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These healthy gingerbread treats are nutritionally dense and make for tasty, festive breakfasts. Image Credit: photosimysia/iStock/GettyImages Is there anything more comforting than waking up to the scent of fresh gingerbread baking in the oven? This seasonal flavor is a favorite for many because it tickles the tastebuds, but it also has some powerful health perks. Advertisement Ginger — the signature ingredient in gingerbread — can squelch bloat, tame an upset tummy and calm nausea, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, author of ​​​​​‌Read It Before You Eat It — Taking You from Label to Table​​‌​​​​‌....

Using herbs and spices for weight loss is a practice that dates back centuries — but let's take a closer look at the science behind it. Image Credit: Magone/iStock/GettyImages In This Article Fenugreek Cayenne Pepper Chili Powder Dry Ginger Powder Cumin Rosemary Mustard Turmeric and Curcumin Black Pepper Holy Basil (Tulsi) Cinnamon Herbs and spices are known to be among the most antioxidant-rich foods in the entire food supply, according to a September 2012 review in ​Antioxidants​, and they're also linked to lower cholesterol and blood pressure when you use them to replace salt in your food....

Toss grapefruit into salads or use its juice as a marinade to jazz up your weekly menu. Image Credit: vkuslandia/iStock/GettyImages Grapefruit is available year-round, but it’s at its best from November into spring. It’s sweet and tart — and makes for a juicy addition to a variety of meals. Advertisement "Grapefruit is incredibly hydrating, containing 88 percent water," says Amy Gorin, RDN, plant-based dietitian and owner of Plant-Based Eats in Stamford, Connecticut....

Getting more magnesium may help the processes in your body that lead to restful sleep. Image Credit: haoliang/iStock/GettyImages In This Article Magnesium and Sleep How to Get More Despite being a basic part of human life, getting enough quality sleep is easier said than done for many people. Seven hours per night is the minimum recommendation, but 1 in 3 Americans are getting less than that, according to the CDC. Advertisement With all of the stressors and endless distractions of everyday life, you may find yourself in a state of sleep deprivation....

The side of your neck is an easy place to find your pulse. Image Credit: ProfessionalStudioImages/iStock/GettyImages The pulse is most commonly checked on the wrist or neck, according to the Mayo Clinic, but there are other places on the body where a pulse can be examined. Advertisement The pulse can be felt anywhere an artery runs close to the surface of the skin, according to Mount Sinai. Use two fingers to apply slight pressure to the site and you should be able to feel the pulse....

Buying packaged salad in a clamshell container rather than a plastic bag promises fresher greens. Image Credit: Getty Images/krblokhin No rinsing (and re-rinsing), no drying, no chopping. On a busy day when you just want to get food on the table, pre-washed, bagged leafy greens can be a pretty tempting option. But are they less healthy — or even worse, more prone to contamination — than the fresh bunches that you have to wash and chop yourself?...

A plate of grilled chicken salad on a wooden table. Image Credit: Elena_Danileiko/iStock/Getty Images You can experience aching muscles anywhere in your body. Potentially achy muscles include soft tissues, fascia, tendons and ligaments, according to the National Institutes of Health. While injury, overuse and medical conditions can lead to aching muscles, a poor diet can also lead to muscle pain. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and an out-of-balance diet also can cause your muscles to hurt....

Other than tasting delicious, the list of basmati rice benefits is longer than other varieties of rice. Image Credit: Tatiana Volgutova/iStock/GettyImages Whether you’re trying to lose weight or make healthier dietary choices, you might be wondering about basmati rice vs. white rice nutrition facts. Even though all varieties of rice are considered a carbohydrate, there are some slight differences in the nutritional value of the different types of rice. Advertisement Basmati Rice Benefits Other than tasting delicious, the list of basmati rice benefits is longer than other varieties of rice....

A 12-ounce serving of regular beer has 153 calories, while the same serving of light beer has 103 calories. Image Credit: KariHoglund/iStock/GettyImages If you’re a regular beer drinker and struggling with excess pounds, you probably don’t want to stop drinking beer to lose weight. Like any type of weight loss, it all comes down to your total calorie intake and consuming fewer calories than your body needs, no matter where they come from....

One of the symptoms of gastritis is an upset stomach. Image Credit: milorad kravic/iStock/GettyImages Gastritis is an uncomfortable condition that occurs when your stomach lining becomes red and swollen. Gastritis symptoms include an inflamed stomach lining that can be irritated by eating spicy foods and consuming acidic beverages. But the causes of gastritis are more complicated. Advertisement Tip There are some home remedies that can help you ease gastritis. Avoiding spicy foods, acidic foods and beverages, including coffee, and eating smaller, more frequent meals, may help you feel better....

Man doing seated leg press at the gym. Image Credit: LUNAMARINA/iStock/Getty Images Strength training requires the use of resistance to tear down your muscles and rest to repair your muscles. This process of breaking down and rebuilding leads to improvements in your muscle’s strength, tone and endurance. You can combine exercises targeting different body parts for training as long as you allow for at least a day of rest before you train those muscles again....

Cold water may help you lose weight faster. Image Credit: BraunS/iStock/GettyImages The idea behind drinking cold water for weight loss is a thermogenic reaction — that your body expends extra energy, aka extra calories, to compensate for the temperature difference between your body and the water. However, the science behind this is inconclusive and sometimes controversial. Advertisement Tip The science behind drinking cold water for weight loss isn't yet conclusive, but a couple of studies indicate that cold water might provide a small but measurable boost to your weight loss efforts....

Green tea is one of the most popular drink in the world. After water, green tea can be considered the most popular drink in the world. Asian societies prize the partially fermented leaves of the camelia sinensis, and green tea can be found as a part of many cultural ceremonies in both China and Japan. The brew has recently gathered more attention in the Western world as both a healthy alternative to black tea and as a promising weight loss aid....

Sweating can cause you to lose water weight, but it doesn't necessarily mean you're burning fat. Image Credit: PeopleImages/E+/GettyImages Being drenched with sweat at the end of an exercise session can make you ‌feel‌ like you’ve worked pretty hard. And when you hop on the scale — hey! — it might even read a few pounds lighter. But does that actually mean that you’ve lost fat and are getting closer to your weight-loss goal?...

If you’re eating a high-protein diet to lose weight or increase muscle mass, your body may be producing high amounts of urea, a byproduct of protein metabolism. Urea builds up in your blood, and the excess is excreted by the kidneys through your urine. Consuming too much protein may strain your kidneys, and if your kidneys aren’t working well, it may cause further damage. Consult your doctor before starting a high-protein diet....

A slimmer back and arms comes from comprehensive workouts. Image Credit: South_agency/E+/GettyImages Get rid of those trouble spots once and for all. Jiggly arms and rolls that spill over your bra line or back of your waist can be burned off with exercise, but perhaps not with the approach you would expect. Advertisement No magic back workouts or arm workouts will whittle your specific fat storage spots, but a comprehensive exercise plan can lean you out and, when you attend to your arms and back with strength work, reveal toned muscle....

Flaxseeds on a spoon resting on a teal cloth. Image Credit: Anetlanda/iStock/Getty Images Flaxseed may help improve your cholesterol levels and lower your risk for heart disease and cancer, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. These little seeds also have the potential to help make your menstrual cycle more regular and limit the side effects that sometimes occur during menstruation, although the evidence for this is still preliminary and conflicting....

If you have recently been diagnosed with diverticular disease, you may have already experienced some of the painful side effects of this condition. If you are looking for a way to prevent future flare-ups of this disease, your diet is a good place to start. Eating a healthy high-fiber diet is important, but you also need to avoid certain foods to help ensure that you don’t make the disease any worse....

Someone is kneading dough. Image Credit: Geshas/iStock/Getty Images Vital wheat gluten and gluten flour, also sometimes simply called wheat gluten, refer to the same thing: an extraction of the protein in wheat flour with no starch. Vital wheat gluten is sold as a loose “flour” in grocery stores and health food stores, where, when mixed with water and spices, it makes seitan, a vegetarian “meat” that is rich in protein. Vital wheat gluten can also be added to regular flours to increase the content, making high-gluten flour, which is ideal for baking chewier breads....

A glass of cranberry and orange juice. Image Credit: mtreasure/iStock/Getty Images Orange and cranberry juice both offer up health benefits, but when you combine them you can pack a lot of nutrition into one glass of juice. For people who have trouble meeting fruit intake recommendations, adding a glass of 100 percent juice can help, according to Fruit Juice Facts. However, even 100 percent fruit juice contains more calories than whole fruit so moderation is important....