The Lemonade Diet

One diet that is quickly rising (again) in popularity is known as the Master Cleanse Diet or the Lemonade Diet.

The Lemonade Diet was originally known as the Master Cleanse Diet, created in the 1940s and updated in 1976, according to Audrey Young, MS, RD, LDN, a registered dietitian in Newton, Mass. Young says that although the diet was not…

Dietary Supplement Safety

Many people hope to improve their health by taking vitamins, minerals or other forms of dietary supplements on a regular basis. Some consumers use multivitamin and mineral supplements to ensure they’re getting all the daily nutrients they need, just in case something is missing from their diets, while others use specific dietary supplements therapeutically because they believe…

Iron Deficiency

Iron is part of hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells that is responsible for carrying oxygen to all the parts of your body. Iron is also a component in many enzymes that are involved in the chemical reactions that occur in your body. Iron is a trace mineral, which means you only needs a small amount…

Iron Rich Foods

The use of vitamins, iron rich baby foods, and/or iron fortified baby foods have helped both breast feeding babies and babies who drink an iron fortified infant formula avoid becoming anemic from a lack of iron.

Iron deficiency is still a problem for some kids though, especially toddlers who are picky eaters and drink too much milk and…

Are potatoes good for you or bad for you?

Question: Are potatoes good for you or bad for you? I really like to eat potatoes, but someone told me that potatoes are unhealthy. Is this true? Are potatoes good for you or bad for you?

Answer: Potatoes are good for you as long as you prepare them in a healthy manner. Boiled and baked potatoes are good for you, French…

Vitamins, Water-Soluble

Vitamins are essential organic substances that are needed in small amounts in the diet for the normal function, growth, and maintenance of body tissues. Water-soluble  vitamins consist of the B vitamins and vitamin C. With exception of vitamin B6 and B12, they are readily excreted in urine without appreciable storage, so frequent consumption becomes necessary. They are generally nontoxic…

Vitamins, Fat-Soluble

Because they dissolve in fat, vitamins  A, D, E, and K are called fat-soluble vitamins. They are absorbed from the small intestines, along with dietary fat, which is why fat malabsorption resulting from various diseases (e.g., cystic fibrosis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease) is associated with poor absorption of these vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are primarily stored in the liver and…

Regional Diet, American

It is quite clear that nutritional intake is associated with common health conditions such as obesity, hypertension  (high blood pressure), cancer, diabetes (high blood sugar), and cardiovascular disease. People in the United States make daily decisions related to grocery purchases, meal choices, food preparation, and other factors influencing their consumption of food and nutrients, and, thus, likely…

Quackery

Quackery is a type of health fraud that promotes products and services that have questionable and unproven scientific bases. Quackery is short for quack-salver, which is derived from two Middle Dutch terms that mean “healing with unguents.” However, quacken means “to boast,” so a kwakzalver might be a healer who boasts about his power or products.

Garlic is frequently touted…

Nutrients

An important aspect of nutrition is the daily intake of nutrients. Nutrients consist of various chemical substances in the food that makes up each person’s diet. Many nutrients are essential for life, and an adequate amount of nutrients in the diet is necessary for providing energy, building and maintaining

THE THREE FUNCTIONS OF NUTRIENTS

Metabolism

Metabolism refers to the physical and chemical processes that occur inside the cells of the body and that maintain life. Metabolism consists of anabolism (the constructive phase) and catabolism (the destructive phase, in which complex materials are broken down). The transformation of the macronutrients, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in food to energy, and other physiological processes are parts of…