With a rich green hue and delicate aromatic flavor, fresh basil adds instant interest to a range of healthful recipes. It's also virtually calorie-free -- a quarter-cup serving of chopped basil contains just two calories -- and low in sodium.
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Native to China, mulberries have long been used in folk medicine to treat a variety of illnesses, according to an article published by Purdue University's Center for New Crops and Plant Products.
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While dandelions are likely less than welcome on your lawn during the warmer months, they should be more than welcome on your plate. Their leafy greens offer a bitter, peppery flavor that works well raw or cooked.
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Tea is a staple beverage in many Eastern and Western cultures. While "tea" can refer to any leaves, flowers, stems or fruit steeped in water, true tea comes from the tea plant, C. sinensis.
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You might be most familiar with mung bean sprouts as the main ingredient in chop suey, but they also make up staples in Indian, African and South American cuisines. A cup of sprouts contains just 31 calories, which makes them a welcome addition to calorie-controlled and health-conscious diets.
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Pickles -- or pickled cucumbers -- make for a delicious snack or garnish. Made by incubating pickles in a brine solution, pickles can vary in flavor -- from dill pickles to sweet pickles. Pickles contain a number of nutrients your body uses to survive: dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.
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If you've ever met someone who seems to eat whatever she wants without gaining an ounce, while you seem to gain weight just looking at a slice of pizza, you've seen the power of a fast metabolism.
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Limiting the amount of sodium in your diet plays an important role in your health, because high-sodium diets contribute to chronic diseases, including heart disease and stomach cancer.
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While chickpeas are arguably best known for being the star ingredient in hummus, they also offer a lot to promote weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. Chickpeas are packed with protein and fiber -- two nutrients that can help you shed pounds. To prevent diet boredom, think "outside the hummus"
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Brown rice is a diet staple for a reason -- it's healthy, easy to prepare and endlessly versatile in the kitchen. Simply eating brown rice without making other changes to your diet might not help you lose a lot of weight, but it does have some demonstrated weight loss benefits.
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The diet stereotype of noshing on carrot and celery sticks all day is a cliche for a good reason -- carrots are a great diet food. They're naturally low in calories and full of nutrients that can help your weight loss efforts.
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Sodium, or salt, makes up an essential part of your diet. Found in a number of food products, salt can act as a preservative to help extend a food's shelf life, or act as a seasoning and flavor enhancer in dishes.
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Almonds have a well-deserved reputation as a health food -- they're high in beneficial nutrients like magnesium, vitamin E and copper. And while almonds aren't a low-calorie food, they can fit well into a weight loss diet.
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While both black and green teas are made from the same plant, green tea leaves undergo minimal processing, while black tea has gone through an oxidation process, called fermentation.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends making dairy products -- a food group that also includes dairy alternatives, including soy or almond milk -- part of your daily diet. You need three servings daily, and a cup of vanilla soy milk contributes one-third toward your daily intake.
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Many people, especially women, tend to store weight in their lower bodies, which makes the thighs a common "trouble zone." How easily you can lose an inch off your thighs depends on your current fitness level -- if you're currently overweight, you'll be able to lose that inch relatively easily by losing body fat.
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While iceberg lettuce has a bad reputation of being low in nutrients, that's not exactly true -- it's just lower in nutrients than some other types of lettuce. Iceberg lettuce serves as a good source of some essential nutrients, and at just 20 calories per serving, it fits into a calorie-conscious diet.
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Get rid of loose stomach fat by creating a calorie deficit, toning up your midsection with exercise, and eating minimally processed foods. Losing belly fat is crucial for overall health, as it can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Snacks make up an important part of a balanced diet -- they help increase your nutrient intake, give you energy throughout the day and might prevent you from overeating at meals -- provided they're healthy snacks.
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A number of proteins and genes affect the thickness of your blood to help maintain your health. Too-fast or too-slow blood coagulation can prove harmful, causing abnormal blood clot formation or abnormal bleeding, respectively.
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