Dietary Essentials

Even those that don't banish all carbohydrates from their fridges and pantries seem to have fallen prey to the notion that darker-colored breads, rice, pasta, are inherently better for you than their paler counterparts. Are white carbs, though, as bad as you think they are?

Deciding how to eat can be confusing if you're new to the world of diets, and two commonly confused options for those looking to decrease sugar and processed foods while feeling better in the process are the Whole30 and Paleo diets. What's the real difference between the two?

If you are considering jumping on the intermittent fasting train, you will be happy to know that you don't have to cut out your coffee completely — but you may have to modify your order.

Reverse dieting, also known as recovery dieting, might help you ease out of a restrictive diet without gaining the weight back. Reverse dieting is meant to help you maintain the weight you're at now. Reverse dieting sounds like the best way to ease out of a more strict diet. But does it work?

Getting enough protein in your daily diet is critical, but when it comes to choosing your protein source, you might be wondering if an animal or plant-based source is healthier.

Is it healthy to be eating a minimum of two to three eggs a day? Is it healthy to follow a fad diet even for a short period of time? What happens when the diet is over?

Before you swear off bread completely, educate yourself about Ezekiel. Made from sprouted grains with no preservatives, this health store favorite is one of the few loaves that can accurately describe itself as a healthy carbohydrate.

It's hard not to think about cherries without thinking about our favorite cherry-inspired desserts, such as cherry pie. But luckily for us, whether we eat cherries alone or smothered in all that extra goodness, there are surprising health benefits hidden within.

In recent years, diet soda has come under scrutiny by the health community. Is it really a beneficial switch to convert from the high calories of sugared soda to the artificially-sweetened option? Or are there hidden harms that come with the diet version, and do they perhaps prevent weight loss?

Beetroot, or beets, are a vibrantly colored root vegetable packed with healthy vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Here's why you should add more beets to your diet.

Peanut butter is a deliciously versatile food. Since the invention of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich in 1901, it quickly became a lunchtime favorite and a staple in the American home. Unfortunately, this nut butter has been linked to health concerns.

If you'd like to shed a few pounds quickly, perhaps you're considering the Snake Diet. No, you won't be feasting on cobra in the name of calorie cutting, but plenty of experts think this approach is poisonous for another reason.

Maybe you consume lots of fruits, vegetables, and protein - or maybe not. Either way, you're to want to make sure you start including these foods in your diet.

Raw eggs can be found present in tangy tartars, delicate meringues, and that delicious bite of cookie dough we sneak while waiting for the cookies to bake. Giving these foods up would be difficult, so what is the real risk we're taking when we eat raw eggs?

The F-Factor diet, created in 2006 by registered dietician Tanya Zuckerbrot, is popular with celebrities — but is it something that's medically recommended or safe?

A medium-sized donut is 198 calories, nearly the same number of calories in a skinless chicken breast. Yet, we may feel guilty after a Dunkin' run, but pat ourselves on the back for lunching on a lean, grilled fillet. Is there more to the story than a simple calorie count?

Even when choosing brown breads, is there a difference between whole grains and whole wheat? How do you decide which one is better?

How do you follow what's been dubbed "lazy keto," a dieting strategy that, as its name suggests, is perfect for lazy people who'd rather not be bothered with food-tracking apps, measuring cups, and food scales?

When trying to conceive a baby, you want to give your body every advantage it can have. And now there's research showing that one simple dietary change makes a big impact on male fertility, increasing sperm count as well as sperm health.

What's the best way to stay hydrated? Is drinking regular water enough, or are options like coconut water and sports drinks just as beneficial? What's the real difference between coconut water and regular water, anyway?

But while it may not be harmful in the short-term, researchers are finding some disturbing outcomes among those who have followed a low-carb program for long periods of time.

Have you ever felt the urge to grab a bag of potato chips or popcorn for no good reason? Have you picked the visibly-salted french fries with your fast food meal over alternatives? Salt cravings are not uncommon, so you may be wondering what they really mean.

Nutrition experts agree that eating fruits and vegetables daily can significantly improve a person's health. But is it a good idea to eat only salad every day?

Going on the keto diet requires a complete rewiring of not only how you eat, but also a reframing of your concept of what the word 'healthy' actually means. Remember the days when you thought of bacon as 'fattening,' and of a yogurt parfait as a wholesome treat? Well, strike that and reverse it.

Between 2007 and 2013, Greek yogurt sales rose sharply, from 1 percent to a whopping 44 percent of the yogurt market. And its popularity has not even started to wane. But is the hype warranted? How does Greek yogurt compare to its old-fashioned cousin, regular yogurt?

There's no question that a grapefruit is a healthy food. A serving of this tart, ruby-fleshed citrus has 4 grams of fiber, only 82 calories, and is overflowing with vitamins C and A, and potassium — not to mention antioxidants galore. So what about the grapefruit diet?

When you think of an orange, the first health benefit that probably comes to mind is its high vitamin C content. And while it's true that one medium orange provides about 93 percent of the daily recommended allowance of this important vitamin, that's not their only advantage.