Adding flaxseeds to your diet boosts your intake of fiber, protein and omega-3 fatty acids. You can put raw, ground seeds in smoothies or sprinkle over cereal. You can also benefit from consuming baked goods containing flaxseeds. Heating flaxseeds does not measurably change the nutritional content.

It's frustrating to run out of a vital ingredient in the middle of cooking, so keeping a list of easy substitutes for common ingredients is a good idea. If you prepare Asian food, chances are you often use soy sauce.

Swiss chard, bok choy and spinach are all green leafy vegetables that have a similar appearance and call for similar preparation methods. Of these, Swiss chard is the only one that is a root vegetable. It is a beet, but gardeners cultivate it for the leaves rather than the roots.

Diagnosing night sweats is challenging and best left to your primary care provider. Night sweats have a variety of causes, some potentially related to nutritional deficiencies and others that are not.

The distended, tight belly; the uncomfortable tension across the stomach – these are very recognizable symptoms that your belly is too full. Bloating can cause you to feel full and your belly to swell because of too much gas in the digestive tract.

Gelatin is not one of the more common American food allergies, but neither is it especially rare. Any food containing proteins can be an allergy trigger, or allergen, and gelatin is very high in protein. You might think gelatin would be an easy food to avoid, but that's not necessarily the case.

While both milk and half-and-half are good sources of protein and calcium, if you're looking for ways to cut calories and fat from your diet, you might want to consider substituting milk for half-and-half in your coffee.

Table salt comes in many varieties, including kosher, sea and regular granulated salts, but all have similar effects on your blood pressure. The sodium element in sodium chloride -- the main ingredient in any table salt -- does not change with different salt-processing methods.

Monosodium glutamate, also called MSG, is the amino acid glutamic acid converted into a sodium salt. It is used as a food additive usually found in processed meats, Chinese cuisine, canned vegetables and soups. MSG enhances the natural flavors of foods.

If you've been to the fish counter of a large supermarket recently, you've probably seen fish you hadn't heard of before, such as Swai. Swai, according to Tightwad Todd of Consumer Reports is similar to catfish.

Black raisins and white raisins, derived from dried purple or white grapes, are top-notch snacks when it comes to nutrition. Not only are raisins healthy, they’re convenient and inexpensive. Just 1/4 cup of these small, wrinkly fruits gives you a daily recommended serving of fruit.

Malanga is a tropical vegetable also known as eddoe. This food is rich in carbohydrates and has an unpleasant taste when raw, so it is always served cooked. Malanga, as with many other vegetables, is not a significant source of fat or protein, but unlike many vegetables, it is rich in calories.