Category Archives: Food

Decaf Coffee is a Brain Booster, Study Shows

If you are a hardcore coffee addict that drinks coffee on a daily basis, you may scoff at those who opt for the decaffeinated version of your favorite morning beverage.

After all, without the caffeine to wake you up and prepare you for effectively getting through your day, why even drink coffee, right? Well, a recently published clinical study gives decaffeinated coffee drinkers a good reason to continue doing so.

According to the study, regularly drinking decaffeinated coffee can be a brain booster in terms of protecting your brain from the various forms of mental deterioration that typically come with normal aging and/or chronic disease. Furthermore, there there are several additional mental benefits associated with regularly consuming decaffeinated coffee as well.

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Posted in Diet, Food, Health, Health Facts, Medical, Mental Health, News, Nutrition, Studies | 3,480 Comments

Losing Weight? Watch Calories, not Carbs or Fat, Study Says

Over the years, countless fad weight loss diets of all kinds have touted the weight loss benefits and effectiveness of restricting all carbohydrates while consuming a diet high that is only high in protein, or restricting fat and allowing carbohydrates, or cutting out all sugar while allowing anything else.

However, a newly published clinical study is indicating that the real (and only) variable related to safely and effectively losing weight is counting the total number of calories consumed, regardless of their source. In other words, the study concluded that a 1,500-calorie-per-day diet will result in roughly the same amount of weight loss whether those 1,500 calories were derived from protein, carbohydrates or fat. (Caveat: consuming too much fat will still raise your risk of certain diseases, including heart disease.)

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Undergoing Surgery? Avoid Tryptophan, Study Says

A new study that was conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health is indicating that if you’re about to go under the knife, foods to avoid before surgery include any with tryptophan, the amino acid that was once believed to cause tiredness after eating a large portion of turkey.

In the study, mice that abstained from consuming any form of tryptophan for one to two weeks prior to surgery experienced better survival odds and less kidney damage than mice that consumed their regular diets.

According to Dr. James R. Mitchell, a professor of complex diseases and genetics and one of the lead researchers behind the study, the findings could have a big impact on pre-surgical protocol and procedures.

However, it is not yet known whether the results, which have so far only been achieved in mice, will translate directly to humans. Mitchell said that the ultimate goal of the research is to determine the most optimal diet for those about to endure the physical and mental stress of surgery.

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Posted in Diet, Food, Health, Health Facts, Medical, News, Nutrition, Studies | 3,434 Comments

New USDA Mandates to Require Healthier School Lunches

With the obesity epidemic showing no signs of slowing down, one of the hottest topics in the news as of late has been healthier school lunches throughout the United States.

Individuals ranging from television chef Jamie Oliver to First Lady Michelle Obama have sharply criticized school lunch programs for their tendency to serve meals that are packed with highly processed foods, fat, sugar and sodium while lacking in a variety of important vitamins and minerals.

New school lunch standards adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin to address and change all of that, as schools will be required to follow a stricter set of guidelines dictating the portions and types of foods served to America’s children and teens.

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Posted in Diet, Food, Health, Health Facts, News, Nutrition, Parenting, Weight Loss | 1 Comment

Feeling Moody and Fatigued? Have a Glass of Water

Everyone occasionally finds themselves in the following scenario: with the work day wearing on, you realize it’s nearly lunchtime and you haven’t had a single drink of water all day. You’re feeling tired, physically and mentally fatigued, and the pencil tapping of your coworker in the next cubicle is quickly driving you insane. After having a long drink of water, you suddenly feel reinvigorated and refreshed, and you’re able to easily cope with the remaining hours of work.

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Posted in Diet, Food, Health, Health Facts, Mental Health, News, Nutrition, Studies, Women | 1,430 Comments