Should You Take A Vitamin D Supplement?

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Should You Take A Vitamin D Supplement?

A vitamin D deficiency occurs when the level of vitamin D in your body is too low. Vitamin D helps the body use calcium from our diet which is essential for us as humans to maintain bone strength. If you feel you might be experiencing symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency, it is important to get tested and treated because it can eventually cause your bones to become thin, brittle or misshapen. The only way to confirm that you are suffering from a vitamin D deficiency is to get a blood test to test your vitamin D levels. In the meantime, if you are experiencing any of the following signs or symptoms, you should get tested sooner rather than later.

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Don't Add These Ingredients To Your Smoothies

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Don't Add These Ingredients To Your Smoothies

Smoothies for breakfast or a quick snack have become all the rage and people are really exploring the vast amount of ingredients to work with. But not every ingredient is equal and some can actually leave more hidden calories behind. There are plenty of healthy add-ons but some can add to your waistline. Here are 7 ingredients to avoid adding to your smoothies. 

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Pee Strip Diet: What You Need To Know

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Pee Strip Diet: What You Need To Know

During a weight loss period, your body's acid level is probably not one of the vitals you track on the way to the gym. Enter the pee-strip diet. A new diet has emerged that requires peeing on a strip of paper, which is available at most pharmacies, to test pH levels. Does it work? Well, this diet has been around for a few years but has gained more buzz recently. Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Kelly Ripa and Gwyneth Paltrow have embarked down this road. Some dieters are even having pee-strip contests to see who achieves their more neutral pH level. Crazy right? 

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Your Body On Coffee

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Your Body On Coffee

Coffee junkie? Loving the cold brew? Yes we all enjoy our brews in the morning and throughout the day. 59 percent of Americans drink coffee every day. But are you aware of the extent of this beverage's effect on the body. There's been a number of reviews around studies that have cited the benefits of various aspects of drinking coffee. Most studies recognize a "cup of coffee" being an 8 ounce serving and when we talk about coffee, we mean black coffee, not with milk, sugar, syrup and other additives.

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4 Low-Carb Breakfasts

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4 Low-Carb Breakfasts

The body continues to burn through food and nutrients even as we sleep, leaving our stores depleted by morning.  A meal shortly after waking up is important to replenish these depleted energy stores and energize the body. But what is the ideal portion for breakfast? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It revs up your metabolism, builds up your energy for the day and makes you just feel good. The key? Eat a high-protein and low-carb balanced breakfast. Skipping breakfast can also lead to low energy. We rely on breakfast to kick start our metabolism after a good night's sleep. 

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10 ways to be an expert at spotting nutrition quackery

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10 ways to be an expert at spotting nutrition quackery

From the days of well-dressed salesmen selling snake oil to the sleek professional websites on the internet of today, you need to know how to protect yourself from nutrition quackery.  If you don’t, you may be wasting money on fraudulent nutrition services that are ineffective or risky to your health. Nutrition quackery is defined as the promotion for financial gain, of devices, treatments, services, plans, or products claimed to improve health, well-being, or appearance without proof of safety or effectiveness.  The expansion of this industry has been a problem often hard for government regulation or enforcement.  Would you know how to spot nutrition quackery if you saw it?  Here are the top ten ways to identify it and to prevent you from being duped into something you don’t need:

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Upgrade Your Brain Before Lunch

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Upgrade Your Brain Before Lunch

The second half of the day is upon us at that 11:15 am time. Obviously the post-lunch lull can grab hold of us and make it difficult to make it through the day. Everyone is in pursuit of optimal performance and health throughout the day. The key is cognitive function. Did you know there are very simple steps you can take to bolster your brain power as well. In an age where attention is the new limited resource, optimizing the brain is as critical as ever. Here are 5 easy ways to do just that before lunch. 

 

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Does Fiber Help Diabetic Patients?

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Does Fiber Help Diabetic Patients?

Globally, we are experiencing an epidemic of diabetes due to rapid increases in obesity. Total deaths are projected to rise by more than 50% in next decade. It's important to remember diabetes can be prevented even if you're at risk because of family history. 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days and a healthy diet can reduce the risk of Type 2.

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FDA Lagging Behind For Better Salt Guidelines

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FDA Lagging Behind For Better Salt Guidelines

The Food and Drug Administration is lagging in a very important part of public health: reducing sodium consumption from salt. Other nations like Australia, United Kingdom and South African have implemented sodium-reduction initiatives to reduce the burden of heart attack and stroke, the United States lags far behind, having yet to enact any such initiative. Brands in America might want to reduce sodium decline to step forward due to a fear of being put at a competitive disadvantage if their competitors didn't do the same. 

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Try These Grains This Week

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Try These Grains This Week

Whole grains, such as brown rice, quinoa and whole oats, are known to have significant health benefits. According to WebMD, they are full of nutrients including protein, fiber, B vitamins, antioxidants, and various minerals. A whole grain diet can reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, some cancers, and may improve bowel health by helping to maintain regular bowel movements and promote growth of healthy bacteria in the colon. However, only 10% of Americans eat the daily recommendation of at least three servings a day. 

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Want to boost your metabolism?

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Want to boost your metabolism?

1.    Drink water

·         Researchers have found that, after drinking about 17 ounces of water, study subjects’ metabolic rates increased by about 30 percent.

·         The effects were quick and relatively long-lasting: The rise occurred within 10 minutes of drinking the water and lasted for up to 40 minutes.

·         Based on their findings, the researchers estimate that increasing your water consumption by 1.5 liters a day could burn an extra 17,400 calories in a year.

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Caution - 4 grocery store danger zones

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Caution - 4 grocery store danger zones

Beware – your grocery store has danger zones that will try to thwart your attempts at healthy eating or losing weight.  Of course, we all know grocery stores are usually safe places to shop. In fact, if we are going to eat, we have to go grocery shopping – unless we are completely self-sufficient with our own milk cow, chickens, fruits trees and vegetable garden.  Since that scenario fits just about no one in our country anymore, our dependency on the grocery store is vital but just as vital to our health are the food choices we make there.  Most of us spend a fair amount of time shopping for food.  So far in 2015, the average number of trips we as consumers make to the grocery store is 1.5 times per week.

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Healthy Snack Swaps For Next Week

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Healthy Snack Swaps For Next Week

Good-for-you snacks can be part of a healthy diet if snacking is done in a sensible way —hence not eating the entire bag of dark chocolate Hershey Kisses. Snacking throughout the day is not a bad habit, so long as it's conducted in moderation and with healthy choices. 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. 

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5 Weight Loss Myths

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5 Weight Loss Myths

Yes, there are many weight loss myths infused throughout our culture. There are so many diets out there and weight loss tips. Many of them can work if integrated into a healthy lifestyle plan. We've talked about all types of weight loss strategies and trends recently on the blog. From intermittent fasting and weight loss myths to juicing and detoxing for losing weight, there are sure no shortages of tips. However many people make a lot of mistakes when they choose to go on a diet or lose weight. So often we cling to unsupported studies that we heard somewhere, statistics taken out of context. We insist they must be true, because a friend heard it from a friend who used to want to be a personal trainer. 

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Got gout? Eat like this

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Got gout? Eat like this

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis affecting more than 8 million Amercians.  It is more likely to affect men however women, particularly after menopause, can become more susceptible to developing it also. 

A gout attack can have these symptoms:

  • Sudden, unexpected severe pain often affecting the base of the big toe
  • Can also affect joints in the knee, ankle, foot and occasionally the hand, wrist, elbows or fingers
  • Usually occurs at night without warning
  • Joints affected will feel warm along with redness, tenderness, and swelling
  • Mobility will be reduced as the gout progresses
  • Pain is most severe within the first 4-12 hours
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The Simple Secret to Weight Loss

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The Simple Secret to Weight Loss

There are so many diets out there and weight loss tips. Many of them can work if integrated into a healthy lifestyle plan. We've talked about all types of weight loss strategies and trends recently on the blog. From intermittent fasting and weight loss myths to juicing and detoxing for losing weight, there are sure no shortages of tips. However many people make a lot of mistakes when they choose to go on a diet or lose weight. Perhaps the biggest mistake of all is not evaluating their sleep habits and hygiene. Sleep is the most important factor for weight loss. Here's why. 

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The Basics of Detoxifying Your Body

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The Basics of Detoxifying Your Body

It seems everyone these days is hopping on the body cleanse and detox bandwagon. It's true that many cultures around the world have been practicing this for centuries. What's important is for anyone looking to go on these types of diets fully educate themselves on the healthy and unhealthy ways to detox. The truth is there are principles of detox diets that can help you learn how to eat clean and rid your body of toxins. Here 5 basic steps you can take. 

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Why you need to eat more fruits and veggies and here’s how to do it

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Why you need to eat more fruits and veggies and here’s how to do it

Be honest – do you eat the recommended number of fruits and vegetables a day?  If you’re the average American, you’re not even close.  A telling recent report conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute found that fewer than 18% of adults in all states ate the recommended amount of fruit and less than 14% were eating the recommended amount of vegetables.  This is not surprising as for years many of us just don’t eat a lot of produce.  We get busy with our jobs, family and all the stresses life brings and eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables may not be at the top of our to-do list. 

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5 Veggies To Try This Week

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5 Veggies To Try This Week

With all that is available to choose from, what are our best bets for health? When in doubt, it's always a good idea to stick with bright red or dark green vegetables. 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? Here are some nutritional “powerhouses” to enjoy.

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9 Foods to Help You Detox

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9 Foods to Help You Detox

We often accept having low energy, unwanted body fat, constipation, a weakened immune system, and an unhealthy physical appearance as regular health problems. But detoxification can help you feel more energetic, improve health and increase longevity. It's important to understand how toxins affect us and how you can help your body reduce and get rid of them. Detoxification is the process by which our bodies filter and remove harmful toxins. We must process internal toxins or those created by digestion, energy production, hormonesynthesis, as well as external toxins from the environment.

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