Nutrition
Our nutrition can make a big difference in our lives. Our choices beginning at a very young age can determine the future status of our well-being as we get older. That is why learning about nutrition is essential. I have dedicated a specific page dealing with nutritional and dietary questions combining both nutrition and clinical medicine. My goal is to provide you with an accurate, research and fact-based nutritional information that will help you to prevent disease and assist you in managing health problems with the fewest medications possible.
Aging Vision? Never Miss Eating These Foods
Because of the increasing percentage of the elderly population, the incidence of vision problems such as dry eyes and macular degeneration is expected to rise. According to U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans age 55 and over will almost double in the next 20 years.
Aging is not reversible. However, many health related conditions can be prevented or at least have their negative effects to our body minimized. Since most people don’t like taking medications; other reasonable treatment alternatives should be considered. One of these alternatives is balanced nutrition.
Reduce Triglycerides: 4 Incredibly Simple Ways
Many people ask me about methods for reducing triglycerides with diet. I love these kinds of questions because of two reasons: 1) I sincerely believe that prevention of a disease is much more important than managing it after it has already happened. We can save ourselves a lot of suffering if we start preventing disease early and improved public education can exactly do that. 2) I am also convinced that we as a society should decrease our medication consumption and emphasize more conservative managements, such as lifestyle changes including dietary improvements.
Fish Oil: Take it or Stop it, that’s the Question
It is clear that there is considerable confusion about this topic. Do we have sufficient and robust data for or against taking fish oil? Should we stop taking or continue recommending fish oil consumption? That is the key question. It is easy to understand that people don’t want to waste their money and consume something without clear health benefits. Many studies are painting a very confusing picture about the benefits of fish oil to our health. That is why I have decided to research the benefits of fish oil in general.
Foods that Lower Blood Pressure
Do you want to prevent hypertension (high blood pressure)? Are you looking to manage your hypertension conservatively with fewer or no medications? Do you want to learn about foods that lower blood pressure? Then, you should read the following article and share it with your friends and family members.
A healthy diet is essential regardless of an individual’s heart health. Many studies, including Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), provide evidence that healthy diet benefits the heart. A healthy diet can improve blood pressure, cholesterol, and other health problems. Prevention of high blood pressure and cholesterol can prevent conditions such as heart, vascular and kidney disease, and stroke.
Carbohydrates, What You Should Know
Carbohydrates are one of the main parts of our daily food intake. They provide us with sugar and subsequently with energy. There is no question that we need energy and without it we can’t function, just as a car wouldn’t function without gas.
Discussions about carbohydrates (carbs) have been heated in recent years. Some people blame carbs for the increasing number of obese individuals. Large number of individuals in our society are hooked and addicted to carbs, primarily the sugary ones.
What are carbohydrates exactly? Are they really to blame for our society’s failure to manage obesity? This is an interesting but very broad discussion. Let us review some facts about carbs, first.
Artificial Sweeteners: What are they?
Many of you have tried the so called “diet” drinks instead of classic sugary drinks. There is no secret that people are looking to limit their daily calorie intake. To be able to respond to consumers requests and limit the calories in variety of foods including drinks, the food industry has been relying on artificial sweeteners. Some other names for artificial sweeteners include non-caloric sweeteners, sugar substitute or non-nutritive sweeteners.
Do you belong to the group of individuals who use artificial sweeteners rather than pure classic table sugar?
Tomatoes Help to Prevent Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of malignancies among men, second only to lung cancer. It is no secret that the risk of cancer can be reduced by consuming healthy food. But what exactly needs to be eaten and which conditions can be prevented was always a bit uncertain.
Simple humble tomatoes are known to be rich in the anti-oxidant lycopene. Anti-oxidants were long praised for their cancer-protective effect. Recent studies in the United Kingdom have confirmed that men who ate 10 or more portions of tomatoes per week reduced their chances of prostate cancer by 18%. This statistical analysis was done by following the health of 20,000 men aged between 50 and 69.
Does Garlic Help Cold Symptoms?
Many of you are probably big fans of garlic in your food or on a piece of fresh bread.Garlic (Allium sativum) has been used in Mediterranean and Asian cooking for hundreds of years. Throughout the ages, this plant was utilized for medicinal purposes and more recently as a pest repellent.
Several research studies have examined the medicinal benefits of eating garlic in managing many different diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol,heart disease and cold symptoms.
Treating Colds with Vitamin C: The Facts You Should Know
Is vitamin C the super vitamin as we have known for decades? As long as I can remember, almost everyone in my family and circle of friends has suggested taking vitamin C to help with a cold and its symptoms. With slightest sign of a cold, such as sneezing or a congested nose, a tablet of vitamin C was ready to be swallowed. The only thing I remember was its sour but tasty nature. I especially liked the dissolvable ones. They also produced a strange popping sound as it slid into the water.
Potassium in Your Diet: Why it Matters!
Potassium is one of the most important minerals in our body. The blood level of this mineral can be influenced by commonly used medications such as diuretics and blood pressure medications as well as our daily diet.
A blood potassium level above or under recommended levels can be harmful and sometimes deadly. Therefore, I decided to write about this interesting mineral or electrolyte.
How potassium can help us to prevent disease?
Why Juicing Can Harm You
Juicing has been becoming increasingly popular. Massive marketing campaigns for juicing tools has popularized so-called detox and cleansing.
But is juicing as harmless as the sales people on the TV infomercials are saying?
It sounds too good to be true, right? To drink large amounts of natural juice for days and flush the toxins from the body. Why should natural juice without any additional sugar be harmful?
Should You Take Daily Vitamins?
Millions of people are on daily vitamins. How about you?
What are vitamins?
Vitamins are organic compounds that are essential to our body’s function. These compounds are not synthesized in the body and therefore, must be obtained through our diet.
The consumption of vitamins is very common not only in United States but also around the world. The sales of vitamins, minerals and supplements totaled nearly $32 billion in 2012 according to the Nutritional Business Journal and this market is continuing to grow.
Many companies have also started marketing multivitamins as a tool for the prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Facts about Glucosamine Chondroitin and Your Joint Pain
The consumption of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate with the goal of alleviating joint pain is booming. Several different forms of this expensive supplement are available on the shelf.
I am sure that you know a few friends or family members who are convinced that this supplement has helped them in managing their aggravating arthritis symptoms and pain. A few of my patients are also totally and genuinely convinced that glucosamine and chondroitin supplements have changed their lives, and if, if they forget to take this supplement only for one day, they will be feeling miserable for the entire day.
But how much of this perception is based on substantial and unbiased data?
Vitamin D: The Facts
Vitamin D plays an important role in several bodily functions. This vitamin is fat soluble and has been at the center of attention in recent years.
Vitamin D helps absorb calcium in the small intestines and is essential for bone growth and maintaining bone density. This vitamin is believed to have some role in the prevention of cancer, autoimmune conditions, heart disease, infections, and a number of other conditions.
Main sources of vitamin D
3 Ways that Dietary Fiber Can Make You Healthier
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate found in plant products and is divided into two types based on water solubility. Soluble fiber dissolves in water, forms a gel-like material, and is found mainly in oats, apples, citrus, peas, barley, pectin, flaxseed, guar, and beans. Insoluble fiber is found in whole wheat flour, wheat bran, cellulose, lignin, nuts, and many vegetables.
Dietary Fiber can reduce cholesterol
Does Sweet Potato Help Manage Diabetes Mellitus?
This question was brought up to me by one of my patients. Sweet potato consumption has been promoted by some for management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is an interesting suggestion and practice but does it really work? I wanted to know more and decided to search for evidence and facts. First, let me tell you more about this category of potatoes. The sweet potato is a plant found in tropical and subtropical zones. It is a very nutritious vegetable and popular in cooking.
Read all the above articles and share your thoughts on my Google + page with other readers.
Keep on Reading,
H. L. Daneschvar, MD, FACP
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