Heart Disease

I am 14 years old and for my high school physical education class, I am researching for a 15-minute presentation on health. My topic is the benefits of a healthy diet. I was wondering if you could briefly name some of the benefits. Of particular interest was the prevention of heart disease. I once...

Do you have any idea how much salt is in softened water? We recently had a water softener installed in our house. After watching my husband pour those 40-pound bags of salt in the tank, I began wondering how much salt we are getting in our drinking and cooking water. Softened water is about ten...

My total cholesterol has been measured a large number of times (as a benefit of being a regular blood donor). It varies from a low of 109 to a high of 150. The only time my HDL has been measured it was 43. My question is... Am I doing OK or should I be concerned? Blood...

When I put alcohol in a recipe, does it all cook off? Should I be concerned with how much alcohol is left? Alcohol added to a recipe may cook off, but it depends on how long you cook it. People with alcoholism should be concerned with how much alcohol is left which will be inconsistent...

I teach nutrition in Missouri and also teach in our local chemical dependency unit at the local hospital. I am trying to find a list of foods that contain alcohol but have had no luck. Do you have a list of foods that may contain alcohol? I've been compiling my own list, but know I...

Thanks again for the prompt reply and the very useful information. I liked your message especially because it is very encouraging. It suits my kind of age, health, and situation. We sometimes use olive oil too, but mostly Canola oil and some margarine (Canola oil or corn oil) only on Saturday and Sunday with...

Does caffeinated pop give us hiccups? Caffeine would not give you hiccups. The carbonation in the pop (also called soda) you drink may though.

I am going to be in a 100-mile bike race in July and have heard that some caffeine may help me last longer and go faster. Is that true? If so, how much caffeine should I take? Sports researchers have studied the positive effects of small amounts of caffeine on athletes by reducing fatigue. Caffeine-containing...

I've always been overweight (10-15 pounds), so I try to eat as little fat as possible. However, I know that I need to eat some fat in order to get the essential fatty acids. I was just wondering if there was any way to tell if my diet is actually low in fat and...

Which diet pop has the least amount of salt in it? I've been drinking four to five cans of diet pop a day. I've read it contains lots of salt. Diet pop contains less than 100 milligrams of sodium per 12-ounce can. That amount of sodium is less than one slice of bread. Diet colas...