I am a 29 year old woman. I am interested in increasing my muscle mass. Could you please tell me what steps to take in weight lifting as well as in changing my eating habits for a healthier diet?

Can you explain the difference in healthiness of breads and grains? Are all darker grains better for you than lighter counterparts? Why? If all bread is low in fat, how can it be bad for dieters, etc.?
Thanks!

I am a woman who has a family, full-time job, and a very busy life, generally.

Three years ago, I joined a local health club because I was not getting enough exercise. Since then, I have tried to work out three times a week. Every time I exercise on the treadmill, even though I am not running but only walking fast, I experience leg pain in the back of my calves. I have tried stretching to warm up but nothing seems to help. Do you have any suggestions? The pain in my calves is preventing me from increasing my speed and improving my conditioning. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have.

Most of my friends and I often eat out for many of our meals. What are the effects of this trend on health?

I've been taking a daily supplement of 400 IUs of vitamin E. I recently bought a bottle of 1000 IUs, and a friend told me that that's too much to take, and could even be bad for me. Is that true?

Can I run when I am pregnant?

After practicing yoga in normal temperatures for years, I recently attended a heated yoga class (heated quite hot: 95 to 100 degrees!). The experience left me dizzy, nauseous, and completely enervated. Afterwards, I expressed my concern to the teacher, asking why the studio needed to be so hot. She "explained" that by sweating, supposedly the body releases "toxins" and that my nausea and dizziness must indicate that I need to "detox." Personally, I think I was suffering from heat exhaustion. I've heard this silly explanation more than once, as many people seem to believe toxins are released through sweat. But is that true??? And — next question — doesn't exerting oneself in extremely hot temperatures seem like a recipe for dehydration? Are their any benefits that make it worthwhile, or is all this heated yoga just nonsense?

I understand pomegranates are very good for you; being very high in antioxidants. How do you eat them? What about POM juice; is that just as good? How many ounces should I drink a day to be effective and yet not wasteful? Finally, pomegranate capsules bought in a health food store are much cheaper. Is a capsule a day just as effective?

First of all I would like to thank you for your work and help. Could you tell me, what is the significance of expensive food sensitivity tests based on IgG values? Most people receive a list of dozens of foods to eliminate from their diets without causing them any problems. I think it can lead to develop eating disorders or nutrient deficiencies. What do you think? Thank you so much for your opinion!

Is Mio (water enhancer) bad for you?

I am allergic to peanuts. Does that mean that I am allergic to pecan nuts as well?

1) I've started counting calories in order to lose weight, and I've lost ten pounds in six months, so I'm positive that counting calories works. Recently I've started to eat one big meal (about 1400 calories) a day. Is this healthy? Will I continue to lose weight?

2) During the day, I keep a strict paleo diet and end eating at 10PM and Begin eating at 12 PM the next day. Around 10:30 AM the next day, I do full a body weight training session and begin eating at 12 PM. Basically, I only drink water during my fast or keep calories to a five calorie maximum. After the fast, I eat whatever I want (paleo that is). I'm trying to get my body to use excess fat as energy, therefore causing me to lose body fat and gain muscle faster. I feel great and I have witnessed fast results, (increased strength and leanness) within a month and half of intermittent fasting. My question is do you think intermittent fasting is unsafe? Or just a new an effective way to see increased health?

I find that when I eat lunch I can feel myself instantly get tired as if a wave passes through me. My face gets a feeling of being sweaty and flushed. Coffee and copious amounts of water help counteract this. Also, it doesn't happen every day with every meal. Very small amounts of food don't cause this. It's as if I eat above a small threshold, then it happens. It makes it hard to work. A short nap would be perfect (but not possible). Is this something to be worried about?

Going into school this year, I am going to bring a sack lunch. I was wondering what I should bring that would be healthy and not take a lot of preparation time?

I have heard that the main reason why diet drinks, like a diet soda, can be bad on a diet, is that it can spike insulin levels and then your body expects sugar that it does not get. I have taken to the habit of only occasionally having diet drinks with meals, so that any increase in insulin is actually met with food in my system. My question is whether or not this is a good/workable strategy, or whether a diet soda is a diet soda no matter when you drink it and is therefore always a bad idea. Thank you for your time.

So I was in the store and I noticed a container of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese labeled "gluten-free." I thought all cheese was gluten-free. Do some cheese contain gluten or is this a marketing ploy?

Is it possible to lose all body fat? Should you eliminate all fat from your diet?

I frequently hear that beverages with caffeine or alcohol are not good for replenishing fluids and preventing dehydration. But in reality aren't they just a bit less effective at hydrating your body than other beverages? In other words, if you were stuck in the desert with nothing to drink but beer, coffee and cola, would you actually be worse off and die of thirst sooner if you drank these beverages versus not drinking anything at all?

I have two questions:

(1) What are the benefits of jumping on a mini-trampoline?

(2) Are there any benefits to using a hula-hoop?

As you can probably see, I'm looking for exercises that are fun.