The Truth About Bread

/
The Truth About Bread

No bread, no problem, right? Does this sound familiar? "I want to lose weight, so I'll stop eating bread." Sounds simple enough, sign me up. Well let's explore this. Many people are under so many misnomers about bread. the low-carb craze is going strong —pasta is overrated and bread is on its way out. But we cannot lump all grains into the same category. The effects on the body are vastly different when cutting say refined grains from your diet compared to whole grains. Here's why. 

Read More

Coconut Vinegar is the New Vinegar

/
Coconut Vinegar is the New Vinegar

We recently touched on the health benefits of coconut oil, which helps from everything to regulating our blood sugar levels to weight loss. The fats from coconut have special fat compounds called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) that have been shown to help the liver burn fat. So, to take the coconut trend even further, enter coconut vinegar. 

Read More

Eat Vitamin C for a Long Life

/
Eat Vitamin C for a Long Life

Vitamin C is arguably the best known vitamin but many people misunderstood its value and the daily amount. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that should be included as part of your daily diet. And luckily, as a water-soluble vitamin, too much won't hurt you. Vitamin C helps modify precursor proteins in order for collagen production. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It is used to make and strengthen skin cartilage, tendons, ligaments, bones and teeth. Vitamin C also acts as one of the main antioxidants in the body. It protects cells from potentially damaging by-products. 

Read More

It's Berry Season: Go Wild Eating Your Favorites

/
It's Berry Season: Go Wild Eating Your Favorites

Berries are extremely high in vitamin C, high in fiber, and low in calories.  Vitamin C is important to helping our body reduce tension and boost the immune system. Fiber helps to regulate our blood sugar levels.  Regulating blood sugar levels is important because drastic changes in our blood sugar can cause us to have mood swings, which may contribute to anxiety.

Read More

Dining Out vs. Fast Food

/
Dining Out vs. Fast Food

About 1/3 of all Americans eat and drink their calories away from home.  Fortunately, slowly but surely many restaurants are beginning to offer healthier, lower calorie menu items, making it easier to eat nutritious while traveling.  Another thing that will help is by the end of 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will require calorie and other nutrition labeling for standard menu items in all restaurant chains with 20 or more locations.  Many of these restaurants have already complied with this ruling.  

Read More

4 Healthy Fats For Losing Weight

/
4 Healthy Fats For Losing Weight

Firstly, let’s briefly touch on the unhealthy dietary fats: saturated fat and trans fat.  These fats are commonly found in animal food sources.  Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad” cholesterol) and can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes.  Trans fats are most often a result of food processing and are often referred to as synthetic or industrial.  Synthetic trans fats can increase LDL and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good” cholesterol), thus increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Read More

Coffee Not Linked to Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

/
Coffee Not Linked to Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

There has been so much about coffee in the news these past few months. A number of significant studies have look at its effects on reducing everything from heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Now a new study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology found that regularly drinking coffee doesn't increase the chance of developing type 2 diabetes and obesity. Here's what you need to know. 

Read More

The good, the bad and everything else you want to know about 6 popular diets

/
The good, the bad and everything else you want to know about 6 popular diets

When we say the word “diet” what exactly do we mean?  Most of us associate the word with “trying to lose weight.”  But the actual definition of the word diet means “the food and beverages a person usually eats and drinks.”  So if we all agree that we eat and drink something every day, then aren’t we all on a “diet?” My point is that all of us are on a diet or a way of eating and it’s best to strive to make your diet meet your own individual nutrient needs keeping you as healthy as possible.

Read More

7 Snacks to Avoid At All Costs

/
7 Snacks to Avoid At All Costs

The truth is what you snack on in between meals goes a long way, especially in keeping your metabolism burning. If you have a regular exercise routine, it can also help continue to tone your muscles throughout the day. But oftentimes, snack time gets mistaken for a time to treat yourself, but that can lead to unwanted weight gain. Here's 7 snacks to avoid at all costs. 

Read More

Here's how important Vitamin B12 is

/
Here's how important Vitamin B12 is

This type of deficiency causes anemia in the body, which means the body doesn't have enough red blood cells. Certain conditions include Crohn's disease, celiac disease, pernicious anemia, alcoholism and make it hard for the body to absorb enough of the vitamin. Lack of this essential vitamin can cause fatigue, and even in some severe cases paralysis and nerve damage.  Treatment with a balanced diet or B12 supplements or shots brings levels back to normal.

Read More

What Really Happens When You're Drunk

/
What Really Happens When You're Drunk

Two out of every three American adults drink alcoholic beverages and nearly 17.6 million of them have alcohol issues or have become alcoholics. Also called ethanol intoxication, acute alcohol intoxication, alcohol poisoning, occurs after one drinks enough alcohol to change your behavior and impair your physical and mental abilities. Symptoms include impaired judgment and coordination, slurred speech, blurred vision, trouble concentrating or other cognitive issues as well as a slower reaction time or drowsiness.

Read More

Best foods for brain health

/
Best foods for brain health

1.    Green leafy vegetables. Green leafy vegetables are rich in folate. Low folate levels have been linked to depression. Good sources of folate include lettuce, spinach, kale, asparagus, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, celery, and cabbage. Other good sources of folate include beets, pinto beans, black beans, navy beans, papaya, strawberries, and bell peppers.

Read More

Can a diet that mimics fasting really be good for us?

/
Can a diet that mimics fasting really be good for us?

According to a study published in Cell Metabolism, a fasting mimicking diet can actually reduce your risk factors for aging, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.  This is not the first study to broach the concept of intermittent fasting and its potential benefits to our health.  We’ve heard that cutting calories could be the secret for healthy weight loss and body detox, but according to the study it isn’t skipping meals that is the answer here.

Read More

5 High-Protein Veggies for Every Meal

/
5 High-Protein Veggies for Every Meal

Today is National Eat Your Vegetable Day. Vegetables should be the cornerstone of every meal you eat. Filling half of your plate with veggies is one of the key ways you can get your daily intake, stay full and keep your weight at bay. But which veggies are a lot fiber which helps keep you fuller longer, curbing your appetite? Let's explore.

Read More

Taming the “Sugar Monster” in all of us

/
Taming the “Sugar Monster” in all of us

There is probably no other food ingredient people feel so passionate about as sugar.  Food manufacturers know this as since the mid-1990’s, over 600 new food products  have been introduced, most of which are candy and sweet snacks.  Even songs have been written about sugar – think of “Brown Sugar” by the Rolling Stones, “Sugar, Sugar” by the Archies or “Sugartime” sung by Johnny Cash, just to name a few.  

Read More

Red Wine and Red Grapes May Help Fight Depression

/
Red Wine and Red Grapes May Help Fight Depression

A new study from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine’s found that resveratrol, a natural anti-inflammatory agent found in the skin of red grapes, can prevent inflammation as well as depression-related behaviors in rodents exposed to social stress. 

Read More

5 Healthy Nighttime Snacks

/
5 Healthy Nighttime Snacks

Nighttime snacking is often where unwanted weight gain stems from. Some people tend to be hungrier at night, and have a lot of trouble avoiding it. The question always to ask if do I really need a snack? The evening tends to be the most tempting time of day, especially when you're trying to unwind and relax after a long, hard day. Here are 5 healthy nighttime snack to try. 

Read More

8 On-The-Go Weight Loss Tips

/
8 On-The-Go Weight Loss Tips

Most people feel they would feel a lot better if they lose a few pounds. For others, weight loss is a lifelong battle. One of the major reasons people struggle with weight loss is if they have a busy lifestyle. Constantly being on-the-go can really be a major inhibitor of any healthy habit if you're not extremely disciplined. Here are 8 tips for those who are on-the-go. 

Read More

Fat is Back: Inside the New Guidelines

/
Fat is Back: Inside the New Guidelines

It is a common misconception that dietary fat is bad for you and should be avoided at all costs.  In fact, fats are essential for numerous body functions, including cell membrane repair, body warmth, organ protection and energy; some vitamins, appropriately called fat-soluble vitamins, actually need fat to dissolve and be absorbed by your body.  What is important to remember about fats is that some are healthier for you than others – and the types of fats you choose to consume will directly impact your health.

Read More

4 Ways to Stay Hydrated This Summer

/
4 Ways to Stay Hydrated This Summer

Hydration is a pivotal and often overlooked part of our overall health. This could perhaps come from the confusion about how much water to drink each day. But nevertheless, it's important to be mindful of your daily water intake. 

Read More