are probably on your daily menu. But depending on what goes in your bowl, that Big Salad could be the cause of big bloat. A large intake of fiber when you are not used to it can […]

Could Losing Weight Be A Future Treatment For Breast Cancer?

In the future, a part of treatment for breast cancer could be to lose weight. A new study beginning this summer will track 3200 overweight women who have recently been diagnosed with Stage 2 or 3 breast cancer. The goal for the women will be to lose 10 percent of their body weight over 2 […]

Obesity Linked To Another Cancer

The links between cancer and obesity are growing. A recent study found that alcohol, processed meats and obesity all increase the risk of stomach cancer. This brings the number of cancers linked to obesity up to 11. Alice Bender, head of nutrition at the American Institute for Cancer Research says, “This report is a real […]

You Really Are What You Eat

You may have heard that Greek cuisine is good for your heart, but did you know that many asian cuisines use ingredients packed with antioxidants and disease fighting ingredients? When you add them to your diet they become both nutritious and delicious. Vietnamese, Indian, Thai, Greek, and Chinese cooking all contain ingredients that studies have […]

Does Sugar Cause Cancer?

Being diagnosed with cancer is a life changing event. In an instant everything changes. But should your diet? It is commonly circulated in the media that sugar causes cancer or feeds and encourages cancer to grow and metastasis. People are routinely encouraged by friends and family and sometimes even by doctors to completely cut sugar […]

Cranberry Juice For Lowering Heart Disease Risk

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with a death toll of 610,000 people per year. However, new research is showing that those numbers could be lower if people drank more cranberry juice. Cranberries are rich in an antioxidant compound called ‘polyphenols,’ which are shown to improve circulation, kidney function, […]

Three Ways To Tell If Your Heartburn Is Really Something More Serious

It can be hard to distinguish. Everyone experiences heartburn occasionally after a big, spicy or greasy meal, but you should be aware that your heartburn could be telling a different story. GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, occurs when stomach acids and fluids flow back into the esophagus repeatedly. This is a fairly common disorder that […]

Eating Fish And Pregnancy

Because of high levels of mercury in fish, guidelines have been set up to help pregnant women be aware of the risk: Consumming raw fish and seafood is not recommended during pregnancy and should be avoided. Fish with the highest levels of mercury should be avoided completely. These include: Grouper, Marlin, Orange Roughy, Tilefish, Swordfish, […]

The Tale of the Good Fat

When it comes to dietary fats, not all things are created equal. Plant based fats, from sources like nuts and olive oil, can actually help prevent heart disease; as opposed to animal based fats, which have been linked to causing the same. The diet most associated with these good fats is called the Mediterranean diet; […]

An Apple A Day Really Could Keep The Doctor Away!

A new study done by the European Society of Cardiology found a strong connection between eating fruit and reducing the risk of heart disease. The study followed more than 450,000 participants over a 7 year period. The participants were asked to report the frequency with which they consumed fruit; either never, monthly, one to three […]

Portion Guidelines

In addition to balance, portion sizing is the most important part of meal planning. It is easy, but it may take some practice. I recommend spending some time with your measuring cups, your dining dishes, drinking glasses, cereal bowls, and maybe even a food scale. The serving size listed on a package nutrition label is […]

Eat and Exercise to Increase Your Metabolism

When it comes to metabolism (the rate at which we use our food), there are factors that we can control and factors that we cannot control. We cannot control our gender and age, but we can control our eating habits and body composition. Simply eating a light, healthy breakfast will turn your metabolism switch on […]