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.

Why Is Your Urine Clear When You Drink Alcohol?

Alcohol itself does not directly affect the color of your urine. The color, whether it’s dark or clear, depends on how hydrated or dehydrated your body is. Drinking alcohol may cause you to urinate more frequently, especially if you’ve consumed a large amount, since it is a diuretic, according to Mayo Clinic.

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High angle view of various types of sushi rolls

Natural Sources of Methionine

Methionine is an essential amino acid, which means that your body must have it to function normally but cannot synthesize it on its own. Methionine is a sulfur-containing amino acid, closely related to cysteine, and both are building blocks of protein, as are most amino acids.

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Closeup of preparing a healthy spring salad

A No Sugar, No Meat, No Dairy and No Bread Diet

A diet without meat, sugar, dairy or bread is simple to follow, and does not require you to count calories, carbohydrates or fat, but remember that portion size is important in any diet for weight control.

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Milk

Do Low Vitamin D Levels Indicate Cancer?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin used by the body to regulate calcium levels and blood pressure, and it plays a role in immune system function. It also helps prevent uncontrolled cell division, which could lead to diseases like cancer.

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Sesame seeds

Sesame Seeds and Omega-3

The tiny brown, black or white seeds of the sesame plant add crunch and flavor to crackers, breads, cereals and even candy. But sesame seeds don't just taste good; they're good for you.. Toasting sesame seeds enhances their flavor. Grinding the seeds helps your body absorb more of their nutrients.

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Coenzyme Q10 & Male Infertility

If you're a man who is focused on fathering a baby, take steps that will not only improve your overall health but optimize your fertility as well. Making your daily diet as nutritious as possible is the first step.

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Close up of broccoli plant, Hyogo Prefecture, Honshu, Japan

How to Cook Fresh Broccoli in a Slow Cooker

Kids may not like broccoli, but its lush green florets are extremely beneficial to anyone’s diet as a source of vitamins C and A, potassium, fiber, calcium, folate, phosphorus and iron. It’s also a versatile vegetable that can be steamed, sautéed, stir-fried or eaten raw.

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roast beef with yorkshire pudding

How to Cook a Rolled Beef Chuck Roast in the Oven

Beef chuck roasts are often irregular in size and shape, which leads to uneven cooking and an unattractive serving display. Chuck roasts are commonly rolled and tied in a uniform round shape to ensure even cooking.

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Girl (8-10) holding hotdog, sauce around mouth, smiling, portrait

What Are the Dangers of Eating Hot Dogs?

Hotdogs as we typically know them are a carryover from the German "frankfurters," or pork sausages served in a bun. Hotdogs are now available in beef, beef and pork mixtures and even turkey or chicken. The classic pork hotdog is a blend of pork, fat and grain-based fillers.

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Burger

Does Eating Fast Food Make You Fat or Obese?

Does fast food cause weight gain and obesity? It all depends on how you order and eat it. When you're choosing from menus full of fatty foods and oversized portions, it’s easy to order the wrong offerings and consume too many calories. If you're relatively sedentary, you will gain weight.

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Fresh chicken prepared for slow cooker

How to Cook Chicken & Veggies in a Crock-Pot

If you are looking for a convenient and inexpensive meal, a whole chicken and some vegetables can be placed in your Crock-Pot for a nutritious and flavorful main dish. Cooking chicken and vegetables together is a simple way to create a well-balanced and healthy meal that takes very little active preparation time.

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Dried shiitake mushroom in transparent bowl with water

How to Cook Dried Shitake Mushrooms

Dried shiitake mushrooms keep at room temperature indefinitely, making them an attractive year-round alternative to fresh mushrooms. For most preparations, you'll need to rehydrate dried shiitake mushrooms first, then use them in whatever dish you are making.

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How to Make a Grey Goose Martini

While traditional martinis contain gin, vermouth, orange bitters and an olive, vodka has become a favorite substitute and offers a wide variation of flavored martinis. Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda often sipped a Grey Goose Cosmopolitan as they discussed their dates on "Sex and the City."

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Delicious octopus appetizer

Octopus and Omega 3s

A healthy diet may lower your risk for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Consider including shellfish, such as octopus, as part of your heart-healthy diet because of their essential vitamins and minerals, as well as their omega-3 fats.

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file roast on the grill

How to Cook Rib Eye Steaks on the Stove Top

The rib eye is a beefsteak taken from the side area near the ribs. The characteristic marbling in the meat helps to keep it tender when cooking. Rib-eye steaks vary in size, but they are usually about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick.

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Chili

Dosage of Cayenne Pepper Per Day

Cayenne pepper is used as both food and medicine. One of its active components, capsaicin, has potent pain-relieving properties and makes up a major ingredient of many topical pain relief creams. It has also been used in supplement form for a variety of purposes, including digestive health.

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Cornish Game Hens with Cranberry Sauce

How to Defrost a Cornish Hen in the Microwave

A Cornish hen is a small fryer that weighs 1 to 2 lbs. Like all forms of chicken, Cornish hens need to be properly handled to avoid food-borne illness. Part of this process is the defrosting of a frozen bird. The microwave allows you to thaw your hen immediately before cooking it.

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Popcorn

How to Cook Popcorn Without Oil

Whether you are curling up in front of the television to watch your favorite show or gearing up for a movie night, popcorn may be your go-to snack. Microwave popcorn options are convenient but controversial due to the amount of fat they contain. Yet, an ounce of plain, unpopped popcorn kernels only contains 1 g of fat.

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fried shrimps

How to Heat Cooked Shrimp

Cold cooked shrimp are tasty when served with cocktail sauce or added to salads. You can also heat cooked shrimp in just a few minutes. Heat cooked shrimp carefully to preserve their taste and texture, writes Fred Thompson in "The Big Book of Fish and Shellfish."

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Jack cut in half.

How to Cook Jackfruit

Jackfruit is a fruit that grows up to 100 pounds on large trees in Malaysia, Thailand and other Pacific Rim countries. The fruit rind discourages predators with its prickly cones, probably one of the reasons along with its foul, ripened smell that the jackfruit is overlooked by some as a viable fruit to consume.

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