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A basket filled with sweet potatoes. Image Credit: Roel Smart/iStock/Getty Images Managing constipation in a baby can be difficult. A baby who becomes constipated has difficulty passing a bowel movement and stools become firm and dry. She may strain or grunt during the process and stools are often small. Feeding your baby certain foods such as sweet potatoes can help her avoid constipation or resolve this situation if it happens. Consult your child’s pediatrician if constipation persists....

With numerous vitamins and minerals, a high-fiber content and antioxidants, baby spinach's benefits your health and can complement many dishes. Image Credit: Whitestorm/iStock/GettyImages If you’re looking for vegetables to add to your healthy diet, take a close-up look at leafy greens. Spinach calories are negligible. With numerous vitamins and minerals, a high-fiber content and antioxidants, this versatile food benefits your health and can complement many dishes. Advertisement Snapshot of Spinach Nutrition In focusing a spotlight on spinach nutrition, it helps to know a few things about this versatile food....

While amino acids do contribute calories to your overall diet, they won't necessarily cause weight gain. Image Credit: Amax Photo/E+/GettyImages Amino acids have the potential to cause weight gain, but their impact depends on a few variables. Like carbs and fats, amino acids contribute calories, which must be balanced by your activity level and energy needs. Advertisement Tip While amino acids do contribute calories to your overall diet, they won't necessarily cause weight gain....

A French press brewing fresh coffee next to a mug. Image Credit: Purestock/Purestock/Getty Images Coffee activates the production of stomach acid. This may result in an irritation of the stomach lining that can lead to more serious problems. People with a history of ulcers, acid reflux and heartburn or gastric discomfort after drinking coffee may want to avoid it. Ask your doctor whether drinking coffee can affect your stomach lining....

Bad dips can derail your workout. Image Credit: Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images Dips can certainly cause shoulder impingement, but learning proper form and pacing yourself in regard to weight can minimize your chances of injury. Dips can work your triceps, shoulders, chest and back, depending upon which variation you use, but the stress on your shoulders is constant. Performing the move properly puts more stress on your muscles and less on your joints....

Food combining advises to eat fruit on an empty stomach. Image Credit: FatCamera/iStock/GettyImages Unlike what it sounds, the term “food combining” isn’t referring to taking a mixed bite of steak and mashed potatoes. Rather, it’s an ancient Ayurvedic idea that different foods digest at different rates and should be eaten in a certain order or combination for optimal digestion and nutrient extraction. Sounds promising, but is it actually based in science?...

Cornbread turns out delicious and best of all, healthy, when baked with olive oil. Image Credit: Michelle Lee Photography/iStock/GettyImages In the quest to make your recipes healthier, you may try to replace all sorts of fats and oils with healthier versions. Advertisement Tip Among the healthiest of the fats is olive oil, and it can be worked into a number of recipes and cooking styles, though it won't work everywhere. It will, however, work well in cornbread recipes....

Peanut butter spread on pieces of bread. Image Credit: Yury_N/iStock/Getty Images Meal replacements are intended to take the place of a full meal, whether it’s breakfast, dinner or lunch. A peanut butter sandwich as a meal replacement for working out is an excellent choice because it provides your body with a range of essential nutrients, including carbohydrates, protein, fiber and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals. To maximize your nutrition, choose natural or organic peanut butter and whole-wheat bread that does not contain additives....

A balanced diet for a 30-year-old woman should include food sources that help build lean muscle mass and support bone strength. Image Credit: Westend61/Westend61/GettyImages Once you turn 30 years old, there are changes in your body that can have an effect on what nutrients you should include in your diet. A balanced diet for a 30-year-old woman should include food sources that help build lean muscle mass and support bone strength....

Floating in water isn't just for relaxation; it could help save your life. Image Credit: Westend61/Westend61/GettyImages Being stranded in open water without a life vest is a nightmare. If you ever find yourself in this situation without a boat to climb onto or land within a short swim, you need to know what to do to survive. Advertisement It's vital that you conserve energy, and the best way to do that is to know how to float....

Frozen vegetables are a great way to get the benefits of fresh vegetables in a way that lasts longer. Image Credit: AnaMOMarques/iStock/GettyImages Frozen vegetable nutrition and fresh vegetable nutrition are essentially the same, but the freezing process may cause slight changes in their vitamin content. The way you prepare vegetables at home can also affect the nutrients in these foods. Advertisement When your favorite vegetables are out of season or you can't find locally grown fresh equivalents, frozen vegetables are a healthy way to meet your requirements for these nutritious foods....

Muscles don't turn to fat when you stop weight training. Image Credit: stefanamer/iStock/GettyImages Most people understand the benefits of regular fitness — a better figure, improved strength and dexterity and more stamina — but few are aware of what happens to your muscles when you stop training and allow them to be inactive. Advertisement As your body transitions to a sedentary state, the muscles undergo a reversal. Understanding how muscles work and what happens to them when you stop exercising will help you in structuring a workout regimen and ensuring the maintenance of your muscle mass and definition....

Green tea may help slightly with weight loss. Image Credit: vaiv/RooM/Getty Images Beverages can be just as important as food when you’re trying to lose weight. For example, trading drinks that are high in calories for those that are calorie-free, such as green tea, can help make it easier to cut your overall calories. Green tea may also have some additional benefits for weight loss, although simply adding green tea to your diet isn’t likely to result in significant amounts of weight loss....

Yoga is not a recommended exercise if you have an epigastric hernia An epigastric hernia occurs in your upper abdomen when a bit of your peritoneum, or lining of your stomach cavity, peers through a separation in the muscle wall. Epigastric hernias are less common than hernias in the lower abdomen, with only a 0.5 percent prevalence rate, according to K.M Erickson of Sonographers.ca. More men than women have these, at a ratio of about 3 to 1....

Man slumped next to empty bottle of alcohol Image Credit: KatarzynaBialasiewicz/iStock/Getty Images Folic acid is a B-complex vitamin, a water-soluble vitamin primarily found in fortified foods and vitamin supplements. It is not a vitamin inherently found in most foods, and your body does not manufacture it. Folic acid is a stable form of folate, which is inherent in food and the body. Folate is an important nutrient needed for metabolism of critical enzymes and amino acids that is sometimes missing in alcoholics....

When weighing your options about a gluten-free diet, it is important to make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. Image Credit: Getty Images/Istetiana With the rising trend of gluten-free foods and the purported benefits of a gluten-free diet — like helping you lose weight or getting rid of bloat — it’s easy to fall into the trap. However, is a gluten-free diet actually healthy for you if you don’t have a gluten intolerance?...

These easy, high-protein snacks can support your metabolism while shooing away cravings. Image Credit: Ridofranz/iStock/GettyImages For many people, eating three meals a day isn’t enough to completely stave off hunger, especially if you’re very active and work out often. Snacks can help fill this void between meals by providing you with important nutrients. Advertisement When it comes to choosing a nutritious snack, it's best to go for high-protein foods over those high in fat and carbohydrates, McKenzie Hall Jones, RD, a registered dietitian nutritionist based in Los Angeles, tells LIVESTRONG....

Your body isn't able to break down the ingredients in gum. 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 Effects Complications Benefits of Gum Bottom Line Chewing gum is beloved for many reasons: It's a quick fix for bad breath, makes a tasty snack and can even be used as a nicotine replacement to help you quit smoking....

Image Credit: fcafotodigital/E+/GettyImages Historically, recommendations for reducing blood levels of LDL, or the "bad cholesterol," included a restriction of dietary cholesterol -- most commonly to less than 300 mg daily. But in recent years, these guidelines have changed. Most notably, the 2013 clinical guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans no longer include a specific cholesterol limit....

How Much Sugar Should a Toddler Eat Per Day? Image Credit: Sally Anscombe/DigitalVision/GettyImages The food choices you make for your baby can affect her weight and health outcomes throughout her life. When your child hits those picky-eater toddler years, keeping her healthy includes maintaining a close watch on her daily sugar intake. While some sugars occur naturally in foods toddlers like, such as fruit and dairy, the sugar added to processed foods for taste presents a bigger problem, because it can mount up quickly....