It’s common for people to experience drowsiness after the large turkey dinners that are often a part of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Although most people attribute the drowsiness to the tryptophan in turkey, this is unlikely to be the cause. Despite this somewhat negative perception of tryptophan, it’s actually an important nutrient that has considerable benefits.

Tryptophan is an amino acid that’s needed by the body to assemble proteins that are involved in numerous biological functions. Tryptophan is also an essential amino acid which means that it cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained through diet. When tryptophan is not consumed in adequate amounts, it can lead to a number of issues including mood disorders.

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Aspartame, more commonly known as NutraSweet or Equal, is an artificial sweetener that’s commonly found in many diet sodas and other low calorie products. Aspartame is a dangerous substance that should have never been approved, and because of the modern obsession with restricting calories, millions of people are risking their health by consuming the many products that contain it.

Aspartame has been reported to have upwards of 100 side effects, many of which are neurological or related to impaired nervous system function. Aspartame usage has even been associated with the diagnosis of serious conditions such as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, lupus, brain tumors, and even death. Under the NutraSweet label, aspartame is sold in more than 100 countries, is found in more than 6,000 products, and is consumed by more than 250 million people which includes more than two thirds of the American population. The fact that aspartame has significantly compromised the lives of many people is very real and its use is a serious risk that lacks any reasonable justification whatsoever, especially when natural alternatives exist that are much safer.

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Although the importance of essential fatty acids has become a mainstream topic, many people still don’t know exactly what they are or why they’re important. As a result, it’s common for such people to be consuming them in imbalanced or inadequate amounts and be wasting money on supplements that they don’t need.

As with most widespread health information, the food industry takes full advantage of the benefits and popularity of essential fatty acids by using them to market foods that are highly processed and unhealthy. Because of this, many people are consuming these critical fatty acids from less desirable sources and may be compromising their health as a result. To avoid this, it’s important that you know what essential fatty acids are, what they do, and what the best sources are.

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Based on some of the questions I get about my diet, I thought it might be helpful to write about my personal eating habits in detail. Since I often say that a healthy diet doesn’t have to be overly elaborate or time consuming, I think it’s only right that I explain from experience how it can be done.

Although my interest in preparing elaborate meals is growing, I generally don’t like to cook, especially not on a regular basis. However, I’m dedicated to doing whatever is necessary to support my health and wellbeing with excellent nutrition. Based on these factors, nutritional quality and efficiency are the focal points of my diet. Although my meals would never be mistaken for the work of a gourmet chef, I’m able to follow a very healthy and satisfying diet without having to dedicate a lot of time to it. By reading about my eating habits, hopefully you’ll realize that healthy eating doesn’t have to be as difficult or complicated as you may think.

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Wal-Mart stores are well known for their variety and low prices, but are often criticized about the questionable approach to their success. Among the many negative impacts that Wal-Mart is often accused of, their tremendous influence is degrading the quality of organic food.

Wal-Mart is the largest public company in the world and is the largest grocery retailer in the United States. They are able to offer such low prices because they use their prominence to pressure wholesalers into selling them goods at a significant discount. Although this is a great business tactic, it encourages wholesalers to compromise their level of quality in order to meet the demand. One such compromise is the use of cheap offshore labor. In fact, Wal-Mart has been accused multiple times of dealing directly with foreign suppliers that run sweatshops and is even known for treating their own employees poorly.

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Most people automatically associate a healthy diet with having to forbid themselves from enjoying their favorite desserts. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be the case.

Popular desserts like ice cream, pie, and cake tend to be what people enjoy most, and although the unhealthy reputation that these foods have earned is well deserved, it’s quite possible to enjoy them in healthy and nutritious forms that still taste great.

A Healthy Perspective on Dessert

Although they can come close, even the healthiest of desserts are still not meant to be more than a pleasing side dish. The foundation of your diet should always be healthy meals that are prepared from natural whole foods and should never be replaced with desserts.

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Probiotics have become a popular health topic, and although a lot of people are taking probiotic supplements, many of them don’t know what probiotics actually are, why they’re beneficial, and what the best sources of them are.

The term probiotic, meaning “for life” in Greek, was originally intended to identify the microorganisms that support good intestinal health. Probiotic supplements have become so common that they have now become the more dominant definition, but this doesn’t mean that they’re the best or only source.

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Despite the fact that processed food is becoming widely recognized as unhealthy, many people still have a flawed understanding of food quality and don’t know how to differentiate the good from the bad.

Unfortunately, many people allow their perception of healthy food to be influenced by the tremendous presence of the food industry. Like any other type of industry, food manufacturers are most concerned with making money and taking advantage of rising trends. As such, even foods that are marketed as healthy are often not.

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For more than half a century, saturated fat has been regarded as a deadly nutrient that clogs your arteries and causes heart disease. However, when you consider the fact that we’ve been eating saturated fat for millions of years, it just doesn’t make sense that it could be so unhealthy.

Modern science often neglects the importance of nature and this is one of the more prominent examples. Many reputable sources of information are now revealing that we’ve been misled and saturated fat does not cause heart disease. In fact, the “heart healthy” vegetable oils that we’ve been told to use instead of saturated fat pose a much more significant risk.

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It’s fairly common knowledge that trans fat is unhealthy, but many people still don’t realize how unhealthy it actually is. Trans fat is still quite common, and as such, it’s important that you’re aware of the dangers that it presents and that you’re able to identify it on an ingredients list.

Unfortunately, the food industry has a lot of incentive to continue using trans fat. Because of the myth that saturated fat causes heart disease, trans fat provides a convenient way for food manufacturers to give their products the consistency of solid fat without having to list saturated fat on the nutrition label. Margarine is an excellent example. Furthermore, trans fat is less expensive, has a longer shelf life, is easier to bake with, and has a reduced need for refrigeration. As such, trans fat provides a lot of potential for reducing production costs and increasing profits. However, the one factor that’s not fully taken into account, which is also the most important factor, is your health.

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