Nutrition

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Vitamin D Supplements - D2 or D3?

There are two forms of vitamin D found in dietary supplements called D2 and D3. Some people say you should only take D3, but does it really matter?

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Nutrition Blog with Shereen Jegtvig

Mediterranean Diet and a Healthy Brain

Tuesday February 9, 2010
Another diet and nutrition study has been released that points to health benefits of following a Mediterranean type diet. Researchers looked at brain scans of more than 700 people in New York and found subjects who followed a Mediterranean diet closely were less likely to have infarcts, which are little areas of damaged tissue, in their brains. People who have these infarcts in their brain tissue are more likely to suffer from strokes and dementia.

The Mediterranean diet is also a very heart-healthy diet because it's low in saturated fats form red meat and contains lots of vegetables, fruits, omega-3 fats and whole grains.

More About Mediterranean Diets

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February Is American Heart Month

Friday February 5, 2010
heartHave you taken care of your heart today? Cardiovascular diseases are the biggest killer in the United States and February is American Heart Month. Every year since 1963, the president of the United States declares February to be American Heart Month in order to draw more attention to cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.

Part of taking care of your heart includes eating healthy foods and watching your weight.

Foods For Heart Health

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Image © Marcela Barsse

Vitamin D In the Winter

Tuesday February 2, 2010
sunlight is a popular vitamin right now - it seems there's news about vitamin D research every week. Your body needs vitamin D in order to absorb calcium and various research studies have linked deficiencies with several health conditions. You don't usually get much vitamin D from the foods you eat, although milk is usually fortified with it, you're body makes vitamin D after your skin is exposed to sunlight.

Those of us who live north of a line drawn on a map from the northern border of California in the west to Boston in the east can't even get vitamin D from the sun during the winter months because the sun's rays just aren't strong enough to give us the UV exposure we need. So it's a good idea to take vitamin D supplements during the winter (or any time of the year if you avoid sun exposure).

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Image © Chris Chidsey

Omega-3 Fats

Thursday January 28, 2010
I know fats can be confusing; which ones are bad and how bad are they? And which ones are good? One of the good fats is called omega-3 fat, and you're probably not getting enough of it in your diet.

The omega-3 fats are good for us because they'll help to keep our hearts and blood vessels healthy and resent research suggests they may even help us live longer.

salmonMost of us probably need more than what we're getting from our diets, but you can add more omega-3 fats when you eat fish, flax, canola oil, walnuts, soy and pumpkin seeds. Or you can take them in supplement form (and they're sneaking into many food products as a nutritional ingredient).

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