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.
The most important tip to remember about shopping for ice cream is this: Read the nutrition facts panel. Don’t rely on the front label unless it states the exact number of calories. Some brands of ice cream may have less fat but more sugar, which means calories lost from fat are replaced with sugar.
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Virtually all types of juice -- from classic apple, orange and grape to juices made from peaches or vegetables -- contain natural organic acids. Each fruit and vegetable has a slightly different combination of acids, and each acid is associated with a different degree of tartness.
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Soba noodles look like whole-wheat spaghetti, but they possess a nutty flavor thanks to their defining ingredient -- buckwheat flour.
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Sugar may seem like a straight-forward topic requiring little explanation, yet all sugars are not quite the same. Dextrose and sucrose do share a lot in common, including their ability to give you a quick shot of energy, but they’re also different in some important ways.
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Over age 50, natural changes in the digestive tract make it difficult to absorb a sufficient quantity of some nutrients, such as vitamin B-12, even if you get plenty through your diet. Additionally, the recommended intake for calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B-6 increases for women at age 51.
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Casein and whey are two types of protein naturally found in milk. Both proteins are extracted and used in large quantities to make protein powders and supplements. Sodium caseinate also contains extracted casein protein, but it’s used as a food additive.
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The amount of guar gum added to foods is considered safe, but over-the-counter supplements can cause side effects, from temporary gut problems to the more serious risk of blocking the throat or intestine. Talk to your doctor before taking guar gum if you’re diabetic or use prescription medications.
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Pectin’s ability to thicken jams and jellies represents the same quality responsible for its health benefits. After it enters your stomach, it forms a gelatinous mass that may support weight loss by creating a feeling of fullness.
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Your digestive tract begins in your mouth and runs all the way through your body as one continuous system.
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Protein powders and amino acid supplements deliver different results. Protein powders boost your total protein and contribute calories, so they support muscle building and can fill in gaps in your diet. Amino acids target very specific and diverse areas of your metabolism.
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A tuna sandwich makes a nutrient-rich lunch or dinner. Tuna contributes protein, vitamin B-12 and healthy omega-3 fatty acids. It fulfills one of the two servings of fish per week recommended by the American Heart Association to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Eating dried fruit is associated with lower body weight and consuming a more nutritious diet, according to a study in the June 2011 issue of “Nutrition Research.” Dried fruit is recommended as one healthy choice for filling your daily fruit requirement.
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Your body produces diindolylmethane, or DIM, from substances naturally found in cruciferous vegetables. But this does not mean that DIM is always safe in supplemental form. Although it’s not associated with serious side effects, it interacts with hormones and affects genes involved in cancer.
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N-acetylcysteine -- a form of the amino acid cysteine -- has powerful health benefits. It may even support weight loss. But since studies so far have only used lab rats, more research is needed to prove it can help people drop pounds.
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Roti is the Hindi word for flatbread and bajra refers to millet; bajra roti is a tortillalike flatbread made using millet flour. Millet is a gluten-free grain, so bajra roti offers an alternative to try if you’re eliminating gluten from your diet.
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Barley water is made by simmering barley and saving the cooking water. It may help you lose a few extra pounds, if you drink it right before each meal while following a calorie-restricted diet.
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Limiting your consumption of high- and moderate-oxalate foods may lower your risk of developing kidney stones. Most people with kidney stones can safely consume low-oxalate foods, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
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Don’t stop eating fish entirely during pregnancy due to concerns over contamination. The omega-3 fatty acids you’ll get from the fish in your diet are vital for the normal development of your baby’s eyes and nervous system.
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The lining that covers the inside of your stomach contains cells that secrete acid and digestive enzymes. It also protects the stomach wall from the acidic environment. When the lining becomes inflamed, you have gastritis.
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Lecithin supplements are safe for most people, but they can cause side effects, and pregnant women shouldn’t take them unless their doctor gives the go-ahead. Lecithin alone shouldn't cause allergic reactions, but supplements contain lecithin extracted from allergy-causing foods.
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