Food & Nutrition: Culinary Techniques, Diets & Metabolic Health

Nutritional health is achieved through the therapeutic use of whole foods, safe culinary preparation, and understanding the metabolic impacts of specific dietary frameworks and ingredients.

What Is a Substitute for Lecithin?

Lecithin is a food additive that acts as an emulsifier and maintains food moisture. An emulsifier acts to keep ingredients together that would separate if left alone, such as oil and water. While previously made from egg yolk, lecithin is now usually made from soybeans.

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wheatgrass juice

Side Effects of Juicing Green Vegetables

Green juice drinks are all the rage because of their perceived health benefits. They can be an easy way to boost your vegetable intake and provide a good dose of nutritious vitamins and antioxidants, but there may also be potential side effects associated with too much green juicing.

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Dried linseed with macerated oil

The Dangers of High Lignan Flax Oil

Flax oil, or flaxseed oil, comes from flaxseed, which is the seed of the plant called Linum usitatissum. Manufacturers may add lignans to flax oil dietary supplements for more possible health benefits; the University of Maryland Medical Center notes that lignans may play a role in the prevention of cancer.

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Omega 3

Problems With Enteric Coated Fish Oil

Many people take fish oil capsules on their own or under doctor’s orders because of research indicating the supplement can help promote a healthy heart. Unfortunately, fish oil capsules can leave behind a fishy aftertaste in some people, and others are bothered by fishy-tasting burps.

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Difference Between Omega 3 & Algae Source

The primary omega-3 fatty acids essential to your good health are DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, and EPA, or eicosapentaenoic acid. Both are well studied by the scientific community for health benefits ranging from strong hearts to mental well-being.

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brown pills on white background

Vitamin B for a Burning Mouth

The B complex vitamins include eight water-soluble nutrients that support your body systems. A deficiency of one or more of the B vitamins can cause numerous, diverse symptoms, including a burning mouth. Lack of B vitamins in your diet or abnormal absorption from your intestines can lead to a deficiency.

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Why Do I Crave Salt Before My Period?

Salt cravings before a period is a symptom of premenstrual syndrome. Just prior to menstruation, women tend to experience a wide range of physical, emotional and behavioral changes, especially in their 20s and 30s. In fact, roughly three out of four women experience some level of PMS with regularity.

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spoon of spirulina algae powder

The Harmful Effects of Chlorella & Spirulina

Chlorella and spirulina are different species of algae that you can find in a number of dietary supplements. In Japan, chlorella, a single-celled phytoplankton, is also used as a food source.

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Closeup of seaweed forming a pattern

Side Effects of Fucoidan

Fucoidan -- an extract from brown seaweed -- is currently available in supplemental tablets. It causes few side effects, but it can interact with anticoagulant medications. If you take this type of prescription medication to prevent blood clots, don't take fucoidan unless it's under the supervision of your doctor.

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Young woman taking a pill

Vitamin B12 & Leukemia

Your body requires a wide variety of vitamins and minerals every day. Among these is vitamin B12, an essential B-vitamin that you obtain mostly from the food you eat.

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sphygmomanometer

Can You Take Potassium With Amlodipine Besylate?

Amlodipine besylate is a long-acting calcium channel blocker prescribed for lowering blood pressure and for preventing occurrences of certain types of angina. Some types of blood pressure medication can cause potassium levels to become too high, but amlodipine is not one of them.

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Vegetable

Is Bitter Melon Poisonous?

Bitter melon is a tropical fruit that goes by several names, including bitter gourd, bitter cucumber and wild cucumber. According to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, clinical studies on the plant suggest that it may be effective as a diabetes and cancer treatment.

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Girl with glass of coffee

Does Coffee Raise Estrogen Levels?

Coffee contains numerous phytoestrogens, which are chemicals found in plants that sometimes act like the hormone estrogen in your body. The role that phytoestrogens play in your body varies, however, with some mimicking estrogen and having the same effects as this hormone and others blocking estrogen’s effects.

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Raw oysters with ice

Low Vitamin D & TSH Levels

TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone, is produced by the pituitary gland. Its main function is to regulate the production of thyroid hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine by the thyroid gland.

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scientist in research lab

High Transferrin Levels and Iron Deficiency

Transferrin is the main protein in the blood that carries iron throughout the body. Iron is an element important to many of the body functions, but its main role is as the building block for hemoglobin, the protein that helps red blood cells bind oxygen for delivery to the tissues.

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apple cider vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar as a Kidney Infection Cure

For hundreds of years, apple cider vinegar has found its way into a variety of home remedies and cures for everything from skin conditions to stomach problems. It is also cited a potential kidney infection cure. Unfortunately, drinking apple cider vinegar while you have a kidney infection could worsen your condition.

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Cappuccino cup on a gray background

Are Coffee & Soy Milk Together Bad for People?

Many people kick their morning off with a hot cup of coffee, and some may add flavorings, including soy milk. Drinking coffee and soy milk together may be bad for some people, although it provides nutritional benefits as well.

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Ginkgo Biloba for Dizziness

Dizziness -- a feeling that you or your surroundings are spinning -- can be an alarming sensation, but rarely signals a life-threatening condition. Nonetheless, unexplained dizziness calls for a doctor visit. MayoClinic.

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