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.

Two women laughing on sofa

Does Soda Make You Tired?

A can of soda may be your preferred pick-me-up during the afternoon at the office, but the truth is it's probably not doing you any favors. While a jolt of sugar and caffeine might give you a temporary boost, the effects will soon wear off, leaving you feeling more sluggish than before.

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Belly of beautiful young female sportsman

24-Hour Non-Bloat Diet

Eating too many salty, gas-inducing foods can leave you feeling bloated like a balloon. The good news is that you can beat the bloat by following a non-bloat diet for 24 hours after overdoing it. Drink plenty of water to flush out your system, and focus on foods that help decrease fluid retention and intestinal gas.

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Freshly Picked Lemons

Is Lemon a Natural Diuretic?

Bloating and water retention can add pounds to your frame and make you feel uncomfortable. Diuretic foods may help your body naturally release some of the water it's holding onto to reduce your symptoms. Although lemon is a great way to liven up a glass of water, there's no evidence that it acts as a diuretic.

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scoop of hemp protein powder

How to Gain Weight With Protein Shakes

Naturally skinny people are the envy of many who battle a widening waistline; however, if you struggle to achieve your goal of increased weight or muscle mass, you know that it's nothing to envy. If you're following an intense weightlifting program to build muscle, you'll need to supplement it with a high-calorie diet.

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Three fresh ripe organic pears in a wooden bowl

Why Do You Need Cellulose in Your Diet?

Bite into a juicy apple or a sweet pear and part of what you're eating is cellulose, a component of plant foods that is indigestible by the human body. It might not seem intuitive that something your body can't digest can benefit your health, but it can.

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honey jar on wooden table

Honey and Acid Reflux

You put honey in hot tea to soothe a scratchy throat, so it might seem to be a good food to soothe acid reflux, or heartburn. Many home remedy peddlers maintain that honey helps heal the esophagus and lessen heartburn symptoms. But there's no scientific evidence to support that honey works in this way.

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sweet honey in glass jars with flowers

Clover Honey Benefits

Clover honey's golden hue and mild flavor make it widely appealing and useful as a sweetener for everything from your morning coffee to a fruit and vegetable smoothie. Honey has long been celebrated for its medicinal effects, including its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.

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Woman Drinking Water

How to Drink 3 Liters of Water a Day for Weight Loss

Water can be a powerful ally in your battle against the bulge. Not only does water help fill you up so you eat less, but thirst is often mistaken for hunger. Keeping yourself well-hydrated may prevent the snack attacks that lead to diet derailment.

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Wooden squeezer and lime on table

Acid Found in Lemons & Limes

If you've ever cut yourself and then accidentally exposed the wound to lemon or lime juice, you know how acidic these fruits are. In fact, of all citrus fruits, lemons and limes have the highest citric acid content -- about 1.4 grams per ounce, or about 8 percent of their dry weight.

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Whole Roasted Chicken

List of the Top 10 Foods With the Highest Protein Content

The amount of protein you need each day depends on your gender and your activity level. Although basic dietary guidelines recommend 46 grams each day for women and 56 grams each day for men, if you're active you may need more than that. According to sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, active adults need 0.4 to 0.

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Ripe pears on table

Low-Sugar Fruits & Vegetables

Including more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet is an easy way to improve your health. The naturally occurring sugar in fruits and vegetables is buffered by the important vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber that benefit your health.

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sweet healthy honey

Benefits of Honey for Gaining Weight

When you're trying to pack on the pounds, the trick is to eat high-calorie, nutrient-dense foods. Adding about 500 calories to your regular diet each day can help you put on about 1 pound a week. Combine that with strength-training exercise to make sure you're putting on weight in the form of muscle, not fat.

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Detail of fruit

Vitamins for Energy & Weight Loss

There's no magic weight-loss pill, but getting enough vitamins from a healthy diet may make it easier for you to maintain a healthy body weight.

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whole and crushed flax seeds

How to Eat Ground Flaxseed

With its high fiber and omega-3 fatty acid contents, ground flaxseed is a nutritious addition to your diet that can improve your digestive health, lower your cholesterol levels and reduce your risk for heart disease.

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Freshly Washed Kale

Foods to Make Your Body Alkaline

A blood pH level that's too acidic can throw the entire body out of whack, potentially leading to muscle loss, chronic back pain, bone loss, high blood pressure and stroke, according to a review published in Journal of Environmental and Public Health in October 2011.

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Sliced loaf of bread isolated on white

List of Refined Carbs

For good health, it's best to avoid refined carbs as much as possible. Carbs that have been refined digest very quickly, which can lead to surges in your blood sugar level. You may find that after a blood sugar surge, your energy drops.

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Pumpkin seeds

Can Pumpkin Seeds Help You Lose Weight?

Roasting pumpkin seeds is a Halloween tradition in many American households, but you're doing yourself a disservice if you only eat these seeds once a year. Rich in essential fatty acids and the amino acid tryptophan, pumpkin seeds pack a powerful nutritional punch.

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