The kidney bean is a member of the legume family. Used in salads, soups and entrées, it provides a balance of carbohydrates, protein and fiber. At the same time, the kidney bean is low in fat and free of cholesterol. The American Heart...
Freeze-dried foods are lightweight and easy to store in a handbag or backpack, making it convenient to eat healthy on the go. Freeze-drying involves removing 98 percent of the water and oxygen from foods to preserve them, according to the American...
The thyroid is a small gland in the front of the neck that lies underneath the skin and muscles. It has two halves, referred to as lobes, that are reddish brown and resemble butterfly wings. A thyroid gland weighs less than 1 oz. and generates the...
According to The American Lung Association, an estimated 430,700 Americans die each year from smoke-related diseases. Most cases of chronic bronchitis and emphysema as well as 87 percent of lung cancer cases are due to smoking, and lost...
A healthy life is not defined by any single method or formula. It is an assortment of direct and indirect choices you make toward your physical health and mental wellness. The foods you eat and the yearly health exams you keep are direct choices...
Omega-3 fatty acids are types of polyunsaturated fats found in fish and plant oils that are essential for brain development, immune reactions and cellular structure. The American Heart Association and other leading health care organizations...
Kidney cancer develops in the kidney tissue cells and is diagnosed through urine and blood tests, as well as with X-rays, ultrasounds and MRI. The National Cancer Institute states that on occasion a biopsy will be used to test for kidney cancer,...
Your diet is an important part of your cancer treatment. Whether your treatment includes surgery followed by chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, or a combination of these, your diet needs change when you have cancer....
In addition to preventing the bone disease osteoporosis, a healthy calcium intake lowers your risk for some cancers by 30 percent or more, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. Label nutrition facts tell you which foods contain...
Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, most of which are known to be toxic to the human body and include poisons like lead and arsenic. According to the Centers for Disease Control, smoking of tobacco products is the leading cause of...
It's confusing that mainstream medicine debunks the alkaline diet as quackery while advocating a very similar diet to help prevent cancer and other diseases. In an essay posted on the Quackwatch website, Dr. Gabe Mirkin writes that if someone...
According to the American Cancer Society or ACS, some of the "most important determinants of cancer risk" among smoke-free Americans, are personal food choices. In 2006, the ACS, developed nutrition guidelines for cancer prevention. Reviewed every...
The prostate, a male reproductive gland, produces approximately one-third of the fluid in semen, according to the information website PSA Rising. In addition, the epithelial cells in the prostate secrete a protein known as prostate specific...
The American Dietetic Association states that the food you eat can both protect you from illness and help bring about certain health issues. This is why a balanced diet made up of healthful foods is so important. Food can have short-term effects...
When you eat fruits, grains and vegetables, the parts of those plants your body can't digest provide you with a complex carbohydrate known as fiber. As it travels through your gastrointestinal tract, fiber isn't absorbed like protein, fats or...
Sugar occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables, honey, milk and milk products, and is the body's basic source of energy. However, sugars and caloric sweeteners added to food contain empty calories, meaning they contain no nutritional value...
When looking to make easy changes on the road to losing weight and or achieving optimal health, many people look to lessening, if not eliminating, their use of refined sugar. While for some this change can be as easy as taking one teaspoon instead...
The National Institute of Health (NIH) says tobacco use is the most avoidable cause of death. Approximately 50 percent of smokers will lose their lives to smoking-related illnesses. According to the American Lung Association (ALA), more than...
It's an unfortunate fact that most Americans consume more sugar or sucrose daily than the 100 to 150 calories recommended by the American Heart Association. Sugar provides no nutritional value; its lack of nutritional value makes for calories that...
Healthy eating is an essential component of excellent physical condition. Without consuming a diet full of essential nutrients, your body will not function optimally, increasing your risk for developing chronic conditions or diseases. There are...
Too much fat is commonly considered detrimental to your health, causing obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. This increased awareness has led to many people restricting their fat intake and some attempting to eliminate fat from their...
It isn't uncommon to experience food cravings when you quit smoking. A large part of this urge to eat is a result of your nicotine withdrawal, but this increase in appetite is also associated with the actual habit of smoking. Many people don't...
According to the National Institutes of Health and Colorado State University, hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects one in four adults. In stage one of hypertension, the systolic is between 140 and 159 and the diastolic is between 90 and...
The benefits of quitting smoking are many. According to the National Cancer Institute, the benefits of quitting begin immediately after quitting. These benefits include improvements in heart rate and blood pressure. Within hours of quitting, the...
It's never easy to quit smoking. Smoking is not only a physical addition, but the actual act of smoking can have significant social, emotional, mental and habitual components as well. With all these factors contributing to the need to smoke, many...
It's almost impossible to avoid noticing foods that tout their "low salt" or "low sodium" benefits. People need a certain amount of salt, and its key component sodium, to maintain proper body functions. Nevertheless, elevated salt levels can lead...
Foods do not contain estrogen, however many plants possess chemically similar compounds called phytoestrogens. When eaten in the human diet, phytoestrogens can bind to estrogen receptors and weakly mimic the effects of estrogen in some tissues...
The National Cancer Institute expects approximately 207,000 women to be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States in 2010, with incident rates reaching one in eight. With such alarming statistics, many women are wondering if they should...
