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The carbonation in soda can cause gas and bloating. Image Credit: Cata N / EyeEm/EyeEm/GettyImages Lots of people love the sweet, refreshing taste of fizzy soda. But if you have stomach pain after drinking carbonated beverages, you might not enjoy the experience so much. What are the effects of soda on your stomach? Advertisement Soda and Your Stomach One reason you might feel a sharp pain in the stomach after drinking soda is that the carbonation in the drink can cause gas and bloating....

A bowl of lentils on a wood table. Image Credit: Teleginatania/iStock/Getty Images Gout is one of the most painful types of arthritis, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, and affects an estimated two to five million Americans. It develops when your uric acid levels become excessive and form deposits in a joint, triggering pain, swelling, warmth and redness. In addition to medical treatment, a diet low in purines – natural substances that trigger uric acid production – may help manage your symptoms....

Jessica Alba is truly devoted to healthy living, including a super nutritious and anti-inflammatory diet. Image Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images Entertainment/GettyImages Jessica Alba isn’t just an actress, but a wellness enthusiast as well. The Honest Company founder is truly devoted to living her healthiest life from the inside out, and her thoughtful approach to nutrition and diet is evidenced by her glowing complexion and overall upbeat demeanor. If you’re curious, here’s everything Alba eats in a day — as well as what she doesn’t — in order to stay looking and feeling her best....

Pierre H. lost 117 pounds. Scroll down to see his weight-loss transformation. Image Credit: Audria Abney/LIVESTRONG.COM First Name and Initial of Last Name: Pierre H. Advertisement LIVESTRONG.COM Member since: May 26, 2016 Video of the Day Age: 31 | Height: 6'1" BEFORE Weight: 287 pounds and 39 percent body fat | Pant Size: 42 AFTER Weight: 170 pounds and 15 percent body fat | Pant Size: 30 Advertisement Pierre lost 117 pounds....

White-bread rolls provide calories, but few nutrients. Image Credit: Ciaran Griffin/Stockbyte/Getty Images Large, white-bread rolls contain energy from calories, but are short on nutrients, compared to their whole-grain counterparts. In addition, refined flour in white bread is rapidly digested, causing a spike and crash in blood sugar. This leaves you feeling hungry shortly after eating, which may lead to snacking and also to excess calorie consumption. In contrast, whole-wheat or whole-rye breads contain fiber to slow down the digestion, and thus may help you avoid eating too many calories throughout the day....

A man doing dips on a bar in a park. Image Credit: sergeyryzhov/iStock/Getty Images Pullups and dips are complimentary upper-body strength-training exercises. They work opposing body parts, which means that if you do them in the same workout, pull-ups and dips hit all the major muscles of your upper body. How often you do these two exercises depends on your program design and intensity. Advertisement Function Pullups and dips are multi-joint, compound exercises that target several upper-body muscle groups....

A woman is walking outside. Image Credit: Purestock/Purestock/Getty Images Burning calories is a key component of any weight loss plan, but you must also burn calories to prevent weight gain if you’re already at your goal weight. Both walking and jogging are effective ways to burn calories, and they are good ways to get the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise you need each week. If your goal is to burn 600 calories a day or a week, you can do that all at the same time or you can break it up into smaller more manageable amounts of time....

Crowder peas can work in many dishes. Image Credit: yands/iStock/Getty Images Crowder peas are part of a Southern pea group called field peas. They were most likely brought to America by Spanish explorers or African slaves. Fresh crowder peas have a more robust flavor than black-eyed peas or cream peas and are known for the dark juices they leave in the pot. Prepare dried crowder peas by soaking them overnight. Cooking crowder peas is not at all complicated, but they do benefit from some flavoring, so boil crowder peas with bacon, ham or salt pork....

Also referred to as dry butter beans, wax beans and Madagascar beans, dried lima beans have a delicate buttery flavor and soft texture when cooked. Image Credit: Silvia Elena Castañeda Puchetta / EyeEm/EyeEm/GettyImages Also referred to as dry butter beans, wax beans and Madagascar beans, dried lima beans have a delicate buttery flavor and soft texture when cooked. Whether you’re making lima beans with bacon or cooking lima bean recipes for a vegetarian, lima beans are an excellent addition to many dishes....

You may have some anxiety about ending therapy, but your therapist expects for your sessions to eventually end. Image Credit: SDI Productions/E+/GettyImages It might surprise you to hear this, but therapy is not meant to be forever. “Generally speaking, in most cases, it’s okay to end therapy or bring the course of treatment to conclusion,” says Natalie Christine Dattilo, PhD, clinical psychologist and instructor at Harvard Medical School. Advertisement Here, a look at some tip-offs that you may be ready to end therapy, along with the best ways to stop your sessions....

references US Food & Drug Administration: "REFRIGERATOR & FREEZER STORAGE CHART" Make meal prep a bit easier by freezing extra meat you bought at the supermarket in ready-to-cook portions. Image Credit: Qwart/iStock/GettyImages Image Credit: Qwart/iStock/GettyImages The number one thing to remember when freezing animal-based protein is that it should be divided into portion-sized quantities for packaging. (Psst, here’s what servings of meat and seafood actually look like.) For best results, freeze them as soon as you get home with your haul....

The most effective core exercises are those that focus on strengthening all layers of your abs, plus your hips and lower back. Image Credit: jacoblund/iStock/GettyImages You can make a surprising amount of progress toward the ever-elusive goal of rock-solid, sculpted abs in just a week, with the right diet and exercise. No, you won’t magically build a six-pack in seven days, but you might see some visible lines and notice your middle’s gotten leaner....

Baking cookies on parchment paper helps reduce sticking. Image Credit: Chiociolla/iStock/Getty Images Few things are as tantalizing as home-baked goodies, but it’s frustrating to have cookies or cake stuck to greaseproof paper. While un-sticking baked goods poses a challenge, some tricks and tips can save the day. Advertisement Cookies Stuck to Parchment In an interview with LIVESTRONG.com, Lisa Richards, CNC, creator of the Candida Diet, provided suggestions on how to remove cookies and other baked goods stuck to baking paper....

Return to exercise slowly after surgery to help prevent complications. Image Credit: pitchwayz/iStock/GettyImages Laparoscopic surgery is a convenient method of accessing structures in your abdomen. Even though it may be done on an outpatient basis, this surgery is still a complex procedure requiring an appropriate amount of recovery time. Advertisement Laparoscopy is less invasive than abdominal surgeries requiring a large incision to access the abdominal cavity, but you should still take care when returning to presurgery activities such as going to work or the gym....

references & resources Ixtainaa, Vanesa Y et al. Physical properties of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds. Industrial Crops and Products Volume 28, Issue 3, November 2008, Pages 286–293 Mohd Ali, Norlaily et al. The Promising Future of Chia, Salvia hispanica L. J Biomed Biotechnol Nov 21, 2012. doi: 10.1155/2012/171956 Coorey, R., Tjoe, A. and Jayasena, V. (2014), Gelling Properties of Chia Seed and Flour. Journal of Food Science, 79: E859–E866....

Top a quick pizza dough made with self-rising flour with your favorite herbs and vegetables. Image Credit: Vladimir Mironov/iStock/GettyImages No yeast on hand? Not a problem — at least when it comes to making a quick pizza dough. Self-rising flour can mimic the effect of yeast in pizza dough because it contains baking powder, which allows bread products to rise without any additional help. Advertisement Although you don't need yeast to make self-rising flour for pizza dough, you will need a cup of Greek yogurt, which helps create a reaction with the baking powder that gives the crust a slight lift....

Citrus fruits, egg yolks and supplements can provide immunity-supporting nutrients. Image Credit: Nature’s Way/LIVESTRONG.com Creative Have you ever wondered if there’s anything you can actually do to give your immune system some support during the winter? According to registered dietitian nutritionist Lauren Manaker, you can, and she has a few immune-support tips for how to do it: thoroughly and frequently washing your hands, prioritizing an adequate amount of sleep, participating in some sort of physical activity and getting plenty of immune system-supporting nutrients from food and/or supplements....

Chickpeas are high in fiber and protein, both of which keep your metabolism humming. Image Credit: julief514/iStock/GettyImages While no one food or nutrient can rev up your metabolism so much that any excess weight will just “fall off,” there are certain foods that can support a healthy metabolism because they require more energy to digest. Advertisement These foods typically include one or more of these specific nutrients: Video of the Day ​Protein:​ Protein is satiating, meaning it leaves you feeling fuller longer but it also has a higher diet-induced thermogenesis value compared to the other two macronutrients, carbohydrates and fat, according to an often-cited April 2004 study in ​Nutrition & Metabolism​....

Get ready to burn, baby, burn — calories, that is — in this Tabata-inspired four-minute workout. Image Credit: Travis McCoy/LIVESTRONG.COM If you’re trying to get fit but don’t have a lot of time to devote to working out, the Tabata protocol might be the workout for you. Tabata is a four-minute, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout named after Izumi Tabata, PhD that involves a mix of 20 seconds of maximum effort followed by 10 seconds periods of rest for eight rounds....

Build into a workout plan by going easy at the beginning. Image Credit: damircudic/E+/GettyImages A 60-day workout plan allows you to plan your training well in advance. This takes the guesswork out of figuring out which exercise to do on a particular day, and it also ensures you include a good deal of variety in your training regimen. Advertisement Variety is the key to avoiding fitness plateaus, not to mention it keeps your workouts from getting boring....