Milk serves as a source of liquid to hydrate the dry ingredients, adds flavor, supports browning and softens texture. Image Credit: sugar0607/iStock/Getty Images Unlike cooking, baking is more of a science that relies on the mix of certain ingredients in the right proportions to get the best results. The purpose of milk in baking is varied and may depend on what you’re baking. Advertisement Tip Milk performs many functions in your baked goods....
When exercising your blood vessels expand and contract to pump blood toward your muscles. Image Credit: nd3000/iStock/GettyImages When you’re working out, your heart rate increases and your blood vessels open up. The dilation of blood vessels during exercise helps your muscles get the energy they need to keep working. Over time, exercise makes your circulatory system healthier and more efficient. Advertisement Tip During exercise, your blood vessels contract or expand to divert blood toward your muscles....
The term healthy gets thrown a lot around these days and everyone has a different understanding of what healthy. When it comes to food and nutrition, as a Registered Dietitian, healthy means well-balanced meals and that most foods are acceptable in moderation. So to compare two foods, like honey versus jelly, one needs to look at them wholly. Honey Honey is often referred to as nature’s sweetener but it is also an excellent fuel source, has antioxidant properties, is used in some medicinal products and can replace cough syrup....
What Muscles Does the Leg Curl/Extension Machine Work? Image Credit: microgen/iStock/GettyImages A trainer may send you to the leg curl or leg extension machine to work your legs. These two machines work the opposing sides of your thighs. Advertisement Use a leg curl machine to load the muscles in the back or posterior of the leg, primarily the hamstrings. The leg extension machine has you straighten your leg against resistance and thus works the muscles on the front or anterior of the leg -- your quadriceps....
Bananas are a good food to eat when you have a Salmonella infection. Image Credit: tycoon751/iStock/Getty Images Salmonella infection, one of the most common kinds of food poisoning, is caused by ingesting Salmonella bacteria, often from foods such as raw or undercooked meat or poultry. The symptoms of Salmonella infection include abdominal pain and cramps, muscle pain, chills, fever, nausea and vomiting. If you contract Salmonella poisoning, you will need to stay hydrated and eat a bland diet, at least until the initial symptoms go away....
Eating too few calories is not a good diet strategy long-term. Image Credit: Oscar Wong/Moment/GettyImages Since eating fewer calories is one way to lose weight, you may believe that you will see results faster by severely cutting your food intake. At first, you may even be rewarded with the fast results you’re after. In the long-term, however, hardly eating is an ineffective diet strategy and it is a surefire way to increase your risk of serious health issues....
Yoga during pregnancy has the benefit of strengthening your pelvic floor in preparation for delivery. Image Credit: fizkes/iStock/Getty Images Your pelvic floor isn’t a group of muscles you get excited about strengthening until you notice they’re not up to par. A strong perineum – located between the pubic bone and coccyx in both men and women – means you can avoid using adult diapers, supports pre- and post-childbirth vaginal strength and may even lead to better sex....
Knee pain can hamper playing soccer. Image Credit: Ian Spanier/Image Source/GettyImages If you’re totally immersed in the world of soccer, you’re probably aware that soccer knee injuries are an occupational hazard of this fast-paced sport. If you’re unlucky enough to experience one, a quick diagnosis and targeted treatment plan can help put you on the road to recovery. Advertisement Determine Soccer Knee Pain Cause Coping with knee pain and dodgy knees is like going about your daily routine with a nagging headache....
You can take steps to ease symptoms of leg burn from an intense bike ride. Image Credit: kapulya/iStock/Getty Images Cycling on a road, mountain or stationary bicycle provides cardiovascular and strengthening activity. You elevate your heart rate, burn fat and strengthen your abdominal, gluteal and leg muscles. However, cycling also can produce leg burn, a product of muscle fatigue. You quickly lose strength and coordination, and may feel deep pain or burning for the duration of your workout and beyond....
Apple cider vinegar adds flavor to food without calories. Image Credit: Natalia Klenova / EyeEm/EyeEm/GettyImages Have you heard of a garlic, apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper mix for weight loss? It’s one of the many combinations thought to have weight loss benefits. But is there enough evidence to support this claim? Advertisement Cayenne Pepper and Weight Loss Capsaicin, the active ingredient in cayenne peppers, has been found to possess weight loss benefits....
Testing for simple sugars is a quick and simple process. Image Credit: Hemera Technologies/PHOTOS.com»/Getty Images Simple sugars, also referred to as monosaccharides, are the basic unit of carbohydrates. Unlike sucrose, which is made of both a glucose and fructose sugar molecule, a simple sugar is either glucose or fructose respectively. Complex sugars, or polysaccharides, are present in foods like vegetables and whole grains. You can test for these simple sugars in your foods by using Benedict’s reagent, a solution made of copper sulfate and sodium hydroxide....
Make the most out of multitasking miso and add a couple of tablespoons to your go-to pasta sauce. Image Credit: Xsandra/E+/GettyImages Image Credit: Xsandra/E+/GettyImages When buying miso, aim to avoid preservatives. “The goal should be to look for products that do not list much more than water, organic soybeans, rice, salt and koji,” Bogden says, adding that some varieties may contain seaweed or barley as well. Fresh Mango Marinade Turmeric Marinated Grilled Chicken Tenders Healthy Lunch Fish Tacos...
Constipated With a Headache? There May Be a Connection Image Credit: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/DigitalVision/GettyImages Headaches are nobody’s idea of a good time. The same goes for being constipated. Nonetheless, many people endure both, getting headaches when they’re constipated. That’s often because a number of underlying conditions can trigger both at the same time. Advertisement Quick Look at the Conditions Constipation is defined as having less than three bowel movements a week....
Once and for all: Is antiperspirant bad for you? 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 Sweat 101 Antiperspirant vs. Deodorant Aluminum Benzene Side Effects The Bottom Line Antiperspirant has been getting a bad rap lately, with the active ingredient aluminum being blamed for seemingly everything from breast cancer to dementia....
Cassia acutifolia is a laxative that may be taken as a tea, but it should not be used in order to lose weight. Cassia acutifolia tea is a powerful laxative that can produce side effects including diarrhea, nausea and dehydration when improperly used. Any weight loss that results from drinking this tea will be temporary and will not involve loss of body fat. Consumption of the tea for more than 10 days may endanger the user's health....
The average body fat percentage for American adults is higher than the recommended healthy range. Image Credit: PeopleImages/E+/GettyImages You may know that calculating your body fat percentage can give you some insight into your overall health and risk for certain diseases. But before you do the math, you may want to know what a healthy range looks like and how that measures up to the average body fat percentage. Advertisement Here, we'll look at what's considered ideal when it comes to body fat and how the national averages stack up for men and women....
A doctor is analyzing a blood sample. Image Credit: psphotograph/iStock/Getty Images Low uric acid levels affect only 0.5 percent of the normal population each year, according to UpToDate. Uric acid is a chemical naturally produced and excreted by your body. While high blood levels of uric acid are common and may result in symptoms of gout, unusually low uric acid levels develop infrequently and are usually a sign of another underlying health condition....
Magnesium helps your body keep your bones strong, your blood sugar and blood pressure at normal levels, and your immune system functioning properly. It helps with the creation of protein, and it is involved in heart, nerve and muscle function. Consuming sufficient levels of magnesium may also help prevent liver problems. Magnesium and Liver Problems People who have fatty liver syndrome, whether induced by alcohol or not, and people with cirrhosis of the liver often have low magnesium levels, according to studies published in 1972 in “QJM” and in 2006 in ““Bratislavske Lekarske Listy....
The more intense the workout, the longer it will take to return to normal resting heart rate post-exercise. Image Credit: 1BSG/iStock/GettyImages Checking your pulse during and after exercise can provide pretty accurate assessment of your overall fitness. This is because the more physically fit you are, the faster your body recovers and heart rate returns to its normal level. Advertisement Your heart rate recovery is a measure of how fast your body returns to its normal resting state following exercise....
It can be quite helpful to put a mat under your at-home elliptical machine. Image Credit: Helin Loik-Tomson/iStock/GettyImages Elliptical trainers are types of fitness equipment designed for total body workouts. Although individual styles vary, these machines combine the effort and motion of stair climbers and traditional treadmills. Advertisement Arm bars with hand grips allow you to work the muscles in your arms and shoulders. An elliptical mat, which is a floor mat that fits under the base of an elliptical machine, fulfills a number of purposes....
