Diet + Nutrition

Although a high protein diet is generally safe for an otherwise healthy adult, that does not mean such a lifestyle is entirely risk free. One not-so-common possibility stemming from adherence to a high-protein diet is the formation of kidney stones. Kidney stones are an incredibly painful urinary disorder that sends millions of people to the emergency room yearly.

Experts recommend increasing your daily intake of dietary fiber to between 20 and 35 grams.

Anyone who has experienced a kidney stone knows what a painful ordeal it can be. The sharpest pain can be felt in the lower abdomen and/or lower back. Diet is a major contributing factor to this issue, and certain rules should be followed to avoid kidney stones.

Pregnancy can be a time of uncertainty and joy for many women. Weight gain and loss, and how much is safe, is often on many women’s minds. Times have changed from the general philosophy in the past that pregnant women should eat for two. Today, your pre-pregnancy weight may determine how much weight a doctor advises you to gain. Most doctors do not advise women to lose weight during pregnancy, although some women may experience weight loss.

Protein and energy shakes can be very beneficial for your overall health. Several pre-made powdered mixes in different flavors are available that you can mix with water, juice, milk, or even blended in ice cream or with ice cubes to make a cold, creamy shake or smoothie.

Many women gain an exorbitant amount of weight during pregnancy, which is not healthy for the mother or the baby. It has been shown that women who gain too much weight during pregnancy have more complications with delivery and with breastfeeding their infants. However, there are some steps you can take to ensure that you lose excess weight and maintain optimal body weight during pregnancy.

It’s easy to pull a box of cookies off the grocery store shelf and glance at the nutritional information to know how many calories you are eating. But when you’re making a recipe, sometimes it’s hard to know how many calories are going into your culinary creation. With some basic math, you can get a good estimate of calories for all of your home-cooked meals.

Although breast feeding is a natural instinct, it may take babies a bit of time to learn. Hence, it’s sometimes necessary to build up your breast milk supply so that you can sufficiently train and feed your baby. As your baby sucks milk from your breast, your body releases hormones that instruct your brain to prepare more nutrient-rich milk for your baby. Frequent and unrestricted breast feeding, incorporating natural milk-producing agents in your diet and avoiding milk-restricting herbs are your best bet to build up your breast milk supply.

The neurotransmitter dopamine helps to regulate your mood, motor control, cognition, attention responses to motivation and reward. Lower levels of the hormone can lead to depression, a low sex drive and poor attention. Dopamine levels can decrease due to stress, drug use, and poor diet. By producing tyrosine, an amino acid that helps form dopamine, or other precursors to dopamine, you can increase your energy to exercise, prevent addiction and anxiety, and generally feel better physically and mentally.

The kidneys are integral to your health. They are responsible for creating urine and assisting our bodies in excreting wastes, among other things. Keeping your kidneys functioning and healthy is important to your overall well-being. Take a few simple steps to ensure that your kidneys stay functioning properly.