Nutrition

Chia Seeds: The Newest Ancient Superfood?

By Natalie Digate Muth, M.D., M.P.H., R.D.

Chia seeds are the latest in a long line of purported superfoods—promising weight loss, improved athletic performance and better heart health, among other things—but can they possibly live up to the hype? Here’s what the latest research on the health benefits of chia seeds shows…

When you hear “chia seeds,” you may immediately think of the infomercial hit of the ‘80s and ‘90s, inducing every young child to ask for a quick-growing furry plant friend.

Glycemic index and glycemic load for 100+ foods

Glycemic index and glycemic load offer information about how foods affect blood sugar and insulin. The lower a food's glycemic index or glycemic load, the less it affects blood sugar and insulin levels. Here you'll find a list of the glycemic index and glycemic load for more than 100 common foods.

In this report, you’ll learn about the components of a healthy diet for people with diabetes, as well as how to work with a dietitian, how to develop a meal plan, and how to fit physical activity into your schedule. You will learn how to recognize portion distortion, make wise choices while dining out, and stay on track with your weight-loss plan. Best of all, we’ve included 40 original recipes so you can put this advice into practice — starting today.

Are You a Caloric or Intuitive Eater?

By Elizabeth Kovar

The food and diet industry continues to offer consumers a variety of diet pills, meal plans and weight-loss solutions. Many of these products have transformed eating into a confusing and obsessive task due to misleading information and hopeless results. If a person progresses to the obsessive stage, eating becomes a frustrating game and leaves the mind questioning every detail of food. This may lead to restricting a macronutrient or manifest into an eating disorder.

Should I Eat Organic? When Does It Really Matter?

Organic food choices fill supermarket shelves – and it’s not just at the Whole Foods and other natural food stores where you would expect to find them. Even Wal-Mart now offers organic selections. Many people happily cough up the almost double it sometimes costs to go organic whereas others balk at such a high price for a food that usually tastes no different than its conventional counterpart. So who’s right? Well, it turns out that it depends.

3 Foods That Reduce Inflammation

Most of us association the word “inflammation” with a reaction to an injury or illness. This is known asacute inflammation and it’s usually signaled by swelling, redness and/or pain. Chronic inflammation, which may be present over much longer periods of time, is influenced by age, genetics, obesity, smoking and even sleep patterns. It occurs at the cellular level so we aren’t outwardly able to recognize it, but it can potentially have a profound impact on our health by increasing our risk for a number of conditions such as heart disease, asthma, arthritis, and even certain cancers. Specific foods containing certain phytonutrient properties are thought to reduce this kind of inflammation.

Walnuts are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are known for their heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory properties. It’s believed that walnuts may decrease a protein in the blood known as C-reactive protein (CRP), which serves as an inflammation marker typically associated with cardiovascular disease risk (Zhao and Etherton, 2004). One study found that omega-3 was effective for reducing the inflammation and typical morning stiffness associated with rheumatoid arthritis (Covington, 2004). It’s easy to incorporate walnuts into a healthy diet by adding them to soups, salads or baked goods.

10 Foods to Eat Every Day for Perfect Skin

Written by Catalina

Are you tired of using different expensive and ineffective beauty products? It’s time to throw away all those ineffective products and start eating foods for perfect skin. I went from terrible acne five months ago to not having acne now. It was hard, but it was possible, and less expensive than turning to pricey products. While some foods can aggravate your skin, others can enhance it. Check out a list of 10 foods to eat every day for perfect skin.

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Nutritional

	Apple Before a pasta meal ate fewer calories overall than those who had a different snack. Plus, the antioxidants in apples may help prevent metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by excess belly fat or an "apple shape." Eat more Apples are the ideal on-the-go low-calorie snack. For a pielike treat, chop up a medium apple and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp allspice and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Pop in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.
	Steak Beef has a rep as a diet buster, but eating it may help you peel off pounds.Try to consume local organic beef; it's healthier for you and the environment. Eat more Grill or broil a 4-ounce serving of top round or sirloin; slice thinly to top a salad, or mix with veggies for fajitas.
	Eggs Dig in to eggs, yolks and all: They won't harm your heart, but they can help you trim inches. Eat more Omelets and scrambles are obvious choices, but if you can't cook before work, bake a frittata on Sunday; chill it and nuke slices for up to a week. An easy recipe: Vegetable Frittata