Kidney Health

Electrolytes are more than just ingredients in colorful sports drinks. They play a crucial role in hydration, and they’re also necessary for nerve function and muscle contractions. In this article, we explore the many ways electrolytes are essential for bodily functions and how to maintain a healthy electrolyte balance with your food and beverages.

Asparagus may be a weird-looking vegetable that makes your pee smell funny, but it’s also a nutritional powerhouse and a culinary giant. What’s in asparagus that’s so good for you, and what health benefits does it provide? How do you select the best spears, and how do you store them for maximum flavor and nutrition? Find out below!

We’ve known about the vitamin antioxidants for a long time: vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene leap to mind. Recently, other phytonutrients such as lycopene and resveratrol have been having their day in the sun. But there’s one antioxidant that may be the most important of all, and it hasn’t really received the amount of attention justified by its impressive benefits. In this article, let’s get to know the dietary antioxidant glutathione.

Potassium is an essential nutrient for humans, animals, and plants. In synergy with sodium, potassium plays a role in maintaining the body's fluid balance and the health of your heart and kidneys. In this article, we’re going to look at the benefits of getting enough potassium, how much you need, and whether dietary sources are adequate and safe, especially from plant-based foods.

If you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, or if you want to prevent them from taking hold, there’s a lot you can do — even if you’re genetically predisposed! One of the main tools for tackling type 2 diabetes is diet — but which diet? Is low-carb the best way to go, or might it actually increase the long-term risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases? In this article, you’ll discover the dietary pattern that’s been shown to be the most effective for preventing, managing, and even reversing type 2 diabetes — as well as specific foods to include (and exclude) in your diet.

If you believe the hype, CoQ10 is a wonder supplement that can do everything from helping athletes recover faster to giving tired people more energy to slowing down the aging process. But how much science is there to back up these claims? What does CoQ10 do in the body, and what happens when it’s in short supply? And can we get it from food, or is supplementation the way to go?

Most plants manufacture compounds to protect themselves from predators. Some of these chemicals act by limiting the plant eater’s ability to fully absorb the rest of the plant’s nutrients. Called “antinutrients,” they’re the subject of heated controversy. Should we avoid foods that contain antinutrients, or do those foods offer more and greater health benefits than potential downsides?

Sesame seeds have gone from bun-decorating garnish to culinary stardom, as the Asian and Middle Eastern cultures that feature them have gone global. But are they good for you? And what can you do with them, aside from putting them on burger or sushi rolls? In this article, we’ll say “open sesame” to a cave of seed-based goodness.

If you don’t think about your kidneys a lot, that probably means they’re not giving you any trouble. But kidney disease is on the rise worldwide, and unfortunately, the symptoms may not appear until the disease has progressed to a dangerous stage. The good news is, dietary and lifestyle strategies can help to keep your kidneys in tip-top condition, and to support them even if you already have some kidney dysfunction.

Many people are most familiar with lab tests as something their doctor orders. But did you know that you can order your own tests? Here’s when, why, and what to consider when it comes to lab tests and taking back the power to manage and improve your health.

There’s a new molecule of interest in the ongoing investigation into what causes heart disease and other chronic conditions: TMAO. But where does TMAO come from? Why is it bad for your heart? And how can you minimize it in your body? Find out how TMAO affects your health and whether you may need to make changes to your diet.

When someone mentions “starchy foods,” they typically don’t mean it in a good way. But there are several types of starches, and not all of them are unhealthy. Here’s what you need to know about starch, which foods contain it, and how to tell if they’re healthy or unhealthy.