When you think of the beautiful Island of Jamaica, warm sunshine, sandy beaches and a rich variety of exotic fruits may come to mind. Jamaica is home to an abundance of vibrant produce, full of health-promoting nutrients. Jamaican fruits high in...
As people spend more time working and less time cooking, fast food has become an increasingly frequent option. Many people eat all three meals away from home every day, often at fast-food establishments. While fast food can be a time and...
Fast foods have an often deserved reputation for being unhealthy. While it's possible to eat a healthy meal at a fast food restaurant, you have to read nutritional labels carefully. Fast foods are often breaded, fried or otherwise doused in trans...
You may think health food wins a slam dunk over fast food by every conceivable measure. Although it's true that health foods provide nutritional benefits and protect you from disease, for many people, they are also an expensive and less accessible...
Magnesium is an essential mineral that serves several functions in the body such as contraction of muscles, function of enzymes, protein production, energy production and energy transport. Magnesium aspartate is one of the most absorbable forms of...
Magnesium plays an important role in the body. It helps in the contraction and relaxation of muscles, the function of specific enzymes, the production and transport of energy and protein synthesis, according to MedlinePlus. People can procure...
Being obese increases your chances for premature death and disability. Your body mass index is a numerical estimate of the amount of body fat that you have. As your body mass index rises, so does the prevalence of serious medical conditions. These...
Gastric or stomach cancer is an uncommon type of cancer in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 21,130 new cases of stomach cancer were diagnosed in the United States in 2009, accounting for roughly 1.4...
Caffeine is a popular stimulant commonly consumed in tea, coffee and cola beverages. Scientific studies have looked into potential health risks that may accompany the stimulant effects of caffeine, including heart disease. Many studies have found...
Eating fast food is completely routine for many individuals --- often heading to a drive-thru multiple times per week, or even multiple times per day. While eating fast food is unquestionably convenient, the price you pay in terms of your health...
In the days of yore, a human's survival relied heavily on flight or fight. For this reason, the body stored a special pad of fat around the midriff that the metabolism could call upon for instant energy in times of stress. As soon as the stress...
According to the Mayo Clinic, gastric reflux is known in the medical community as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. Gastric reflux is when stomach acid or bile gets past the esophageal sphincter and goes from the stomach into the...
You probably know that the key to weight loss is to expend more calories than you consume, and the way to achieve this is to increase your exercise while reducing the amount of food you eat. These concepts appear simple enough, yet the execution...
Weight loss is determined by the balance of your caloric intake and calorie burn. Digestion and the subsequent use of nutrients affect your weight. The foods you eat provide energy to fuel physical activity for additional weight control. The key...
The standard Western diet is high in fats and sugars. Most processed food are sweetened to improve the taste and increase the potential you will purchase it again. However, not all foods are sweetened with white cane sugar. Manufacturers also use...
In an increasingly fast food nation, it's no wonder that the obesity rate has skyrocketed to nearly 30 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While advertisements for fad diets, pills and products abound, it almost...
Hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, refers to the accumulation of fats and other substances inside the arteries. This condition is a major risk factor for life-threatening health events including heart attacks and strokes. Recent...
Although most people can eat a variety of red meats with no consequences, some find the subsequent stomach upset that comes with consuming them hard to bear. You may have noticed this problem for the first time recently, or it may be a chronic...
Everything you eat affects your body; however, what you eat affects your mood as well. According to psychologist David Benton, whose research was published in the "Public Health Nutrition" journal, vitamin deficiencies are one of the main culprits...
Coffee is enjoyed by many Americans on a daily basis. In most cases, caffeinated coffee is preferred because caffeine provides a boost of energy. Other people like their coffee without the caffeine, or decaffeinated coffee. In decaffeinated...
GGT, also known as gamma-glutamyl transferase, is an enzyme primarily found in the liver that assists in carrying peptides and amino acids into your cells. The maximum healthy GGT blood level for women is 45 units per liter and 65 units per liter...
Fast food is inexpensive relative to most other food choices. Fast foods contain lots of calories, sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats -- substances that increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Increased...
Although fast food restaurants are not to blame for America's obesity crisis, eating too much fast food may contribute to a myriad of health problems, including an increase in type 2 diabetes and weight gain, according to a January 2005 study...
The BALi diet for health and weight loss was developed by Dr. Roby Mitchell, also known as Dr. Fitt. The diet is aimed at optimizing total health father then focusing merely on weight loss. Before using the BALi diet, consult your doctor.
The Fat Flush plan is a three-part diet created by Ann Louise Gittleman. While phase one is the most restrictive, only certain types of food and supplements are allowable for phases two and three as well. Researching which types of food and...
You may think excess weight associated with hormonal imbalance is difficult to rectify. In fact, all it requires is an understanding of the relationships among diet, exercise, weight and hormones. As it turns out, leading a healthy lifestyle is...
Caffeine, found in coffee, tea, chocolate soft drinks, nuts, chocolate and some over-the-counter medications, stimulates the central nervous system. The effects caffeine has on the cardiovascular system depend on a person's tolerance level,...
Obesity remains one of the biggest health challenges for the nation with more than two-thirds of American overweight. This disturbing trend is not confined to adults alone. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 reports that obesity rates in...
Homecooked meals are generally considered healthier than fast food. This is because fast food meals typically contain high levels of calories, saturated fat, sugar and salt, according to a 2007 article in "The New York Times Health Guide," a...
