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.

Bitter melon

Bitter Melon Disadvantages

Bitter melon may help diabetics lower their blood sugar levels, and proponents claim it may help with other conditions as well, including cancer and psoriasis.

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Black coffee with sweetener tablets

Possible Side Effects of Maltodextrin and Sucralose

Sucralose and maltodextrin are two of the main ingredients in the artificial sweetener Splenda. Sucralose was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use as a sweetener in 1998 and is considered safe.

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Hemp Seeds

Do Hemp Seeds Contain Healthy Omega-3 Fatty Acids?

Hemp comes from the same family of plants as marijuana, however, the type of hemp that is used for industrial purposes and human consumption has been bred to contain very low levels of the active ingredient in marijuana and higher levels of fiber, oil or seed.

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Businessman with stomach pain sitting on bed

Erythritol Toxicity

Some foods, including grapes, watermelon, pears, fermented products and mushrooms, contain erythritol naturally. Manufacturers also use erythritol as an artificial sweetener; it's sold under the brand name Truvia. Although erythritol can act as an insecticide, according to a study published in "PLOS One"

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flax seeds isolated on white

What Are the Benefits of Soaking Ground Flaxseeds?

Flaxseeds can be a nutritious addition to your diet, providing significant amounts of fiber, thiamine, magnesium, manganese and omega-3 fats. Proponents of a raw food diet recommend soaking grains, nuts and seeds before use to improve their digestion.

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cabbages

Can You Eat Cabbage When You're Pregnant?

During pregnancy, you need to avoid certain foods and eat more of other types of foods to ensure both you and the baby get the nutrients you need. Vegetables are generally one of the foods that you should eat plenty of when you are pregnant, and cabbage is no exception.

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shells die on beach

Sickness Caused by Blue Green Algae

Blue-green algae can be either toxin producing or non-toxin producing, depending on the type of blue-green algae. However, you can't tell whether blue-green algae is toxin producing just by looking at it.

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Flax seed (linseed)

Foods That Affect Tourette's Syndrome

People suffering from Tourette's syndrome experience uncontrollable tics, such as repeating a word, a sound or an action over and over. While there isn't a cure for this condition, some treatments are available to help minimize these involuntary tics.

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fresh ripe grapefruit

Should Grapefruit Be Eaten Before or After a Meal?

Grapefruit is low in calories, with just 41 calories per half, and high in vitamin C, with 73 percent of the daily value per half. There is some preliminary evidence that grapefruit may help with weight loss in different ways, depending on when you eat it.

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Sesame seeds

Can Sesame Seeds Help You Lose Weight?

Adding a few sesame seeds to your food isn't going to cause any extra pounds you are carrying to disappear. Sesame seeds do contain a number of substances that may make it easier for you to stick to your daily calorie allotment and lose weight, however, including protein and lignans.

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Round PIE with spinach and fish

Spinach and Calcium Absorption

Spinach provides significant amounts of micronutrients, including manganese, folate and vitamins A, C and K. Regularly eating spinach may even help lower your risk for health conditions such as heart disease, cancer and age-related macular degeneration, according to Drugs.com.

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Tomatoes

Can I Eat Tomatoes on the Candida Diet?

The Candida diet is sometimes followed by people trying to limit their risk for recurring yeast infections and other problems related to an overgrowth of Candida albicans, the organism responsible. There are a number of versions of this diet, but none has been proven effective.

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chocolate milk shake in glass

How to Use Ensure to Lose Weight

Some weight-loss diets focus on replacing one or two meals a day with specially formulated beverages. While it may be tempting to use Ensure in this manner, doing so probably won't result in lasting weight loss, and may even lead to weight gain.

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Small jars with homemade fruit yogurt

How to Lose Belly Fat With Yogurt

Replacing less-healthy foods with nonfat, plain yogurt may improve your weight-loss results. Although some research points toward weight loss when consuming nonfat yogurt -- including belly fat loss -- not all studies have found weight-loss benefits from eating yogurt.

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Carrot vichy

Raw Vegetables Vs. Cooked Vegetables

Vegetables provide significant amounts of fiber, vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant chemicals without containing a lot of calories, making them a good way to meet your nutrient needs.

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Dried fruit on market stall

High-Calorie Fruits & Vegetables

While fruits and vegetables generally tend to be among the lower-calorie foods, some are surprisingly high in calories. Eating these foods can be a good thing if you are looking for a healthy way to gain weight.

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Apple cider vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar Detox Diet

People sometimes drink apple cider vinegar mixed with water in an attempt to lose weight, cleanse their bodies of toxins, lower their blood sugar levels or treat infections. Research results aren't conclusive enough to support these uses, and there are potential adverse effects from drinking apple cider vinegar.

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Pizza with ham, mushrooms and cheese

Caloric Value of a Slice of Pizza

While a single slice of pizza won't necessarily cause you to go over your daily calorie allotment, multiple slices might, especially if you choose a pizza with a thick crust and lots of meat and cheese. The healthiest option is a thin-crust vegetable pizza with only half the cheese of a regular pizza.

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Brötchen und Margarine

Butter Substitutes to Improve Cholesterol

Margarine may help lower your cholesterol levels compared to butter. Some types of margarine now tout their plant sterol or plant stanol content and mention the potential cholesterol-lowering benefits of these ingredients. These types of margarine may also be "light"

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