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Glycerin helps keep cake icing moist. Image Credit: Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images A sweet, slippery liquid, glycerin forms the backbone of fat and oil molecules. You can get food-grade glycerin, a byproduct of soap making, in bottles at drugstores, health-oriented grocery stores or the baking sections of supermarkets. Glycerin fills a useful role in cakes, cookies, icings candy and fudge by binding water in a form that makes its unavailable to molds, allowing baked goods to stay fresher longer....

Liquid diet plans are best for people experiencing gut issues, preparing for a procedure or recovering from surgery. Image Credit: Johner Images/Johner Images Royalty-Free/GettyImages Liquid diet plans are best for people experiencing gut issues, preparing for a procedure or recovering from surgery. However, liquid diet plans can vary — some contain only clear fluids, while others include fiber. The longer the diet’s duration, the more food flexibility you should have....

You only need four minutes to blast calories and get your sweat on. Image Credit: torwai/iStock/GettyImages What if we said you could get an intense full-body workout in four minutes, no gimmicks? Tabata — a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) — takes you through eight exhausting bursts of 20-second maximal-intensity exercise with a 10-second rest between sets, for a total of four minutes. Advertisement "Tabata is the definition of a 'quick and dirty' workout," says Crystal Williams, a NYC-based personal trainer and ACE-certified group fitness instructor....

Dietary changes are healthier than water fasting over the long run. Image Credit: koosen/iStock/GettyImages If you’re keen on losing weight quickly, you might consider water fasting. This type of fasting allows people to consume only water for a set period of time per week or month. While a 48-hour fast might promote weight loss, dietary changes or calorie restriction may be healthier alternatives. Advertisement Read more: PROs and CONs of the 10 Most Popular Diets Video of the Day The Many Types of Fasting Fasting is a fairly common practice worldwide....

Fruit packed in syrup is high in added sugars. Image Credit: vikif/iStock/GettyImages When you’re trying to lose belly fat, naturally sweet fruit can be a great replacement for sugary treats. But some fruits are better for weight loss than others. Sweetened dried fruit and fruit packed in syrup should be off limits, while tropical fruits should be eaten in moderation. Advertisement Avoid Syrupy Canned Fruit If you’re going to buy fruit, you should almost always get fresh fruit from the produce section....

ZeroPoint foods are foods that form the basis of a healthy eating pattern, like fruits and vegetables. Image Credit: WW Between figuring out what foods to eat and how many calories to burn, trying to lose weight can feel like it’s all about the physical, but your brain can actually play a bigger role than you might think. Advertisement It all boils down to how you think, and something called the action-intention gap, which is a fancy name for the difference between what people want to do versus what they actually end up doing, says Allison Grupski, PhD, director of behavior change strategies and coaching at WW (formerly Weight Watchers)....

Morning diarrhea is often due to something you ate or drank the day before. Image Credit: Nipitpon Singad / EyeEm/EyeEm/GettyImages Wow. This morning has been something else. You woke up with diarrhea. Aside from being sick, it might also have to do with what you ate, an as-yet undetected GI condition or even the monster to-do list you have brewing today. Advertisement Here's what's up — and what you can do about it....

When you have hypertension, drinking in moderation is key. Image Credit: LeoPatrizi/E+/GettyImages High blood pressure (BP) forces your heart to work extra hard to pump blood, causing your arteries to become stiff and narrow over time, setting the stage for a heart attack or stroke, notes the American Heart Association (AHA). And when it comes to drinking’s effect on BP, moderation is key. Advertisement What's high BP? The AHA defines hypertension as a consistently elevated high systolic (upper) pressure of 130 or higher, or a diastolic (lower) pressure of 80 or higher....

A close-up of a pile of flaxseeds. Image Credit: HandmadePictures/iStock/Getty Images Flaxseeds contain omega-3 fatty acids – specifically, alpha-linolenic acid – which, in combination with dietary fiber and plant lignans, may help lower your cholesterol and your risk for heart disease, according to an article published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism in October 2009. Flaxseeds are one of the best sources for this type of omega-3 fat, but they don’t provide significant amounts of the important omega-3 fats EPA and DHA....

Boiling vegetables may remove some of the nutrients, but you don't have to avoid it entirely. Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com Creative How Bad Is It Really? sets the record straight on all the habits and behaviors you’ve heard might be unhealthy. In This Article Is It Healthy? When It Works When It Doesn't Other Cooking Methods How Bad Is It Really? Cooked vegetables are often more pleasant to eat than raw vegetables and they may be easier for your body to digest, but it's true that cooking vegetables changes their nutrient content....

DHEA supplements have several uses in aging men. DHEA or dehydroepiandrosterone, is produced by the adrenal glands in the liver and in male testes. Dietary supplements manufacture DHEA from soy and wild yam. DHEA is metabolized to androstenedione, and then testosterone or estrogen. Men have higher DHEA levels than women. Low DHEA levels affect mortality in men more than women. Side effects include liver dysfunction, mania, abdominal pain, and hypertension. The recommended dose for most indications is 25 to 50mg once daily....

Healthy people come in different sizes. Image Credit: HyperionPixels/iStock/Getty Images Body mass index is the ratio of your weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters squared. BMI provides an estimation of your body fat level, but is in no way diagnostic. It helps healthcare providers evaluate whether you may be at risk of chronic disease due to carrying excess fat. Although BMI is an acceptable measure for large parts of the population, it doesn’t account for differences in age, activity level, gender, body composition or frame size....

A well-rounded diet is a great diet for bodybuilder. Image Credit: AnnaPustynnikova/iStock/GettyImages The goal of bodybuilding is to develop lean body mass and muscle definition, which takes years to attain. When the day comes to step onto the stage to be judged, your nutritional strategy and pre-competition diet have a major impact on achieving your optimal physical profile and final score. Advertisement Competitive BodyBuilding Explained Bodybuilding is an aesthetic sport that differs from performance sports, as participants are judged on their appearance rather than athletic abilities....

A vegetable and herb frittata on a plate. Image Credit: boophotography/iStock/Getty Images Eggs, especially egg whites, are a staple in any bodybuilder’s diet because they are low in calories and fat yet high in protein. Although eggs are perfect for bodybuilders, you can still become bored with them. Fortunately, eggs and egg whites can be substituted with other protein sources or be prepared using different cooking methods to create a greater variety....

About half of an apple's fiber is in the skin. Image Credit: alvarez/iStock/GettyImages Any food — including apples — can make you gain weight if you eat more than you burn each day. In fact, apples contribute healthy calories if your goal is weight gain. But if you watch total caloric intake, apples are more likely to help you lose weight than they are to be responsible for extra pounds. The star ingredient is fiber, which makes you feel full, keeps blood sugar balanced and goes a step further....

Cakes can be baked with whole eggs or just egg whites. Image Credit: Rayes/Photodisc/Getty Images In an ideal world, a sweet tooth wouldn’t have health repercussions. You’d be able to eat anything you wanted, any time you wanted, and you’d never gain a pound or worry about your heart. Unfortunately, you don’t live in a perfect world — and that means sometimes having to adjust your favorite recipes to reduce fat, or work with other dietary restrictions....

It is possible to sleep soundly. Image Credit: Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Wavebreak Media/Getty Images Ambien and melatonin have several differences but one distinct similarity – they are both sleep aids. If you are taking Ambien and still have trouble obtaining a restful night of sleep, adding melatonin to your regimen may give your sleep cycle a boost. Learning about Ambien and melatonin can prepare you for talking with your doctor about your sleep aid options....

It takes quite a lot of spirulina to cause weight gain. Image Credit: paulina monika walter/iStock/Getty Images Any food, including spirulina, can make you fat if you eat too much of it. In the case of spirulina, however, you’d have to eat a very large amount of it for it to lead to weight gain. Eating high-calorie, fat- or sugar-filled foods and not getting enough exercise are more likely to cause you to gain weight....

Seasoning steak with fresh-ground black pepper increases the savory meat flavors present in the steak. Image Credit: Jupiterimages/The Image Bank/GettyImages Roughly 1/3 of the meat Americans consume is beef, and if you have a nice steak dinner planned, a failed thawing process doesn’t have to ruin it. Advertisement Although cooking a fully frozen steak isn't practical, with a few tips, you can cook a steak that's slightly frozen. In fact, for some dishes, slightly frozen steak actually makes meal preparation easier....

A man peels an apple with a paring knife. Image Credit: Pixavril/iStock/Getty Images For optimal health, Americans should try to increase their fruit intake to comply with the recommendations of ChooseMyPlate.gov. Pears and apples are two fruit options available year-round in the United States and are easy to include in your diet. It can be difficult to balance the risk and benefits of eating the skin of these fruits, factoring their beneficial nutrients and potentially harmful pesticide residues....