Friday, March 29

Diet

Better Diet Data Via Tooth-Mounted Sensors
Botanicals, Diet, Genetically Modified Foods, Remedies, Wellness

Better Diet Data Via Tooth-Mounted Sensors

In First World countries, where famine is unheard of, people are instead eating themselves to death. Oftentimes, diet studies rely on self-reported surveys and journals that are hostage to the whims of each participant. People forget. People feel self-conscious about their food choices and may fudge (pun intended) the data. However, a new sensor that fits on a person’s tooth could cut out this unpredictable variable—human nature— altogether. Researchers from Tufts University School of Engineering designed a tiny sensor that, when stuck to a tooth, can wirelessly relay precise information about glucose, alcohol and salt intake. When the device comes in contact with salt, for example, its electrical properties shift, causing its other components to absorb and transmit different radiofr...
Is A Gluten-free Diet Good For You — If There’s NO Medical Reason For It?
Diet

Is A Gluten-free Diet Good For You — If There’s NO Medical Reason For It?

If a doctor has diagnosed you with Celiac Disease, an allergy or another condition that requires you to avoid wheat or gluten, you should heed their advice on what to eat. A diagnosis like that could mean eating gluten is causing harm. Gluten-free “becomes this synonym for health for people, and that’s actually very wrong. Just because it says ‘gluten-free’ does not mean it’s healthy,” said Dawn Jackson Blatner, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who works with the Chicago Cubs. Simply grabbing the gluten-free versions of the packaged food you normally buy won’t provide you any benefits, Blatner said. Additionally, eating a needlessly restrictive diet can impact the function of your gastrointestinal system, she added. “The diversity of our diet helps the microbiome in the gut,...
Ketogenic Diet: Does It Make You Feel Athlete?
Diet

Ketogenic Diet: Does It Make You Feel Athlete?

A recent study, published in the journal Sports, poses a different question: Can the ketogenic diet make you a better athlete? A team based at the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University asked 12 participants to partake in a 12-week study to measure body composition, metabolic, and performance parameters in CrossFit practitioners. The researchers wanted to better understand how the ketogenic diet affects resistance training, as a previous study with mice demonstrated that a low-carbohydrate diet reduces muscle mass. The authors addressed this controversy by pointing to their own six-week study with mice, noting that a ketogenic diet does not impair muscle glycogen levels or affect muscle protein synthesis in comparison to an isocaloric Western diet (consuming the same quantity of cal...
Dementia Diet – Avoid These Foods to PREVENT Alzheimer’s Disease
Diet

Dementia Diet – Avoid These Foods to PREVENT Alzheimer’s Disease

Dementia is the name given to a group of symptoms linked to a loss of brain function, according to the NHS. “Research has shown that following the MIND diet even a moderate amount is associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease. “The MIND diet encourages limiting your consumption of butter and margarine, cheese, red meat, fried food, pastries, and sweets because they contain large amounts of saturated fat and trans fat.” There’s no certain way to prevent dementia, but some lifestyle changes can help to lower your risk of the condition. Those most at risk of dementia are the elderly, and those with lower levels of education, the NHS said. A diet high in saturated fat, salt and sugar can increase your risk of dementia. Regular exercise may help to prevent a neurode...
Study: Heart Health Starts With Diet
Diet

Study: Heart Health Starts With Diet

Focusing on your heart starts with what you eat. “A high fiber diet is very good for your heart,” stated Elyse Sartor, Clinical Outpatient Dietitian with Northside Hospital. Legumes such as beans, lentils, chickpeas and black-eyed peas are full of soluble fiber, acting like a sponge to soak up the bad LDL cholesterol. “Your raw vegetables, your cooked vegetables are also going to be good for fiber. You don’t find any fiber in animal products. So a heart-healthy diet is going to be lots and lots of plants,” Sartor said. Fatty fish like salmon is backed with long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids. These compounds help lower blood pressure, make blood less likely to clot and keep blood vessels healthy. But, balance is key, so don’t focus on eating one or two healthy foods and ignore...
Can A Plant-based Diet ‘Reverse’ Heart Disease?
Diet

Can A Plant-based Diet ‘Reverse’ Heart Disease?

Could eating a strict low-fat vegetarian or vegan diet really 'reverse' coronary heart disease, and if so should everyone be eating this way? BHF dietitian Victoria Taylor says: The idea that a low-fat vegetarian or vegan diet could ‘reverse’ heart disease has been circulating for more than 20 years. This way of eating has become more popular in the last couple of years. It has lots of benefits, but the truth is more complex than headlines suggest. A study published in 2014 looked at 198 patients to further investigate whether eating a strict plant-based diet could stop or reverse heart disease. It found of the 177 patients who stuck to the diet, the majority reported a reduction in symptoms and 22 percent had disease reversal confirmed by test results. But that study didn’t just ...
The Keto Meal Plan for Beginners
Diet

The Keto Meal Plan for Beginners

So you've decided you want to try out the high-fat, low-carb diet, better-known as the fat-burning ketogenic diet. Whether it's to lose weight, have more energy, or fuel workouts differently, going keto is a popular choice right now. But figuring out a keto meal plan on your own is no easy feat, especially since eating a diet super high in fats doesn't come naturally to many people who are accustomed to the traditionally carb-heavy American diet. What's more, it's especially important to make sure your diet is well-planned when you're eating keto-style, because the foods you can choose from are limited. In addition to checking in with a dietitian if you're able, Stefanski recommends that you "talk to your doctor and make sure she or he is aware that you'll be starting a diet that comple...
Improving Your Diet Can Also Improve Your Skin
Diet, Wellness

Improving Your Diet Can Also Improve Your Skin

Revamping our eating habits can make for a healthier body. Did you know that making a few key changes to your diet could help to improve the look and feel of your skin, too? Here are some ways that adjusting your eating habits can help you achieve a brighter, more even, and healthier-looking complexion: ▪ Sugar contributes to signs of aging. Consuming too much sugar isn’t just bad for our waistlines; it can also contribute to signs of aging on our skin, including lines, wrinkles, and age spots. That’s because sugar triggers a chemical process called glycation within your body. ▪ Vitamin A boosts collagen. Vitamin A is found in many different foods, including carrots, sweet potatoes, and kale. This vitamin is a type of retinoid, which encourages collagen production within you...
NO YOLK! Boiled Egg Diet: Does it Work?
Diet

NO YOLK! Boiled Egg Diet: Does it Work?

Entering a new year is a good time to correct some dietary deficiencies. So this article revisits a topic I covered eight years ago. When it comes to injuries such as muscle strains, ligament tears, nerve irritation, tendon tears, tendonitis, etc., most people would think about taking Advil, getting a cortisone shot, receiving physical therapy, chiropractic treatment or even surgery. In particular, there are three main dietary components that can have a positive influence on the recovery and prevention of injury. These three components are simple yet elusive: calcium/magnesium and zinc; hydration; and an anti-inflammatory diet. Calcium and magnesium are essential minerals for all of our bodily systems. Calcium is required for all muscle contractions and nerve functions. Without calci...
A Diet High In Fat Is Best – With The Right Kind Of Fat
Botanicals, Diet, Genetically Modified Foods, Remedies, Wellness

A Diet High In Fat Is Best – With The Right Kind Of Fat

This is the time of year we tend to consider a change in diet. There has been a lot of confusion in recent years about what constitutes a healthy diet, with many people advocating and espousing a ketogenic diet, similar to the Atkins diet: a low-carbohydrate, high-fat/high-cholesterol diet (HF/HC). Since most North Americans will die of a heart attack or stroke if they don't die young from another cause, this is a big mistake. In 2016, there were large headlines trumpeting that "we can eat cholesterol now; the new U.S. guideline says so." But that's not what the guideline said. It said that there were insufficient data on which to base a specific limit to daily cholesterol intake, as in the past, but the intake of cholesterol should be as low as possible within the recommended eating pa...