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Cucumbers contain some valuable vitamins and minerals. Image Credit: La Bicicleta Vermella/Moment/GettyImages You’re used to seeing cucumbers on a salad or as a topping for your favorite sub sandwich, but did you know that this unassuming fruit offers a lot of health benefits? Cucumber benefits include improved hydration and weight loss, just to name a few. Advertisement It's really hard to overdose on cucumbers, and cucumber side effects are minimal. You don't have to worry about pesticides or waxed skin....

A pint of stout beer on a patio table. Image Credit: zmurciuk_k/iStock/Getty Images Stout is a type of beer that has been around commercially since 1820 and consists of many types, including dry stout, cream stout and oatmeal stout. Stout beers are much thicker than most beers, and tend to contain more calories than other beers. Advertisement Guinness The popular Irish brewing company Guinness is well known for its stouts, which compared with other stout beers, contain a relatively low amount of calories per pint....

Self-rising flour can throw off the texture and flavor of your baked goods if used incorrectly. Image Credit: Sergei Dolgov/iStock/GettyImages It’s natural to assume that because self-rising flour eliminates the need for leavening agents in your baked goods that it is a better choice than all-purpose flour for baking. In some cases, this is true and self-rising flour is a convenient alternative to regular flour, but that is not always the case....

Swimming is a great exercise for people with a herniated disc. Image Credit: Patrik Giardino/The Image Bank/GettyImages A herniated disc can be so painful that it makes everyday tasks feel daunting. It may even cause you to give up your cardiovascular exercise routine, but a sedentary lifestyle can actually worsen your pain. Advertisement Don't jump right into your normal cardio routine with a herniated disc — a "no pain, no gain" attitude can make your condition significantly worse....

Nuts often take a toll on the digestive system, but cashews aren't too bad. Image Credit: Aeril01/iStock/GettyImages Once you start eating cashews, it can be hard to stop, given their unique buttery flavor. While their nutritional profile might make cashews a bit easier on the stomach than other nuts, and therefore an ideal snack for active people, eating too many at once can cause digestive problems. Advertisement "Nuts and seeds in general tend to be high in fat and fiber, but cashews are a little lower in those nutritional components and a little bit higher in protein and carbohydrate than many other nuts," says Katherine Zeratsky, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota....

A typical chicken gyro is a good source of fiber, protein, B vitamins, vitamine A and calcium. Image Credit: Karam Miri/Hemera/Getty Images With its combination of chicken and veggies, chicken gyros make for a healthy meal-on-the-go. While the total number of calories and nutrients depends on the type and amount of ingredients you use, a typical chicken gyro is a good source of fiber, protein, B vitamins, vitamin A and calcium....

Allergies can get worse with age, but other age-related conditions might be causing your symptoms. Image Credit: raquel arocena torres/Moment/GettyImages In This Article Why Allergies May Worsen With Age Things That Mimic Allergies Why Some Allergies Can Improve With Age You used to savor the scent of springtime, but suddenly your favorite season is sending you into a sneezing frenzy. What gives? Advertisement Nope, you're not imagining it. You can develop allergies (or they can worsen) with age....

Apples contain malic acid and ascorbic acid, which is more commonly called vitamin C. Image Credit: Marccophoto/iStock/GettyImages Apples might not be the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of acidic foods, but they do have two different types of acids in them. The majority of the acid content in apples comes from malic acid, while the rest is the form of ascorbic acid — a more scientific name for vitamin C....

Keep those celery leaves and make them into a healthy soup. Image Credit: al62/iStock/Getty Images Next time you buy celery, save the leaves to eat alone or incorporate into recipes. Celery leaves offer nutritional value that can boost your health. Celery leaves make a good choice for weight-loss diets because they are low in calories and provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and macronutrients. Advertisement Calories and Fat A 100-gram serving of celery leaves, about 3....

Exercises for torn ankle ligaments will help you strengthen and rehabilitate your injured ankle. Image Credit: structuresxx/iStock/GettyImages A single misstep can lead to an ankle sprain with torn ankle ligaments. Here’s what you need to know about ankle ligament damage and rehabilitation. You can do these exercises to strengthen your ankle ligaments after an injury. Advertisement ​Read more:​ 6 Vitamins and Nutrients to Make Your Tendons and Ligaments Strong Video of the Day Ankle Ligament Damage and Rehabilitation The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons explains that ligaments are strong bands of fibrous tissue that connect one bone to another....

Planks are a great way to tone and tighten your entire core. Image Credit: jacoblund/iStock/GettyImages Hanging belly fat is a bodily feature that causes many people frustration. Even though exercise is an important aspect of losing this fat, you must also adjust your diet to promote weight loss. By doing body-weight calisthenics, cardio and ab-specific exercises, in conjunction with healthy eating, you will burn the fat and create better muscle tone — not just in your lower stomach, but throughout body....

An expanding belly means you're accumulating visceral fat, which can be lost via exercise and a healthy diet. Image Credit: Peter Hince/Photographer’s Choice/Getty Images Excess fat in your abdomen should not be dismissed as a natural part of aging. The middle-age spread and love handles increase your risk of developing chronic disease more so than other fat in your body. Losing weight is a gradual process, but the midbody fat tends to respond first to classic strategies of diet and exercise....

The juicy fig makes for a standout topping alongside savory foods like cheese and meat. Image Credit: jenifoto/iStock/GettyImages While figs might be associated with those soft and chewy cookies your grandma likes, the truth is, these little fruits are delicious on their own and easy to incorporate into various recipes. Advertisement "Figs are often grouped under the fruit category, but they're technically a flower that grows inside an edible shell," May Zhu, RD, LDN of Nutrition Happens, says....

A man and woman are shopping in a drug store. Image Credit: Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images Folic acid is the synthetic form of the B-vitamin folate. Folate naturally occurs in a variety of foods but your body absorbs folic acid better, reports the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The amount of folic acid recommended to prevent deficiency in a 50-year old woman is quite small and you can easily meet this requirement by eating certain foods on a regular basis....

Pork chops cooking on a grill. Image Credit: Olgaorly/iStock/Getty Images Food poisoning from eating undercooked pork often comes from meat that was already infected with parasitic organisms or contaminated with bacteria during slaughter, processing or preparation. Food poisoning from pork can cause severe illness, although symptoms vary depending on the contaminating germs, the amount of contaminant ingested and the individual’s age and overall health. Proper food handling and cooking can substantially reduce the risk for food poisoning from pork....

Make sure that you watch how many carbs you eat. Image Credit: fcafotodigital/E+/GettyImages While medications like metformin can help you gain control over your blood sugar, it doesn’t give you the freedom to eat whatever you want. While there’s no metformin diet, you should be following the diet recommended to you by your doctor or dietitian to manage your blood sugar. Advertisement What Is Metformin? Metformin is a medication prescribed as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and insulin resistance....

Close up of full Fuji apple with a slice cut out. Apples are common and inexpensive foods that are also very nutritious. The Fuji apple variety is large and pale red in color. It keeps well and supplies several different nutrients that are important for your health, such as vitamin C. Adding a Fuji apple a day truly may keep your doctor away. Advertisement Bioflavonoids Bioflavonoids are present in plant foods, such as Fuji apples, and benefit your health in many ways....

A doctor testing a patients glucose level Image Credit: kiatipol/iStock/Getty Images The glycemic index, or GI, is a ranking tool that focuses on the glycemic loads of foods. The GI uses a numeric scale from zero to 100 to describe how much each food alters blood sugar levels. One 5-ounce tomato has a GI of less than 15, which is low. Advertisement A Low-GI Food One serving of tomato will not lead to spikes in blood sugar....

It's possible to have an allergic reaction to hair, skin and nail supplements. Image Credit: Photo by Cathy Scola/Moment/GettyImages Luxurious hair, glowing skin and strong nails … what’s not to love? That’s one reason beauty supplements that make these promises are so popular. But before you try these products, it’s helpful to be aware of hair, skin and nails vitamins’ side effects. Advertisement For starters, what's in hair, skin and nail supplements?...

Spending too much time sans shoes could lead to painful foot problems. 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 Barefoot Trend Risks Benefits What to Wear at Home The Bottom Line After a long day with our feet contained in cramped, stiff, narrow or generally uncomfortable shoes, many of us wiggle our toes in delight when we arrive at home....