Posts

Certain medications can mess with your sense of taste. Image Credit: Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision/GettyImages Maybe you woke up this morning and poured yourself your morning cup of coffee — and the brew kind of tasted like dirt. Or your peanut butter toast was extraordinarily bland. If food suddenly tastes different to you, you may be feeling pretty alarmed. Advertisement A loss of smell and taste are telling symptoms of COVID-19, and for that reason, doctors are on high alert when their patients tell them that food doesn't taste right anymore....

Weight vests can make any typical HIIT workout more challenging. Image Credit: Valeriy_G/iStock/GettyImages Image Credit: Valeriy_G/iStock/GettyImages Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com/MathewForzaglia Sets 3 Reps 16 Start standing in front of a stair or bench with your arms at your sides. Raise your right leg up onto the stair and step up, keeping your core engaged and torso upright. Step back down. Next, step up with the left leg, keeping your shin vertical. Return back to the ground....

Cut limes on a wooden table. Image Credit: Amarita/iStock/Getty Images If you’ve ever cut yourself and then accidentally exposed the wound to lemon or lime juice, you know how acidic these fruits are. In fact, of all citrus fruits, lemons and limes have the highest citric acid content – about 1.4 grams per ounce, or about 8 percent of their dry weight. Lemons and limes also contain ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, an essential nutrient you need in your diet, and malic acid....

Sit-ups have a reputation as ineffective and even dangerous, but sit-ups are only bad for you if you're performing them with poor form. Image Credit: adamkaz/E+/GettyImages Fitness pros and weight-room buffs alike dismiss the sit-up as ineffective and pointless. Pretty much everyone, even those who don’t hit the gym regularly, has probably heard there are so many better exercises for your abs. Advertisement Brian Jimenez, fitness coach and certified stretch therapist at Stretch Relief, tells LIVESTRONG....

Butter is slightly more nutritious than shortening. Image Credit: Roel Smart/iStock/Getty Images Using fat in your baked goods helps keep them moist and tender. However, the type of fat you use also affects the nutritional content of the finished product. While butter and shortening have similar nutritional profiles, you’ll be better off using butter since it provides more vitamins and doesn’t contain trans fats. Advertisement Butter and Shortening Nutrition Basics A tablespoon of salted butter contains 100 calories, and the same amount of shortening provides 115 calories, all of which come from fat....

There are a few differences between men's and women's vitamins you should know before taking them. Image Credit: Klavdiya Volkova/iStock/GettyImages In This Article Men's vs. Women's Vitamins Types Do You Need Them? Risks The Bottom Line Many people choose to take supplements in an effort to support their health. Multivitamins are some of the most popular, and they're often marketed toward men or women. Advertisement When you look at men's versus women's vitamins, there are a few key differences....

Walking up stairs is a great way to burn calories. Image Credit: Vachiraphan Phangphan / EyeEm/EyeEm/GettyImages Do the benefits of climbing stairs for 20 minutes outweigh the benefits of walking on easier terrain? The answer depends on your goals. Although climbing stairs challenges your body more and burns more calories, simple walking has some other advantages. Advertisement Tip If you're looking for a way to amp up your exercise intensity or caloric burn, going from walking to stair climbing will do it....

A smoothie in a jar with fresh strawberries and a banana. Image Credit: CharlieAJA/iStock/Getty Images You can prepare protein shakes or smoothies in the morning and enjoy them later in the day if you store them properly. Cold foods, especially those containing dairy products, should be stored at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below to prevent spoilage or bacteria growth. Avoid leaving shakes out at temperatures in the “danger zone” from 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit....

With all the multivitamin and mineral supplements on the market, you might feel confused about which ones you should and shouldn’t take. It is important for your health and growth that you get the recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals from your diet. However, over-consumption of these supplements can lead to toxicity and serious health consequences. Thus, it is important that you know how much you need, how much you are getting from your diet and whether you even need to supplement with over-the-counter vitamin and mineral pills in the first place....

Drinking can have a number of side effects, including diarrhea. Image Credit: krisanapong detraphiphat/Moment/GettyImages You may lament about a pounding head, dry mouth and the overall feeling of sluggishness that comes after one too many drinks. However, one side effect you may not be texting your friends about: diarrhea. Advertisement Getting the runs after drinking is a common side effect for a number of reasons, but there are simple ways to prevent it from happening (or treat it if you're reading this during a current episode)....

Some diet pills may work temporarily without exercise, but you will likely regain the weight without also implementing a healthy lifestyle. Many diet pills claim to produce weight loss with no effort required on your part. One of the most egregious claims made by weight loss drug marketers is that they will enable you to lose weight without exercise. Although some prescription diet pills may aid in short-term weight loss without exercise for people living with obesity, it is likely you will regain the weight without diet and exercise....

Add fiber to your diet to help lose weight. Image Credit: Rocky89/E+/GettyImages To lose 10 pounds in four weeks, you need discipline and a strict diet. The foods you eat reflect the number that is revealed when you step on the scale, and it takes more than a workout to maintain steady weight loss. Advertisement Choosing to restrict your calories and fill up on nutrient-dense foods will help you reach your desired weight-loss goal....

Type 2 diabetes may be caused by an unhealthy diet. Numerous diseases are caused by consuming an unhealthy diet. According to the MedlinePlus website, food provides you with the energy and nutrients you need to be healthy. If your diet is lacking in nutrients -- such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals -- you may become malnourished. Malnutrition occurs in both the developed and developing worlds. Advertisement Kwashiorkor Kwashiorkor is a disease caused by malnutrition or not eating a healthy diet....

A weight vest can make running more demanding. Image Credit: jacoblund/iStock/GettyImages A weighted vest is a device used by exercisers to make workouts more challenging. Weight vests are available in a variety of styles, but most are made of strong nylon, held in place with elastic Velcro straps and are weight adjustable by adding or removing metal ingots. Advertisement Weighted vests can be used for a variety of workouts, including walking, calisthenic exercises and running....

Apples for sale at a market. Image Credit: atm2003/iStock/Getty Images According to “The Goodman and Gilman Manual of Pharmacology and Therapeutics,” caffeine, which is a stimulant found in many foods, is the most widely-used psychoactive drug in the world. Although coffee has a high caffeine content, apples do not. Therefore, there is more caffeine in a cup of coffee than in an apple. There is more sugar in an apple than in coffee; however, this sugar has a relatively low glycemic index, and therefore won’t have as rapid an onset of action as the sugar you add to your cup of coffee....

Variety of hot sauces Image Credit: Photography by Paula Thomas/Moment/Getty Images If you’ve ever met someone who seems to eat whatever she wants without gaining an ounce, while you seem to gain weight just looking at a slice of pizza, you’ve seen the power of a fast metabolism. Unfortunately, many of the factors that affect your metabolism – including your genetics, age and gender – are outside your control, but a few diet and exercise tweaks can slightly boost your metabolic rate....

Some enemas include ingredients such as wheat grass. If you've been frustrated by your efforts to lose weight, you might be considering new methods to boost your results. Some natural health practitioners claim that enemas can help increase the elimination of toxins and remove waste build-up in the colon, thereby leading to weight loss. However, there's not enough scientific research on the weight-loss benefits of enemas and colon cleansing. Advertisement History An enema is an ancient form of hydrotherapy that has been used for centuries to cleanse the colon, according to Lawrence Wilson, a nutrition and lifestyle consultant with the Center for Development....

A woman is doing stretches in the grass. Image Credit: TongRo Images/TongRo Images/Getty Images Flexibility refers to the range of motion in a muscle or joint that can help you improve movement and athletic performance. Different types of stretching exercises produce various results in how you move and perform. Some types relax your mind and body while others prepare you for movement. The National Academy of Sports Medicine recommends that you do flexibility training before and after your workout....

In order to get ripped you need to focus on fitness and nutrition. Balance your calories, carbs and protein to maintain muscle and lose fast with these diet tips. Image Credit: Getty Images/AmalliaEka You’ve been hitting the weights regularly to build muscle, but now you want to take your fitness plan one step further to really define those abs and triceps. That means it’s time to focus on your nutrition and shed some pounds....

Keto fat bombs are tiny little power players in a low-carb diet that add satiating calories from fat and protein. Image Credit: Ivan Bajic/iStock/GettyImages Fat bombs may be small, but they pack intense flavor, usually have around 200 calories and are — as you may have guessed — primarily made up of dietary fat. They’re a popular keto diet treat that helps satiate hunger while upping the fat-burning fat intake for the day....