Feeling fuller for longer luckily does not require medication to do. Although medication can have a more pronounced impact, certain foods can slow down stomach emptying as well, without the side effects. 

Protein is an essential macronutrient that we need to get from our diet on a daily basis. Read on to find out more about the importance of this tasty macronutrient and how it impacts our health.

We all know that the food we eat has an impact on our health. Beyond just calories, the type of food we choose can make a big difference. Recent studies have shown that consuming a diet high in ultra processed foods can increase the risk of cognitive decline.

Legumes or better known as the edible fruit or seeds of legumes called pulses, are a powerhouse food packed with nutrients. These pulses include beans, lentils, green peas, soybeans, and peanuts. This often-overlooked food is a staple in many of the world's oldest cultures, and oftentimes some of the healthiest cultures.

The main claim to fame for beets is their nitrate content that gets converted to nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide has many benefits of which include the potential to lower blood pressure, relax the walls of blood vessels, and protect the endothelial lining of the blood vessels. 

Our bodies, including all mammals, have evolved very complex systems to enable us to survive when food is not available. Not only survive, but still be able to function properly and be able to fight or run if the need arose.

Without these systems, none of our ancestors would have survived prior to the industrialization of food. Unfortunately, our bodies do not evolve at the same rate as our industries do. As food has become readily available year-round and our pantries always well stocked, our bodies simply have not caught up.

Fad diets are always popping up and tend to always tote the greatest success with each one. But we all know that none of them are really successful long term. With social media it’s even easier to get overwhelmed with trendy diets promising big results only to leave us empty handed.

Is there really any good diet advice out there or is really just everything in moderation and common sense?

As we get older, we start to think more about our mortality. Something we didn’t give much thought to from childhood till about our thirties if not longer for some. But when those health problems start coming up and doctor visits become more frequent, it’s hard not to think about it. 

Take a minute to think about the last thing you ate. Do you remember what it was? How about how it tasted, the texture of it, the smell of it, how it made you feel? Chances are you can remember what it was, but the rest may be a blur. 

Sugar makes us feel good and we all eat way too much of it! Read on to find out the skinny on sugar and what you can do about it today to improve your health.

Do you have a clear picture of what you want your future self to look like? If not, now is the time to start creating it. The first step is to think about what your ideal self would be. What do you want to be like? What kind of lifestyle do you want to have? Once you have a good idea of your ideal self, you can start making lifestyle changes to work towards it.

Pretty much everyone knows that the holidays come with a few extra pounds by the end of the year. However, this does not have to be the case and this year you can save your New Year's resolutions for something else! 

Knowing you should eat more plants is easy, but incorporating more plants into your meal becomes difficult at times. Many people start by adding a salad to their lunch or dinner. While this is a great way to incorporate many different colors it can get boring and not work for every meal.

Stress, whether physical or mental, can impact our health, weight, and even food choices. Stress in small amounts can be beneficial to the body. Physical stress from running or lifting weights helps our body become stronger. However, long-term daily stress can have the opposite effects.

Most people who find themselves in a yo-yo weight loss start off by following a rapid weight loss diet. If the initial weight loss is faster than the body has time to adjust for, there will be a lag. The plateau occurs when the body finally catches up to your new weight. Many things happen at this point but a major one is a decrease in your metabolic rate to reflect your now lighter body. 

Injuries happen no matter how careful we try to be sometimes, and we have very little control of what happens during the injury event. However, we do have control of what we do to recover from our injury. Regardless of it being an accident or medical (ex. surgery), there are several nutritional changes we can make to help our body recover. 

Unfortunately, all this convenience came with a cost. In order for the food items to be shelf stable, not cake up, maintain texture, etc., chemical additives had to be used. Not to mention the use of artificial flavors and colors.

Just take a look at the ingredients list of a highly processed food item and you’ll see a whole paragraph of added preservatives, flavors, stabilizers, colors, etc. 

The newest diet movement in the last several years is to eat a whole food plant-based diet. However, what does it mean to eat whole food plant based? Is this a new name for a vegetarian or a vegan diet? The short answer is, yes it sort of is. The long answer is what this blog is about.

When we consume sugar, insulin is released from our pancreas into our bloodstream. Insulin acts as both a key and a transporter for sugar to our cells that then use it as energy. Insulin resistance occurs when the body’s cells become resistant to the action of insulin. Unfortunately, there are rarely any recognizable symptoms until insulin resistance develops into type 2 diabetes.

Increases in simple carbohydrates, saturated fat, sodium, and alcohol (for those that drink) are just half of the problems that come along with summer meals. It’s what’s missing from these meals that is the other half.

Decreased intake or none at all of fiber, healthy fats (mono- and poly-unsaturated) and nutrients (minerals, vitamins) is what really makes summer eating take a toll on the body.