Many foods and dishes that start with an x, for example Xocolatl and Xavier Soup, originate from countries outside of the United States.

Freshly made juices let you drink in the many health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Raw beets and apples are two of the more popular fresh juices. Because of their sweet taste and rich flavor, they're tasty as well as nutritious.

Fast food may seem like a convenient, inexpensive meal option, but it often contains excess calories, fat, salt, refined carbohydrates and cholesterol. Interest has grown in determining the health implications of fast-food consumption.

Beta Glucan is a type of soluble fiber that is believed to play a role in lowering cholesterol. According to an article in the July 2012 "Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety," this fiber has a mechanism of attaching itself to bile acids, and excreting these acids from the body as feces.

Mastic is a sticky substance derived from the Pistacia lentiscus tree, also called Chios mastic. This tree grows naturally in North Africa and countries on the eastern side of the Mediterranean sea. As a supplement, mastic is available in capsules or can be chewed as a gum.

Your intestines make up most of your digestive tract. Much of your digestion takes place in your small intestine, while your large intestine absorbs water and excretes waste. Inflammation of the intestines is the primary characteristic of inflammatory bowel diseases, or IBDs, which include Crohn's disease and colitis.

Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol is unhealthy cholesterol because high levels of in your blood increase your risk for heart disease.

Soybean protein naturally contains compounds called isoflavones, predominantly genistein and daidzein. These compounds are not estrogens and do not directly add to estrogen levels in the blood. They can, however, affect estrogen metabolism.

If you're reading the ingredient list on the food you eat, you may notice a host of ingredients -- such as sodium nitrate -- that don't sound like something in your kitchen cupboard. This food additive is used to add flavor and color and to prolong the shelf life of food.

Although the composition of all salt types is 60 percent chloride and 40 percent sodium, the overall mineral content of salt can vary. Sea salt contains an abundance of minerals, which are chemical elements required by all living organisms.

Eating a nutrient-poor diet is a lifestyle choice than can have dire health consequences. On the other hand, a balanced diet furnishes your body with a variety of foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, lean meat, poultry, nuts, legumes and unsaturated fats.

After gallbladder surgery, or cholecystectomy, your body needs time to heal. Upon discharge from the hospital, your doctor may recommend following a low-fat diet for the first month to help reduce indigestion and digestive discomfort. After that, you typically can resume normal eating without any restrictions.