Q: Why shouldn’t you eat or drink certain citrus fruits while taking certain medications? A: Grapefruits, Sevilleoranges, Tangelos, and the juices made from them have many health benefits, but they can also interfere with some prescription and non-prescription medications. The interference is generally called drug-food interaction. Specifically, the fruits and juices speed up the rate [...]
Q: What causes a side ache when running or swimming? A: Side ache refers to the nagging abdominal pain that tends to result from running or swimming. The scientific term, "exercise-related transient abdominal pain" (ETAP), has plagued exercise enthusiasts for centuries and yet there is still no definitive explanation to the cause of the pain. [...]
Q: January is National Oatmeal Month. What are the benefits of adding oatmeal to your diet? A: Each month the Whole Grains Council recognizes a staple of the worlds’ grains. January is Oatmeal’s month because more oatmeal is purchased in January than any other month of the year. The main reasons for this behavior are [...]
Q: Do some vegetables grow better in cool weather? If so, does the cooler weather limit their nutritional value? A: Vegetables generally fall into two categories: cool season and warm season. As the names imply, cool season vegetables have adapted to cool climates and grow best in temperatures below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm season vegetables [...]
Q: Does strength training have any impact on the brain? A: Past research has found regular exercise to be a good way to help protect your brain from the normal deterioration that occurs due to aging. Normal deterioration includes memory loss and the decline of cognitive abilities. The exercise that is most often researched is [...]
Q: What are the nutritional benefits derived from eating fish? A: Beyond adding variety to the normal protein options of chicken, pork, or red meat, fish is a great alternative that provides the additional benefits of being low in saturated fats, lower in calories, and an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Saturated fats found [...]
Q: Does fasting result in weight loss? A: Fasting for weight loss will lead to a short term reduction in weight. However, the long term health negatives greatly outweigh the short term benefits. The negatives include: The initial weight loss is due to a loss of water and not a reduction in body fat. Fasting [...]
Q: A recent study suggested the lack of exercise as the largest contributor to the obesity epidemic and that diet, specifically consumption of soda and other sugary drinks, had minimal impact on obesity. Are sugary drinks getting a bad rap? A: A recent study did suggest that diets high in sugar are not to blame [...]
Q: Why are hot, spicy vegetables a healthy and nutritious choice? A: People that like to spice up their meals with hot, spicy vegetables are generally adding the heat to enhance flavor, but studies have also found these vegetables to have many health benefits: Hot peppers contain a flavorless and odorless antioxidant called capsaicin. Antioxidants [...]
Q: It is grilling season. Is there anything I can do to reduce the harmful carcinogens that form while using this cooking method? A: Grilling is a great low fat cooking method. However, cooking any animal protein at high temperatures leads to the formation of a chemical called Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs). HCAs form when amino [...]