Fish Oil & IVF

In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is a medical procedure of manually combining sperm and eggs in a laboratory. The fertilized embryo is then transferred into the uterus. Couples with infertility problems may opt to try IVF, either using their own healthy eggs and sperm or using donor’s sperm and eggs. The success of IVF depends on many factors, including nutrition.

How to Get Fish Oil

Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential fatty acids that you can only obtain from your diet. These acids are found naturally in fatty and oily fish, such as tuna, salmon and halibut. Omega-3 fatty acids are important for brain function, growth and development. Consuming fish oil may also help to reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and arthritis. Although you can obtain omega-3 fatty acids from consuming some types of fish, you can also take a fish oil supplement.

What Are the Health Benefits of Catechins?

Green tea has long been associated with numerous health benefits, in part due to its catechin content. EGCG, which is the most commonly known catechin, is found in green tea. Catechins are a family of phytochemicals that confer benefits to your health, and they are found in a number of plant foods that you can easily incorporate into your diet.

How to Increase Vitamin C Without Synthetic Supplements

You are probably aware that orange juice is a good source of vitamin C, but this essential nutrient is also found in many other fruits and vegetables. You need vitamin C from your daily diet to help your body make collagen, the elastic tissue that is found in the skin, ligaments, tendons, cartilage and blood vessels. It is also important for the growth and repair of your bones, teeth and other tissues. Additionally, vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that reduces damage and inflammation in the body, helping to protect you from heart disease, arthritis and cancers.

Coconut Oil & Ketosis and Weight Loss

Obesity is a serious problem in the United States, and carrying around extra weight can put you at a higher risk for many conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. Thus, beginning a weight loss plan can have a very positive impact on your life. But many weight loss plans, such as ketogenic plans, may involve radically different foods and lifestyle considerations than those to which you are accustomed. To be safe and successful on such plans, make sure you understand them first. Consult your doctor prior to starting any weight loss plan.

How to Eat Healthy & Manage Money

When you're trying to manage your weekly budget, it may seem easier to reach for a frozen meal or buy a drive-in burger because preparing healthy dishes with a number of fresh and whole ingredients may not seem as cheap and convenient. However, you can eat healthy by making simple meals with foods that are packed with fiber and other essential nutrients.

How to Keep Your Sugar Level Even All Day

Keeping your blood glucose -- or sugar -- level even all day may seem like an impossible feat. If you’ve ever monitored your blood glucose, you know firsthand how much it can fluctuate based on the time of day, what you have eaten -- or have not eaten -- and if you’ve worked out or had a cocktail. While food, beverages, stress, illness and activity all affect your blood glucose level, achieving stable blood glucose always starts with your diet.

5 Steps on How to Be a Vegetarian

Vegetarianism is growing in popularity across the world. The Vegetarian Resource Group last reported that three percent of Americans are vegetarians, and that number seems to be increasing each year. That's good news for animals and the environment. As reported by the Mayo Clinic, a vegetarian diet that's well-planned can meet all the nutritional needs of people of all ages and lifestyles, including children, teenagers, the elderly, and pregnant women. Simple actions can bridge your current lifestyle to one that is vegetarian.

Healthy Insoluble Fiber

Part of a healthy diet, fiber is the part of plants that your body does not digest. The two types of fiber are insoluble and soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water while soluble fiber does. Eating a diet high in fiber reduces the risk of heart disease, regulates blood sugar levels, aids weight loss and normalizes bowel movements.

How to Stop Being Thirsty

Drinking plenty of water, juice, tea and other refreshing beverages is usually enough to keep thirst at bay. However, you can feel thirsty if you don't get adequate amounts of fluid and if your body loses water too quickly. Water makes up 60 percent of your body and it is needed for every vital function and process. The MayoClinic.com recommends that adults drink at least 9 to 13 cups of fluids a day. Not drinking enough water and other liquids can lead to dehydration, fatigue, dizziness and low energy. Feeling excessively thirsty can also be a sign of illness or disease, which should be diagnosed by your family doctor.

How to Get Potassium Without the Salt

Potassium, an essential mineral, is crucial for healthy functioning of all cells, tissues and organs in the body. Sodium, like potassium, is an electrolyte, or a substance that conducts electricity in the body. Your body works to keep potassium and sodium, the main ingredient in salt, in proper balance. Potassium is the primary electrolyte inside the cells while sodium is the primary electrolyte outside the cells. Although these minerals work together in your body, you can consume foods that are naturally high in potassium but low in sodium.

The 10 Weirdest Foods At Your Grocery Store (And Why You Should Eat Them)

The average grocery store sells 38,718 items. Like many shoppers, I usually buy the same 30 or so things every week, ignoring the other 38,688 options. Some of those options are just, well, weird. Millet? What’s that? Turkey neck? Gross. Chicken liver? No thanks, grandpa. But recently I’d spoken to nutrition experts who told me that varying the foods you eat can be good for your health. So I decided to take a closer look at all of those weird foods I’d never dream of eating. Should I try them? I wondered. Just how many different foods should I be eating in a week, anyway?

5 New Healthy Holiday Side Dishes

The holidays are made for eating. With tables and plates piled high with traditional, calorie-dense and often nutritionally lacking holiday foods, it’s easy to blow your ordinarily reasonable diet sky high. To offset some of that heavy fare without losing an ounce of holiday flavor, try some of these lighter (but still delicious) side dishes. With tasty combinations of nutrition-packed ingredients, you might just start a new tradition.

How to Make a Healthy Low Fat Cream Based Soup

During the colder months, a cream-based soup will quickly warm you up and fill your stomach. Unfortunately, rich and creamy soups can be fattening. By making your own creamy soup with easy substitutions, you will increase its nutritional value while decreasing its fat content. Your lower-fat version of cream soup will still beat the winter chill and taste delicious, but without the extra calories.

Is Milk Thistle From Cow's Milk?

Milk thistle has nothing to do with cow's milk or any other kind of milk. An herb with over 2,000 years of medicinal use, milk thistle is a flowering, quick-spreading herb native to the Mediterranean region. Milk thistle is often referred to as silymarin, a flavonoid found in the seeds of the plant. Its comes from the milk-like liquid that comes from the crushed leaves of the plant.

How to Structure Post-Workout Meals

A post-workout meal is just as important as the pre-workout meal. Providing the right type of fuel at the right time aids in recovery from the workout and helps to prepare your body for the next session. The refueling process starts with a 200- to 300-calorie snack ideally containing a 4-to-1 ratio of carbohydrates to lean protein -- 16 ounces of 1-percent chocolate milk. Consume the snack within 30 minutes after finishing your workout.

How to Kill Bad Bacteria Without Killing Good Bacteria

The human digestive tract is the residence of thousands of species of bacteria and microbes – some good, and some bad. Most species will coexist peacefully and serve to enhance the digestion of food, absorption of nutrients, and detoxification of toxins. They will also support the immune system, keeping pathological conditions in check. Stress and a poor diet will often upset this fragile ecosystem and favor the growth of bad bacteria, thereby, increasing risks for various digestive conditions, certain cancers, inflammatory diseases, and infections. It then becomes necessary to restore microbial balance for optimal health.

PCBs Found in Fish Oil Supplements

Fish oil supplements contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are touted for their anti-inflammatory, heart-protective benefits. However, fish oil supplements have come under concern from environmental research groups who say the supplements contain polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs. These harmful compounds have been detected in varying amounts in fish oil supplements. Manufacturers have taken extra steps to minimize PCBs. If you are concerned about your PCB intake, speak to your physician about the best supplement or method to take in fish oil.

5 Popular Meals Made Skinny

It’s rare that a craving for tofu strikes. Usually the foods we instinctively reach for are laden with too much fat and sugar. But your favorite foods don’t necessarily have to be off-limits. We asked expert nutritionists to re-imagine America’s most popular dishes, and find creative ways to boost these meals’ nutrition while lowering their calorie counts – and keeping their great taste. They came back with five dishes so tasty you won’t even miss the missing calories. So go ahead and dig in—really!

High Sugar Foods in School Vending Machines

Cash-strapped school districts often turn to soft drink sales as a means to finance school amenities, educational materials and supplies. These vending contracts may be lucrative, but selling sugary snacks and drinks to students in order to bolster school budgets is controversial because of the impact on children's health.