• Featured News

    Housecall: Does your vegetarian diet meet your nutritional needs?

Ingredients for a healthy vegetable salad with lettuce, chickpeas and avocadosTHIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
Vegetarian diet: How to get the best nutrition
Vegetarian diets continue to increase in popularity. Reasons for following a vegetarian diet are varied but include health benefits, such as reducing your risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. A well-planned vegetarian diet is a healthy way to meet your nutritional needs, but some vegetarians rely too heavily on processed foods, which can be high in calories, sugar, fat and sodium. Here's how to make sure your vegetarian diet includes everything your body needs.

Healthy bones for a lifetime
Your bones do more for you than you may realize. They give you the structure and support you need to breathe, walk, carry a heavy bag or ride a bike. Your bones also protect your organs, anchor your muscles, and store and supply calcium, a mineral that all body cells need. But in recent years, researchers have discovered that the skeleton also plays an important role in the endocrine system, helping to regulate your body's metabolism and sensitivity to insulin. Here's what you need to know to have healthy bones for a lifetime.

EXPERT ANSWERS
What happens when silicone breast implants rupture?
Ruptured silicone breast implants can cause breast pain or changes in the contour or shape of the breast. However, ruptured silicone breast implants aren't thought to cause breast cancer, reproductive problems or connective tissue disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Learn more from Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, a Mayo Clinic general internal medicine physician and past director of the Mayo Clinic Breast Diagnostic Clinic.

What are the symptoms of bladder infection in men?
Although bladder infections are more common in women, men can get them, too. It's important to know the signs and symptoms, and conditions that may be linked to an increased risk of bladder infection in men. Learn more from Dr. Erik Castle, a Mayo Clinic urologist.

PLUS ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Female fertility: Why lifestyle choices count
Video: 'New school anxiety'
Dislocated shoulder
Sun allergy

HEALTHY RECIPES
Buttermilk waffles
Sundried tomato pesto mayo
Turkey breast burgers for 2
Pineapple cream cheese pie with berries

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK
Weight-loss tip: Don't skip snacks
Do you feel guilty about snacking? Don't. Snacks aren't necessarily bad. In fact, well-planned weight-loss diets allow for snacks to help manage hunger and reduce bingeing. Eating a healthy snack of fresh fruit or raw veggies may stop you from taking second or third helpings at your next meal, dramatically cutting the total number of calories you consume.

Need practical advice on diet and exercise? Want creative solutions for stress and other lifestyle issues? Discover more healthy lifestyle topics at mayoclinic.org.

Receive a free e-subscription to Housecall and other health newsletters.