Diet

With bikini season approaching, most people have only one thing in mind: Losing weight. Now there may be an easy way to keep your diet on track if you're struggling, according to a new study from Pittsburgh. According to the study, overweight or obese African Americans who regularly made grocery lists were more likely to eat healthier food--and have a slimmer physique as a result. Experts believe that this can impact people of all races, however. "We don't know whether…
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So what's really making us fat? According to health experts, it's all about calories--and not getting enough exercise. A new editorial from the British Journal of Sports Medicine argues this isn't the case, however. According to the editorial, which was published in late April, eating too much sugar and carbohydrates, regardless of a person's actual caloric intake, is the real reason why obesity rates are skyrocketing--and why simply exercising more won't stop it. Now they recommend cutting out sugary or…
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Over 30 percent of American adults are obese--and that number is expected to grow. Researchers now have identified a new reason obesity rates are continuing to soar, and it's not a reason you'd expect. According to research from Ohio State University, people who kept food visible throughout the house were more likely to become obese, as well as consume unhealthy foods such as sweets, snack foods, and other types of processed foods. People who did not make their food easily…
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To live a longer life, a healthy heart matters--as well as your brain. And when your brain suffers, your entire body does too, due to how it controls nearly all functions throughout your body. New information from the March issue of Food Technology now outlines several nutrients people should add to their diet to reduce their risk of brain problems in the future. "Keeping both mentally and physically active is key to brain health," says Linda Milo Ohr, a contributing…
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You've been good on your diet--you've even gone down a few sizes. With summer vacation coming up, it wouldn't hurt to go off your diet for a week, right? While your brain may be saying yes, you may want to rethink your strategy, say researchers from the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. New research from their lab shows that just five days of eating a high-fat diet--which people naturally do on vacation--could cause changes in the way…
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Most commercial weight-loss programs claim to help you lose weight--and lose it fast. But are these claims really true? Research from Johns Hopkins Medicine finally confirms what we've all feared: It's all a lie. Reviewing 4,200 studies which evaluated a variety of commercial weight-loss program, researchers found that only a few programs helped people lose weight--and even then, the weight loss wasn't significant. Many of these programs also failed after long-term use, suggesting these programs aren't ideal for keeping the…
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It's a fact of life: We all gain weight. Calories may not be the only thing to blame, however, according to new research from Tufts University. According to the study, which was published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who ate a diet high in processed carbohydrates--such as chips, fries, and pizza--gained more weight over the long term compared to those who kept it clean. In addition, eating more protein led to reduced weight gain over a…
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Chances are you've probably never heard of methionine before, a type of amino acid. If you want to lower your risk of memory loss, however, this could either make or break your diet. According to new research presented at the Experimental Biology Annual Meeting in Boston, MA, eating a diet high in methionine, commonly found in meat and dairy products, could cause long-term memory loss. Eating a diet with a moderate amount of methionine is beneficial, however, so simply avoiding…
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Trying to conceive? These types of foods could actually worsen your fertility, according to researchers. A study led by the Harvard School of Public Health reports that eating foods high in pesticide residue can lead to lower sperm counts in men, as well as more oddly shaped sperm. These two factors can make it harder to conceive. The research was led by Jorge Chavarro, M.D., an assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. "The…
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Trying to eat less food? Some experts claim choosing smaller plates to dine on could lower your caloric load. This trick doesn't necessarily work for everyone, however, according to new research from the University of Connecticut. According to the study, which was presented at the annual scientific meeting on the American Psychosomatic Society, some people, especially those who are overweight, don't change their portion sizes when using smaller plates--instead, they eat the same amount of food, causing the weight to…
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