It is recommended that pregnant women eat fish that are low in mercury. Go for small-sized fish like bream, sea bass, cod fish and sardines. Eating fish three times per week has been shown to enhance brain and eyesight development of the fetus.

We all know that excess salt leads to an increase in blood pressure. But too little salt is also dangerous. Sodium is needed to transmit nerve impulses, contract and relax muscle fibers (including those in the heart and blood vessels), and maintain a proper fluid balance.

It doesn’t take much to do this.

It is recommended that you limit your salt intake to no more than 1 tsp per day. Watch out for canned foods, salted nuts, pickles and foods that you eat at restaurants.

Avoid adding table salt while not completely banning it!

Calcium oxalate stones are the most common type of kidney stones. The funny part is that you should neither cut calcium nor oxalate completely from your diet! You should eat foods that contain oxalate AND calcium at the same time. If these are joined outside of the kidney, they won’t join inside of it.

Green leafy vegetables, chocolate, nuts and sweet potato are examples of foods rich in oxalate. On the other hand, foods rich in calcium include milk and milk products.

For instance, you can eat spinach with rice and yogurt.

It is important to note that foods that contain oxalate should be eaten in moderate amounts.

Last but not least, you should increase your water intake. You might as well want to add lemon to it. Vitamin C really helps!

The ketogenic diet consists of 75 % fat, 20 % protein and 5 % carbohydrates. People eat meats, oils, nuts, avocado and high fat cheeses and completely avoid bread, pasta, rice, toast, beans, carrots, beetroot, sweeteners and fruits (the only exception: berries in small quantities). They opt for full fat foods instead of low fat.

Because of the low carbohydrate content, the body relies on fat for energy. Thus, weight loss.

Carbohydrates that are the major source of energy is not available. So the energy that you have will be less and you will feel tired and irritated most of the time.

The ketogenic diet also might increase cholesterol in the body because of the high fat content of the food. Also, since there is a lot of meat in the diet, the kidneys will get tired and the calcium might leach from the bones, either passing through urine or forming stones.

Studies show that throughout 6 months of dieting, both the ketogenic and traditional healthy balanced diet produce the same result.

If you want to gain weight, you should do so healthily! You can gain 0.5 kg/week just by increasing your caloric intake by 500 kcal/day.

-Eat in a big plate: you will see that the quantity of food is small, so you will tend to eat more.

-Don’t drink with meals.

-Drink milk/yogurt/smoothies… not just plain water.

-Add good fats to your salad: avocado/olive oil/walnuts/sesame/sliced cheese. These are healthy dense calories!

-Don’t be afraid to work out! Slight cardio as well as weight lifting (more weight + fewer repetitions) will make you gain muscles, which in turn will lead to weight gain.

There are two main reasons people gain weight while they quit smoking. First, you can smell and taste the food better if you’re not smoking, hence the desire to eat more. Second quitting smoking will decrease nicotine (which is known to increase your metabolic rate) in your blood.

Studies have shown that people who exercise while quitting smoking will gain much less weight than those who don’t!

You can chew on sugar-free gum to keep your mouth busy.

You could also hold a cup of herbal as a substitute to holding a cigarette.

Also, always remember to stay hydrated!

Eating small frequent meals throughout the day will definitely help.

Avoid chewing gum as it brings more air into your body

Avoid eating food with sugar alcohol

Test your intolerances. For example, if you are intolerant to lactose, try drinking lactose free milk.

If you wish to eat beans, it is recommended to soak them in warm water and cook them thoroughly. Then add cumin to your plate.

Common vegetables that lead to bloating and that are better to avoid are onions, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. You shouldn’t stop eating fibers. My advice is that you juice the veggies and drink it.

Hormones fluctuate during this period and your body burns 100 more calories. You therefore crave food, especially sugar. Unfortunately, you consume much more during this period.

Here are some tips on how to satisfy your cravings:

-Eat more. Increase the quantity of healthy foods and add fibers.

-Eat toast/milk/yogurt as a snack even if you are on a weight loss program. You can add fruits to yogurt and add honey/maple syrup.

-Opt for dark chocolateà regulates blood sugar + less stress because of magnesium.

-Add cinnamon to tea.

-Peel, cut, add cinnamon to apple and put in microwave à compote.

Only around 15 % of cholesterol comes from the food that we eat. The rest is produced by the body. We can eat up to 300 milligrams cholesterol per day. One egg contains 200-280 mg, depending on the size of the yolk. When we eat food that contains cholesterol, it does not really cause an increase in blood cholesterol. The reason behind that is that in this case, the liver decreases cholesterol production.

We can, therefore, eat 7 eggs per week without increasing the risk of having high cholesterol levels. The only exception is if someone is diabetic or if he/she is genetically predisposed, eating cholesterol-rich foods might increase their cholesterol levels.

There are three main concerns when we want to talk about post-workout nutrition:

-Refill energy stores.

-Increase muscles.

-Decrease muscle damage.

Hence the need for protein AND carbohydrates after exercise!

Some examples include grilled chicken with vegetables and rice, eggs with toast, yogurt with berries and granola, salmon with potato, protein shake and banana…

Your body starts burning fat for energy when you fast. Intermittent fasting is a feasible strategy to decrease triglycerides and cholesterol as well as to regulate blood pressure. It is good for the digestive system as well as for cell regeneration. It can also help you lose weight!

16/8 is an example during which you fast for 16 hours and you eat healthy foods within the remaining 8 hours (watch out for quality and quantity). This not only helps you reduce weight, but it is also healthy for your body. You should watch out for the quality and quantity of food: too little is just as bad as too much! You also need to drink water in order to prevent dehydration.

N.B: People who are taking insulin cannot do intermittent fasting since they can’t skip snacks. If they do, it will lead to hypoglycemia.

Here is a list of vitamins and minerals that are essential for making your skin young and healthy.

-Vitamin E: It gets absorbed in the skin and renders it soft and moist. It can also protect your skin from wrinkling. Vitamin E is mainly found in seeds, almonds and meats.

-Coenzyme Q-10: It is a type of antioxidant that helps keep the skin healthy. Without Q10, your body won’t be able to produce collagen and you will therefore have a wrinkled skin. Q10 decreases with age, hence the need to get it from beets and whole grains.

-Vitamin A: It encourages healthy skin cell production. It is found in eggs, carrots, kale and beets.

N.B: It is recommended that you consume good fats with Vitamin E, Q10 and vitamin A for them to get absorbed more easily.

-Vitamin C:It produces collagen, which makes the skin firm. It also protects the skin from the effects of aging. It is found in many fruits such as citrus fruits, strawberries, kale, pepper.

Selenium: It is an antioxidant that protects cells from damage. It is present in brazilnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, tuna and chicken.

-Omega-3 fatty acids: These good fats help your skin look healthier. They keep the skin hydrated and play a role in preventing acne and delaying skin aging. The foods highest in omega-3 are fish, walnuts and flaxseed.

-Probiotics: If your gut is healthy, then your skin will be so as well!Probiotics improve skin dryness, thus keeping it hydrated. One of the best sources of probiotics is yogurt.

Vegan diets exclude meats, eggs, milk and all milk products. Vegans are usually afraid of inadequate protein intake. If you eat the right foods, you’ll have nothing to worry about!

1 cup of beans – peas, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils – contains 13-16 g protein, which make it easy enough to attain the recommended protein intake. Even though quinoa is high in carbohydrates, it is also rich in protein. In addition to being part of a dish, quinoa can be eaten with fruits and maple syrup/soy milk/almond milk for breakfast or even as a snack!

As for chia seeds, 3 tbsp contain 5 g protein. You can add them to your main dish or even to your salad. You might as well want to eat them with almond milk, avocados and fruits as a snack!

Ginger and turmeric are two powerful spices that have been found to inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors due to their antioxidant properties. They also help treat inflammation and digestive problems. Ginger is widely known as a remedy for nausea, whereas turmeric may help with bloating and gas.

They can both be added to dishes, tea, smoothies and in baking recipes.

Acid reflux occurs when food (acid) moves back from the stomach into the esophagus. Maintaining a normal weight and eating the right foods are essential to controlling acid reflux.

There are some foods that you should stay away from.

-High fat foods such as fried foods, full fat dairy, fatty cuts of meat, desserts and cream sauces.

-Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and pineapples.

-Tomato sauce.

-Chocolate, caffeine and mint.

-Garlic, onions and spicy foods.

It is also recommended that you eat small, frequent meals and that you avoid drinking with meals. Moreover, avoid lying down immediately after eating and avoid eating within 2-3 hours of going to sleep.