general nutrition FAQs

We have reviewed this study along with others which have found the opposite or no association between breast cancer risk and vitamins. Also, other larger scale studies, such as the U.S. Women’s Health Initiative, have found no link between multivitamin use and the chances of dying, developing cancer and cardiovascular disease. More...

Basically craving sweets/sugar is a combination of an innate trait and a learned response for all humans. Innate because sweetness translates in the brain as immediate energy and is therefore important to our evolution/survival. More...

The bar appears to be positioned as an aid for weight control based on its fiber content and certainly NOT a pre- or post-workout product. More...

The short answer is you can eat pasta any time and often as you like as long as your average total daily calories from all foods does not exceed the amount of calories you burn since your goal is weight loss. More...

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide nutrition and physical activity recommendations which aim to help individuals maintain health and prevent chronic disease. More...

Green PhytoFoods contain blue-green algae (spirulina), Gingko Biloba, antioxidants, and plant-based enzymes. The main compound however is the Spirulina which contains small amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals. More...

First, multiple vitamin and mineral (MVM) supplementation is just that: a supplement to your best possible food diet. Second, MVM supplementation was designed to cure nutritional deficiency disease More...

There are numerous countries that border the Mediterranean Sea including the northernmost countries of Africa, some of Southern Europe, Turkey and the Aegean islands. The Mediterranean Diet is not one specific diet, but represents a set of dietary choices that is common in this region of the world. More...

Too much of anything can be bad for you. But in the proper amounts, dietary fat makes a contribution to good health. There are essential fatty acids that the body needs for health and normal functioning that must be obtained through diet. More...

The short answer is yes. Now let's discuss why. You’ve probably heard for years that you do not need to take supplements because you can get everything you need by eating a healthy diet. The biggest obstacle to this approach is that no one consistently eats a healthy diet or can define what a healthy diet is. More...

While it is true that any food (carbs, protein or fat) can be stored as body fat when daily calorie intake exceeds expenditure, where the fat is stored is not determined by the type of food. More...

The first step in controlling and changing emotional eating is to learn the high risk situation(s) that cause you to eat when you are not hungry. More...

Tea (all varieties) is one of the most consumed beverages in the world and its consumption has been associated with lower incidences of diseases such as cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. More...

There is no valid research showing that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is associated health problems or weight gain. More...

This is almost a trick question because insulin responds to virtually everything you put in your body. Its role in the body, after all, is to take amino acids, glucose and fatty acids and put them into storage for later use. More...

Yes, as the most current pervasive thinking goes, we should all pay attention to our sodium intake and some people more than others. High sodium (salt) intake increases blood pressure and reducing sodium intake decreases it. More...

Eat them together at each meal if possible – just like everyone else. There is no need to separate your protein and carbohydrates. More...

Sugar has been vilified by the popular press but moderate amounts will not hurt any healthy person. In fact, the right amounts and kinds of “sugar” can be a positive contributor to the training-induced results of athletes and exercisers. More...

Even if you feel you are using many of these packets a day, every day, the amount needed to sweeten food and beverages is so small it is virtually zero calories. More...

Fats, carbohydrates or protein added to alcohol are processed in the body just as they are when delivered in foods. But alcohol itself is unique in that it cannot be converted to blood sugar, but instead must be processed as a fat in order to be used for energy. More...

As long as one does not have adverse reactions to coffee or stimulants, coffee may offer more health benefits than most other beverages when consumed in moderation (from one to six 8oz cups per day). More...

Some carbohydrates are healthier than others, but ultimately eating more calories than you burn makes you fat, whether those calories come from carbohydrates, protein or fat. More...

Fiber, indigestible chains of carbohydrate present in all plant foods, is categorized by its ability to dissolve in water. Fiber that partially dissolves in water is labeled soluble fiber and that which does not dissolve in water, insoluble. These differences lend unique benefits to each type of fiber in the diet. More...

The actual recommendation for someone with your goals (dieting and presumably exercising with a fat loss goal) is listed below under “active recreational athlete” and “adaptation period”. You should strive for 1.2—1.8 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight, or .5--.8 grams of protein per 1 pound of body weight. More...

No, eating more calories than you burn makes you fat, whether those calories come from carbohydrates, protein or fat. There are essential fatty acids that the body needs for health and normal functioning that must be acquired through diet. More...

It’s true that Splenda (which 600 times sweeter than sugar) is made using chlorine, but there is no evidence that the chlorine atoms in sucralose are any more dangerous than they are in sodium chloride (i.e. table salt). More...

At this time it appears the answer is no, at least not in full, unless you ingest very large doses daily. But flax oil may deliver benefits of its own. It’s not uncommon for people to think they get the same potential health benefits because both flax oil and fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, but there is a difference in their structure and conversion once in the body. More...

Any time your total calories consumed (food eaten) is greater than your calories burned, the excess calories are stored as fat. More...

Simply put, your body uses more carbohydrate for energy in a day than it uses protein to build muscle. Carbohydrates are pure energy foods that you continually use to keep your body alive and in motion. More...

The short answer is no. There is no cause-and-effect relationship established with drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome (which is a host of obesity-related diseases). More...

No. Eating more calories than you burn makes you fat, whether those calories come from carbohydrates, protein or fat. More...

In short, we don’t know. The research on genetics and how they interact with your diet is still in its infancy. More...

Negative calorie foods are a myth. It is a common misconception that foods high in fiber such as the ones mentioned above burn more calories during digestion than they contain. More...

The only weight loss benefit resulting from a colon cleanse is the weight removed from your intestines. In other words, the number on the scale may go down immediately after you cleanse, but unless you are “dieting” that number will return to normal soon after. More...