Nutrition Archive

Eating an unhealthy meal every now and then may not cause problems for generally healthy people. This may mean eating a healthy diet 90% of the time and splurging 10% of the time. It's called the 90-10 rule. But the rule shouldn't be abused. Cheating regularly on a healthy diet can lead to weight gain and other consequences of poor eating habits. Instead, one should follow a healthy diet on most days, and indulge only occasionally.

Buckwheat is a pyramid-shaped seed that’s used like a grain and featured in different forms in cuisines around the world. Buckwheat contains substances that may help improve blood vessel health and lower cholesterol.

Eating healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for some. But using simple strategies, such as building meals from three categories (a protein, a vegetable, and a carbohydrate) and aiming to ensure that at least half of your plate includes healthy options. It’s also a good idea to keep food out of sight to avoid mindless eating if you are spending more time at home.

A variety of coaches can help people reach their particular health goals. Health and wellness coaches inspire and guide clients to shift their mindset and develop new, healthy behaviors. Fitness professionals—such as personal trainers or exercise physiologists—develop and prescribe exercise regimens to help clients. Dietitians develop eating plans tailored to clients’ needs, such as weight loss or gain, or preventing or treating chronic disease. And culinary coaches use coaching principles and cooking expertise to teach people how to shop for and prepare healthy meals.

The right diet may help reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Eating foods included in the DASH and Mediterranean diets helps maintain brain health by keeping blood flowing efficiently and reducing the damaging effects of inflammation. Some good foods to add to your diet are fatty fish, berries, plant oils, nuts, and coffee.

Probiotics are good bacteria that keep the gut healthy and help fight infections and inflammation. Some research suggests that certain probiotics help relieve symptoms of gut-related conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Fermented foods are the best sources of probiotics, such as yogurt, pickles, sauerkraut, and sourdough bread.

Higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids—specifically, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) from fish and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) from plants—may help lower the odds of a poor prognosis in the years following a heart attack. Fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel are good sources of EPA. Flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts are good sources of ALA, which is also found in soybean and canola oil.

Sweeteners come in many varieties, including table sugar, honey, and maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup and agave syrup. But regardless of type, from a biochemical and metabolic standpoint they are all virtually the same. Unfortunately, too much of any type is bad for one’s health.

A study published by JAMA Network Open found that people taking vitamin D supplements were less likely to have a cancer that spread from the original tumor site to another part of their body or one that proved fatal. However, this risk reduction was only seen in people who were at a normal weight, not those who were overweight or obese. The study did not find that people who took vitamin D were less likely to develop cancer over all compared with those who did not.

The latest update to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that many people are not getting enough of four essential nutrients: calcium, potassium, dietary fiber, and vitamin D. But how much of these nutrients should you aim for and what are some good sources for them?