Natural diuretic foods and drinks stimulate your kidneys to produce more urine, unloading excessive fluid and salt. Although they vary greatly in effectiveness, these foods and drinks allow you to take in healthy nutrients rather than prescription medications (“water pills”). You may be retaining too much fluid if there is … Read More
Kristen N. Smith, PhD, RDN, LD
If you’ve ever suffered from headaches, you’re well aware how disruptive they can be. When they strike, they might inconvenience an hour, wipe out an entire day, or in cases of migraine, especially vestibular migraine, they can negatively impact quality of life. More than 17 percent of women and nearly … Read More
Kristen N. Smith, PhD, RDN, LD
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, is a frustrating condition that can disrupt and negatively impact the quality of daily life. The normal, everyday movement of simply standing up triggers rapid heart rate, dizziness, or a drop in blood pressure that usually resolve upon laying down. Although the cause isn’t … Read More
Erythritol is a natural sugar substitute made by fermenting corn, called a sugar alcohol. Other sugar alcohols are sorbitol and xylitol. Because they are all natural, the FDA does not consider them to be food additives. Other artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharine are made from chemicals in a laboratory. … Read More
According to the National Library of Medicine, caffeine is the number one stimulant used by people around the World. A little caffeine can make you more alert and less tired. Too much caffeine can make you irritable and shaky. Although coffee is the main source of too much caffeine, a … Read More
Having healthy levels of cholesterol to reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke is a lifetime commitment. It takes effort and it takes time. To lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides with diet and lifestyle changes may take 12 weeks or longer. There is no magic number since everybody has … Read More
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), GERD can cause stomach juices to flow up into your esophagus all the way up to your throat. When this happens at night, you may wake up with the sensation of choking on your saliva, but you are really experiencing nighttime acid … Read More
If you monitor your blood pressure at home, you may notice that your pressure is usually higher in the early morning. This is normal because your blood pressure has a normal variation that follows your body’s biological clock, also called your circadian rhythm. Blood pressure is higher a few hours … Read More
Kristen N. Smith, PhD, RDN, LD
Many of us get a caffeine fix each day, either through a morning coffee jolt, a revitalizing cup of tea in the afternoon, or through any number of the usual suspects—soda, energy drinks, chocolate. The question is, do we NEED it to get us through an otherwise groggy morning, to … Read More
Kristen N. Smith, PhD, RDN, LD
What was once a simple decision between whole, low-fat, or skim milk, the list of choices now has a variety so vast, it’s dizzying. Whether made from nuts, seeds, legumes, or grains, plant-based milk has skyrocketed in popularity. Cow’s milk still tops retail sales, but nondairy “milk” brought in nearly … Read More
