Archive for July, 2009
The Importance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Diet and supplement fads come and go. But one compound that is recently much in the news is very likely to stay for the long haul: omega-3 fatty acids. The reasons are that ample research shows that these are essential to a wide range of functions, and also help reduce the odds and severity of [...]
Why is Fluid Intake and Nutrition Important?
Diets, especially those that focus on weight loss, often concentrate on what to eat. But fluids are a major part of any healthy, balanced diet as well. Runners know this well, but the same guidelines apply to anyone interested in optimal health.
About 60% of the human body is water, muscle tissue almost 70%. An enormous [...]
Why is Fiber Good for You?
In nutrition circles, one often hears “eat fiber, it’s good for you”. But fiber is a carbohydrate and those are supposed to be bad, or at least severely limited. What gives?
The resolution to this dilemma lies in examining more closely just what fiber is and what it does for you.
What Is Fiber?
Fiber is, it’s true, [...]
Common Health Risks Due to Obesity
Nutrition and health science is constantly evolving, and it often seems as if the latest study contradicts earlier ones. It’s hard to know what to believe. But, over the last few decades, a wide array of independent studies has tended to confirm some conclusions about the relationship between excess body fat and associated health risks.
The [...]
Lose Weight by Adjusting Your Attitude
There is a basic equation for losing weight: use more calories than you consume. One of the easiest ways to do that, it is sometimes believed, is simply to eat less at least of certain foods and/or exercise more. And, it’s true, that is fundamentally what all diets amount to. But how to do that [...]
Choosing the Right Diet
Despite all the fads of the last 30 years or more, it remains true – backed by a large amount and variety of nutritional research – that a good diet is the old-fashioned ‘balanced diet’ that has remained largely unchanged for 60 years or more. The keyword deserves repeating: balanced.
There are fad diets that emphasize [...]
How to Keep Your Cravings Under Control While You Diet?
Even a healthy diet doesn’t eliminate all cravings. The desire for a chocolate bar, a high-calorie cappuccino and other high-sugar, high-fat items doesn’t disappear overnight. But cravings can be managed, and with more than just ’sheer willpower’, important as that is.
Some people diet by simply foregoing meals, such as breakfast or lunch. But that ‘all [...]
A Proper Diet and Exercise Go Hand in Hand
Most people will try a hundred different fad diets, at least as many nutritional supplements and even all sorts of wacky alternatives. But, getting them to exercise can be a real challenge.
Nevertheless, it’s an inescapable fact that proper diet has to be accompanied by an age-appropriate, regular exercise program – if the goal is good [...]
A Closer Look at Diet Programs and Weight Loss Clinics
Dieters today have it hard in one way, and easy in another. There are so many temptations for abandoning weight loss goals and enjoying all the tasty foods out there. In another way, they have it easy compared to dieters in the past: they have weight loss clinics.
While no miracle cure, many offer exactly what [...]
Pros and Cons of Diet Pills
Wouldn’t everyone love to stop worrying about dieting? Just take a pill once a day and forget about it. The pounds just melt off. Well, nutritional science isn’t quite there, yet. But it is making strides. However, anyone considering their use should be aware of both the risks and the potential benefits.
Pharmaceutical companies have taken [...]
