Gout is a painful form of arthritis caused by excess uric acid. As the uric acid builds up in your body, crystals form in your joints, causing pain and inflammation. Heredity, diet and other factors can lead to gout.

Coconut oil and fish oil have little in common, except that they are both healthy sources of dietary fat. They are quite different in their properties and in the way that they are incorporated into the diet. Now that the low fat craze is ending, these oils are becoming popular additions to a healthful diet.

The amount of beef Americans have eaten since the cattle industry began its mass production in 1870 steadily increased until the 1970s, when the average consumption was 85 pounds each year. It began to decline because scientists made the connection between cholesterol and saturated fat in beef and heart disease.

A smooth, creamy hazelnut and chocolate spread, Nutella is like peanut butter but sweeter. Because it contains hazelnuts, Nutella could provide support for your heart and some nutrients for your diet. However, because of its high fat and sugar content, eat it only on occasion.

Just because your food is full of vitamins and minerals doesn't necessarily mean you're getting the nutrition you need. Some nutrients have poor bioavailability, meaning they can be hard for your body to absorb.

A meat’s sell-by date doesn't really tell you whether the meat is safe to eat. While you should never purchase meat after its sell-by date, meat safety after purchase has more to do with how you store it after bringing it home from the market.

Traditional to Asian cuisines, shiitake mushrooms are beloved by omnivores and vegetarians alike. Their dense, meaty texture makes them a good substitute for meat in some dishes, and their distinctive taste lends depth to simple dishes, such as grilled steak.

It's actually relatively common for people to confuse thirst for hunger. If you're trying to lose weight, it's important to know the difference between how it feels to be hungry and how it feels to be thirsty.

No longer just for the birds, seeds are quickly becoming an absolute must when it comes to healthy eating. Chia, flax and sesame seeds are touted as nutritional powerhouses, necessary for overall health and wellness, and a quick look at the benefits of sesame seeds makes it easy to see why.

Unfortunately, the top sources of calories in a teen's diet include some unhealthy choices: sweets, such as cake and cookies, pizza and soda. A healthier eating plan for a 15-year-old girl needs to include more whole, natural foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and low-fat dairy products.

Kiwi fruit is a great source of vitamins, but the skin is loaded with even more fiber and vitamins than the flesh.

Whether tortilla chips fall into the healthy category depends on a few factors. The amount you eat matters because the calories only fit in your daily diet if you limit the portion. To keep your snack low in sodium, you’ll need to avoid the flavored-varieties.