Family Health & Nutrition, Eating for Better Health

Nutrition and dietary supplements can help you reduce your risk factors for chronic diseases. Good nutrition is also an important part of treatment for many chronic health conditions.

Subtopics

• Diabetes & Diet
• Osteoporosis & Diet
• Heart Disease & Diet
• Diet & Pregnancy
• IBD & Diet
• Kids' Nutrition
• Diet & Inflammation
• Nutrition & Aging
• Food Allergy & Intolerance

Articles & Resources

High Blood Pressure Diet: Recommended Foods
Eating the right foods can help you keep your blood pressure down. About.com's high blood pressure guide tells you how.

High Blood Pressure Diet: Foods to Avoid
Just as the right foods can help keep your blood pressure healthy, the wrong foods can make your blood pressure go up. About.com's high blood pressure guide has more.

Questions and Answers About Nutrition
I get a lot of questions from readers. Browse through the list of FAQs to read the questions and my answers.

Is Eating Late at Night Bad for Us?
A bedtime snack is just fine, but some people have a problem called Night Eating Syndrome. Learn more about this over-eating disorder.

Carrots May Prevent Cancer
Carrots are not only good for healthy vision, they also contain a substance that may help to prevent cancer.

Unhealthy Lifestyle and Americans
Americans are leading an unhealthy lifestyle. A Michigan State University study shows that very few Americans follow four basic healthy lifestyle characteristics. Learn about these characteristics and if you follow a healthy lifestyle.

Obesity Adds Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
A study finds that people who have a family history of heart disease have more reason than most to keep their weight down. In these families, the Hopkins team found that siblings who were obese or overweight had a 60 percent increased risk of suffering a serious heart ailment, such as a heart attack, before the age of 60.

How You Can Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease With Diet
There are several risk factors for heart disease and some of those risk factors can be improved by changing your diet. Learn more about your diet and cardiovascular disease.

Overweight and Obese - We Need to Eat Less
The rates of obesity continue to rise. We need to eat less or suffer the consequence of chronic illnesses due to obesity. Why do we eat too much and how do we stop?

Eating for a Healthy Heart
Each year many people learn that they are at risk for heart disease. Did you know that what you eat can have an effect on your heart disease risk factors?

How Can I Lower My Cholesterol By Changing My Diet?
Making changes in your diet and adding certain vitamins and nutritional supplements may help to lower your cholesterol.

The DASH Diet
Learn about the DASH diet that was developed for people who have high blood pressure.

Foods for a Healthy Heart
Here are ten foods that when eaten as part of a healthy diet can make your heart and the rest of your cardiovascular system healthier.

High Blood Pressure, High Blood Sugar and High Cholesterol
Syndrome X, or insulin resistance shows up as a combination of high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol. One way to beat Syndrome X is by eating a healthy diet.

Which Foods Contain Potassium?
Potassium is a dietary mineral commonly found in our diets. Some people with certain health problems need to restrict potassium in their diets and other people may need more potassium.

Find the Hidden Salt in Your Dietbr> Do you think you’re doing enough to reduce sodium by not adding extra dashes from the salt shaker to your dinner plate? That will help, but it’s not nearly enough. The bigger problem is that salt and sodium hide in soup, cereal and frozen dinners -- and the result can be higher blood pressure.

Is Yogurt Bad for Arthritis?
Yogurt is a dairy product that contains beneficial bacteria. Learn more about yogurt and arthritis.

Nutrition Needs and Recovering From Alcoholism
A reader who is recovering from alcoholism wants to know if a healthy diet and dietary supplements can improve health while recovering.

Foods and Interstitial Cystitis?
Interstitial cystitis is a painful bladder condition. Certain foods and ingredients may irritate interstitial cystitis. Find out which foods to avoid.

Asthma Diet
Obese asthma sufferers often have improved lung function when they lose weight. Here is a diet designed for asthma patients.

The COPD Diet
The foods you eat can really affect your health. If you have COPD, this article will help you understand which foods may help you to feel better.

Nutrition and Hair Loss
A female reader wants to know if diet and nutrition can have any effect on hair loss.

Women's Nutrition Guide
Quickly check women's nutrition needs with this handy guide.

Diet and Female Hormones
HRT has dangerous risks of blood clots, stroke and breast cancer. What are some diet changes than can help with a woman's hormonal problems?

Caffeine, Calcium and the Thyroid
Does caffeine affect thyroid function? About's Thyroid Diseases guide, Mary Shomon tells us about how caffeine affects the thyroid gland.

Grapefruit and Armour Thyroid.
Will eating grapefruit, or taking calcium or iron supplements have an adverse affect on thyroid medication?

Can Your Diet Help MS?
Dietary changes are not going to cure for MS; however the foods you eat may help to alleviate some symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

How Do You Get Rid of Candida?
Candida is a yeast and systemic candida can cause symptoms such as digestive problems, allergies and fatigue. Find out how to handle candida.

Is the HOPE-TOO Vitamin E Study Flawed?
Vitamin E supplements continue to offer health benefits to millions of people. Is the HOPE-TOO study flawed? Read the Council for Responsible Nutrition's opinion on this study.

Vitamin E Shows Heart Health Benefit for Women
The Council for Responsible Nutrition offers information on the safety and efficacy of vitamin E supplements for women.

Vitamin E May Prevent Cataracts
Results from a new scientific study demonstrate that supplementation with vitamin E may offer significant protection against development of cataracts that can cloud the eye's natural lens primarily during aging.

Is Vitamin E Safe?
This article discusses a meta-analysis of previous vitamin E studies. This new study suggests that vitamin E is dangerous at high doses.

How Do Large Amounts of Phosphorous Affect Our Bodies?
A reader wants to know what happens if you consume very large amounts of phosphorus.

Soy and Phytoestrogens
Phyto-estrogens are often used to reduce the discomfort of menopause. Soy is a great source of phytoestrogens.