Diet & Nutrition Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-28-2022

Living a wheat-free lifestyle means eliminating wheat from your diet. To get the most health benefits, you should also cut back on the amount of processed sugar you consume. When you follow these guidelines, you return to a low-to-no-grain, low-sugar, high-fat diet that was far more common many decades ago. The idea is to enjoy real food and limit the foods you eat from a box or a drive-through window. When you do need to grab a meal on the go or pick up some groceries, use the following lists to make smart choices.

Article / Updated 04-14-2022

Sticking to a regular high-intensity workout that’s short in duration — about 15 to 30 minutes daily — reduces your risks of obesity and therefore your risks of metabolic syndrome. Physical exercise is also associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular and heart disease and improved cognition and brain function. Exercise also acts as a natural antidepressant. Exercise promotes the release of feel-good endorphins, helps the immune system (when you don’t overdo it), helps with weight loss and maintenance, and relieves stress. Increased blood flow and sweating enhance detoxification, and exercise helps your body use sugars instead of storing them in the liver, which helps improve problems with insulin resistance. Furthermore, building and maintaining lean muscle mass helps your metabolism to function optimally and reduce inflammation. Lean muscle mass, rather than fat, helps with inflammation because excess fat cells cause toxicity and inflammatory disruption in the signals of the endocrine system. In this article, explore ways you can get the blood flowing and build a little muscle in the process. Remember to stretch before and after every workout. Stretching has a way of fooling your muscles into thinking they’re already or still working, enhancing the benefits of your workout by up to 20 percent. Stretching also helps your muscles begin to contract more smoothly, alleviating some of the pain you may feel early on. Start off simply with walking and swimming Walking is the best place to start, particularly because it’s something you likely do to some degree every day. Walking is an easy and excellent way to boost your heart rate, it’s easier on your joints than running, and it’s something you can do at any time. Walk around the house in inclement weather, or go up and down the stairs a few times. Better yet, get a treadmill and walk for miles, even when it’s raining. The best way to make an exercise routine stick is to make it enjoyable. When you’re walking, find a pleasant route with great things to see or one that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. With other exercises, try playing some upbeat music or exercising with friends. Integrate more walking into your routine by doing so gradually. Watch a step-tracking app, use a smart fitness device, or keep a pedometer handy, and work weekly to boost the number of steps you take each day. If you’re walking 2,000 steps now, for example, shoot for 2,500 next week. Keep that up for a week and then shoot for another 500-step boost. Swimming is another great way to get your heart pumping. The water works to soothe the joints rather than put extra stress on them, so swimming is therapeutic as well as aerobic. If you have access to a pool, try to incorporate 30 minutes of swimming into your routine three to four times a week. When you get your body ready, you can step the workout up a notch, being sure to incorporate 30 minutes of exercise into your day at least three times a week. Get it going: stimulating exercises The following sections guide you through a few moves that are sure to get your heart going. Be sure to have an exercise mat, some water, and plenty of room to get the most out of your workout. Doing these exercises in sequence is a great start to a good fitness routine, and altogether you’ll have about a 20-minute workout. Don’t be afraid to do each exercise a little longer or find another to add to the routine if you want to stretch your workout to 30 minutes. Squat thrusts These squat thrusts are a great way to start your exercise routine and get your heart rate nice and high while working your entire body. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Squat to the floor, placing your hands directly in front of you and about shoulder-width apart. With your weight on your arms, very quickly jump your feet behind you so that you’re in a push-up position; then jump back and stand up. Try to do 10 repetitions within a minute. Pause for 30 seconds and then do another set of 10. Pause for another 30 seconds and do a third set of 10. If your inflammation is in your knees or hips, be sure to consult a physician before trying squat thrusts, and start with shorter, slower repetitions. Mountain climbers As with squat thrusts, mountain climbers raise your heart rate rather quickly. Begin in a push-up position with your legs out straight. Bring your right knee in to your chest, resting your foot on the floor. Quickly jump and switch legs, returning the right leg to a straight line and bringing the left knee up. Continue alternating legs as quickly as you can for a full minute. Pause for 30 seconds and repeat for another minute. Take another 30-second break before doing a final minute of mountain climbers. Be sure to consult a physician if your inflammation is in your legs, because mountain climbers may exacerbate rather than relieve some of the pain. Deep squat lunges These lunges are great for raising your heart rate without the added pressure on your knees and hips. If you have inflammation in your legs, these lunges will aid in the healing process without risking re-injury. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Step your left foot out to the left, bending your left knee and extending your right leg in a side lunge. As you lunge to the left, raise your right arm over your head and reach left. Bring your left arm across your hips and reach right, as shown in the following figure (A). Be careful not to let your left knee extend past your toes. Return to your starting position, with feet shoulder-width apart and arms at your sides. Repeat Step 2, this time lunging to the right and reaching your left arm up and over your head, as shown in the following figure (B). Return to your starting position. Continue lunges for 5 minutes, alternating sides. Try to stretch a little farther with each lunge. Invisible jump rope This exercise raises your heart rate and lets you control how quickly it climbs based on how fast you jump. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. Keeping elbows at your sides, pretend you’re holding a jump rope. Begin twirling “the rope” and jumping. Continue for five minutes, varying speeds. Be careful if you’re having trouble with your knees, because the bouncing can create a painful impact. Slow it down: relaxing moves Not quite ready for moving fast, or need something to help you cool down? Here are a few moves that keep your heart rate up without putting strain on your joints. Intermittent leg lifts These leg lifts are a much less aerobic move than some exercises and therefore shouldn’t cause additional strain on any of your joints. It’s a great starter move for people who suffer inflammation pain in the hips and/or knees. Lie on your back on your exercise mat, arms at your sides with hands flat. Keeping your legs together, raise your feet 6 inches; hold them up for 10 seconds. Pressing your hands to the floor for support, raise your feet another 6 inches and hold for 10 seconds. Again, pressing your hands to the floor for support, raise your feet one more time, this time so your legs and torso form a right angle; hold for 10 seconds. Slowly begin lowering your feet, holding your feet 12 inches off the ground for 10 seconds and at 6 inches for 10 seconds. When your feet are back on the floor, rest for 15 seconds and repeat. Perform this exercise four times. After you get this move mastered, add some variation by holding a ball between your feet as you raise your legs. First use a playground ball, and then up in size until eventually you work with a stabilizer ball. Stabilizing ab crunch This ab crunch is a great exercise to help reduce some of that dangerous belly fat while at the same time increasing your heart rate. The stability ball provides support to your lower back. Get out your stability ball and put it on the center of your exercise mat. Stand in front of the ball with your feet at shoulder-width apart. Lower yourself so that you’re sitting on the ball. Cross your arms over your chest or clasp your hands gently behind your head and lie back, letting your back curve slightly with the ball. Slowly rise so that your shoulders come up off the ball, as shown. Repeat. Do 10 crunches, slowing increasing by 5 crunches over time.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-12-2022

Counting calories is a time-tested method for reducing food intake, which leads to weight loss and other health benefits. Counting calories can be part of making sure you eat a well-balanced diet as well. Eating out can be troublesome for the most committed dieter, but some helpful hints can steer you safely through even that dangerous landscape.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-28-2022

Dieting needn’t mean you have to resort to bland food or strange food combinations. The glycemic load diet is a low-carb diet plan that makes healthy eating easier than it has ever been.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-25-2022

Sticking to an acid alkaline diet may seem overwhelming at first, but the health benefits are worth it. Figuring out how to make better choices for your pH — with food and lifestyle — is a great start. It’s beneficial to know which ingredients to embrace and which ones to avoid, as well as identifying the alkalinizing super foods that can help you regain balance quickly. Although you don’t have to test your pH, it’s a handy tool to measure your success on this diet.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-25-2022

Adopting a vegan lifestyle is definitely rewarding, but it’s not without challenges — especially in the beginning. While you’re still getting used to this new diet and lifestyle, you can definitely benefit from some help. When you go out, be sure to take a guide that you can use to direct restaurant servers and chefs, and when you eat at home, utilize menu ideas to ensure variety, proper nutrition, and success.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-25-2022

Eating a raw food diet means consuming fresh, nutrient-rich plant foods that have not been heat processed. When foods are cooked, much of their important disease-preventing nutrients are lost. Conversely, a raw diet provides you with a greater degree of health and vitality, slows aging, and promotes healing. By making the majority of your diet healthy raw foods and avoiding unhealthy alternatives, you can improve your health and reduce your risks of suffering from a degenerative disease. Getting started with this nutritious lifestyle is easy.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-24-2022

Adopting the basic macrobiotic life and awareness principles will help you get in touch with a more intellectual and spiritual way of living, boosting health and happiness. By using the macrobiotic food principles, staying away from certain foods, and following the standard macrobiotic diet, you can enhance your overall physical well-being.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-22-2022

People have been fasting (in other words, not eating for a while) for centuries to prevent disease and strengthen the body. Fasting is also a safe way to lose weight. This Cheat Sheet gives you an overview of the basic principles of fasting, including what you should and shouldn't drink, so you can implement it into your routine and start your journey toward more vibrant health.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-21-2022

Switching to a vegetarian lifestyle offers benefits to your health, animals, and the environment. Ensure success by easing into a meat-free way of life, planning your vegetarian diet, and making tasty meatless meals at home.