1. Health

Top Ten Reasons to Eat a Healthful Balanced Diet

Eating right is good for your body. It will help you reach and maintain a healthy weight, keep your heart healthy and give you more energy. Here are my top ten reasons for eating a healthful balanced diet.

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Nutrition Spotlight10

Weight Gain During Pregnancy

Friday May 24, 2013
A healthy pregnancy requires some amount of weight gain, but the amount depends mostly on how much you weigh before you get pregnant. And, of course, even though you're "eating for two," you still want to make smart food choices - gain the weight with healthy foods and not junk foods.

I wrote an article about weight gain and pregnancy, which includes a guide for determining how much weight you should gain: How Much Weight Should I Gain While I'm Pregnant?

Hangover Help

Sunday May 19, 2013
It's late Sunday morning, andI'm betting a few people are waking up late with a bit of a hangover from a night out. Drink some water -- it will help. Here's more: How Much Water Do I Need When I'm Hungover?

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Thinking About More Dinner Ideas

Sunday May 19, 2013
I really like writing up meal ideas. I try to pick out dishes that are easy to make, taste great together and are good for you. Some dishes are low in fat, some are low in calories, some are low in carbs, but I try to keep macronutrients in balance. Here's a couple examples: All my meal plans include links to the recipes, which are all from About.com Food Guides

Why Do We Need Sodium, and How Much is Too Much?

Thursday May 16, 2013
Your body needs sodium to maintain body fluid balance, plus your nerves and muscles need it for normal function. They typical Western diet gives you all the sodium you need. In fact, it usually gives you way more sodium than you need (the average American consumes at least 3,400 milligrams per day). The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests no more than 2,400 milligrams and even down to 1,500 milligrams for people aged 51 or older, African Americans, and people with hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. That's about half the population of the United States.

Recently the Institutes of Medicine took a look at the research evidence regarding the importance of lowering sodium. It looks like reducing sodium to 2,400 milligrams is still a good idea, but most of us may not need to get down to 1,500 milligrams. It's hard to know for sure, because the evidence isn't that great either way. So, for now, the Dietary Guidelines' recommendations stand, but if you have questions about sodium and your heart disease risk, talk to your health care provider.

More About Sodium

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