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.
Kale is a dark, leafy green vegetable packed with nutrients. Cooking kale does not harm these essential vitamins. In fact, if you have a low-thyroid function, cooking kale will deactivate a goitrogenic compound that can impact your thyroid.
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Refined sugar can be made from sugarcane or sugar beets -- nutritionally they are identical -- but the refining process is different. Added sugars, whether from cane or beets, should be limited in your diet.
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Salt is 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride -- both table and sea salt have the same chemical makeup. In the 1920s, the U.S. started adding iodine to table salt in response to a large segment of the population becoming iodine-deficient.
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A thyroidectomy could be a partial or total removal of your thyroid gland. Your thyroid is part of your endocrine system and regulates metabolism. After having your thyroid removed, you will need to take replacement thyroid hormones to boost your metabolism and keep other systems functioning.
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If you suffer from infrequent bowel movements that are difficult to pass, your diet may be to blame. Constipation can be caused by dehydration or a diet too low in fiber. A lack of physical activity, illness and certain medications can also cause constipation.
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Pork skins, also known as pork rinds, are a crunchy fried snack food. Pork skins are made by chopping, cooking and smoking pieces of pork skin, before deep-frying the pieces in 400-degree-Fahrenheit lard. The frying process causes the skins to puff-up, giving pork rinds their unique, airy and crunchy texture.
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Practicing portion control can help you learn to be satisfied eating less food, which can help you both physically and financially.
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Synthroid is a brand name for levothyroxine -- a thyroid replacement hormone prescribed by your doctor for low thyroid function. Hypothyroidism can slow your metabolism, leading to weight gain, and affect body temperature, making you more sensitive to cold.
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Your thyroid produces hormones that control the rate your body uses energy -- known as your metabolism. If you have an underactive thyroid gland, called hypothyroidism, your doctor may prescribe a synthetic thyroid hormone replacement medication called levothyroxine.
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Most likely, your headache isn't caused by a withdrawal from carbohydrates, but rather a withdrawal from a specific type of carbohydrate -- sugar. When you eat a high-sugar diet, your body quickly becomes adjusted to a ready supply of glucose, your body's preferred source of energy.
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Although it's often best to get your essential nutrients from eating whole foods, protein shakes can offer a quick, low-calorie option, which is better than skipping a meal. Although most protein shakes contain between 200 and 400 calories, they aren't a magic bullet for weight loss.
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Every cell in your body contains protein -- your muscles, skin, organs and glands, even most of your body fluids. Proteins are made of amino acids, often referred to as "building blocks" because your body uses them to repair cells, make new cells and for growth and development.
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Simply put, calories are energy. Consume more energy than your body needs and excess calories are stored as fat. Fat storage was an important part of human survival--allowing people to survive when food was scarce.
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Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which may help lower cholesterol and triglycerides as well as reduce your risk of heart disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, fish oil may also help with "
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Sodium bicarbonate has many uses. Medicinally, it reduces stomach acid and can be taken after meals as an antacid to prevent heartburn and indigestion. It's a fizzy tablet dissolved in water, commonly known as Alka Seltzer.
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Probiotics are "good" bacteria that live in your gut and aid in digestion. The World Health Organization says probiotics are "live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host."
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Limiting sugar and other simple carbohydrates can force your body to use stored fat instead of glucose for energy. When your body has to use stored fat for fuel, you lose weight.
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A coronary calcium scan, also known as a heart scan, measures the amount of calcium deposited in the arteries of your heart. The more coronary calcium you have, the higher your levels of plaque, which may lead to atherosclerosis, or the hardening and narrowing of your arteries.
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Coconuts may be classified as a nut, seed and a fruit -- but don't confuse coconut water with coconut milk. Coconut water is the thin liquid in the center of a young green coconut; coconut milk is made by mashing the meat of the coconut with water to make a thick pulp, which is then cooked.
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Bragg's Raw Apple Cider Vinegar is an unpasteurized organic apple cider that contains protein enzymes, which give the vinegar a cloudy appearance. These live cultures help alkalize the body, and like probiotics, replenish beneficial bacteria that crowd out yeast.
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