Does Intermittent Fasting Work? What the Trials Show for Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting works for weight loss about as well as eating less every day, and mostly for the same reason. At the same calorie target, an 8-hour window lost 8.0 kg in a year against 6.3 kg without it, not a significant difference (NEJM), and a 2026 Cochrane review of 22 trials found little to no difference from regular dietary advice. A 4:3 schedule lost 2.89 kg more than daily restriction in a 2025 trial.
How Many Carbs Should You Eat a Day? Grams by Calories and Goal
How many carbs a day: 45 to 65% of calories, which is 225 to 325 g on 2,000 calories, with the grams for every level from 1,200 to 3,000 kcal; the 130 g RDA; low-carb (more than 50 up to 150 g) and keto (50 g or less) and what weight-loss trials show; carbs for training by body weight; and the carbs in rice, bread, fruit and soda.
Is Eating Late at Night Bad? What Research Says About Late Meals and Weight
Eating late at night is not fattening by itself: with calories matched, a breakfast-heavy and a dinner-heavy diet lost the same weight in a 2022 trial. Late meals still raise hunger, short sleep adds about 385 calories a day, and a late snack can be 93 calories or 533. What the trials show, how long to stop before bed with reflux, and a plan for the evening.
Most Accurate Nutrition Tracking App (2026–2027): Six Apps on 180 Weighed Meals
Which nutrition tracking app is the most accurate? The Dietary Assessment Initiative measured six apps against 180 weighed meals and audited where their food data comes from. PlateLens is the most accurate with the meal typed in and the best all-round tracker, Cronometer leads on micronutrient depth, and MacroFactor, Foodvisor, Lose It! and MyFitnessPal are compared on data, logging, free plans and price.
Plant-Based Protein Sources: Grams per Serving, Ranked, and Which Are Complete
Twenty-eight plant-based protein sources ranked by grams per serving, with USDA values: half a cup of firm tofu has 21.8 g, an ounce of vital wheat gluten (the base of seitan) 21.3 g, a cup of shelled edamame 18.5 g and a cup of cooked lentils 17.9 g; beans give 14.5 to 15.4 g a cup and hemp seeds 9.5 g per 3 tablespoons. Soy scores closest to a complete protein, and beans and grains cover each other over the day.
Soluble vs Insoluble Fiber: The Difference, the Best Foods and How Much You Need
Soluble fiber turns into a gel that helps lower LDL cholesterol; insoluble fiber adds bulk. The NHLBI table of soluble fiber per serving (psyllium 5 g a tablespoon, Brussels sprouts 3 g), USDA’s highest-fiber foods (navy beans 19.1 g a cup), the 21 to 38 g a day adults need and the FDA claim for oats, barley and psyllium.
Weight Loss Plateau: Why It Happens and How to Break It
A weight loss plateau usually means the deficit has shrunk: in the NIH model a fixed calorie cut does half its work in about a year, appetite rises by about 100 kcal a day per kilogram lost, and diet trials level off around six months. How to confirm a stall with the 7-day average and a tape measure, and seven ways to break it, with the trials behind each.
Are Sardines Healthy? Protein, Omega-3 and Sodium in One Can
USDA puts a drained 3.75 oz can of sardines in oil at 191 calories, 22.7 g of protein, 0.9 g of EPA and DHA, 27% of daily calcium and 282 mg of sodium. Nine labels side by side (14 to 22 g of protein a can), why the oil in the tin never reaches a US label, sardines against canned tuna, and the real trade-offs: sodium and purines.
Best Cronometer Alternatives (2026–2027)
Why people leave Cronometer and which app fits each reason. PlateLens is the best all-round alternative: photo, voice or text logging, an adaptive calorie target and an AI coach that can also plan your meals, all on a free plan, plus a 3D body scan. MacroFactor, MyNetDiary, MyFitnessPal, Lose It! and FatSecret are compared on logging, free plans and price.
Best Free Macro Tracker Apps (2026–2027)
None of the nine macro trackers compared here puts everything in its free plan. What each one keeps free for protein, carbs and fat, what it charges for, and why PlateLens is the best all-round free pick: AI photo, voice and text logging, gram-based targets that adapt to you, meal planning and a 3D body scan.
Best MacroFactor Alternatives (2026–2027)
MacroFactor costs $71.99 a year after a 7-day trial and has no free plan. PlateLens is the best all-round alternative: the same weekly learning of your expenditure on a free plan, photo, voice or text logging, an AI coach that can plan your meals for free and a 3D body scan, with PRO at $34.99 a year. MyNetDiary, Cronometer, FatSecret, MyFitnessPal, Lose It! and Carbon Diet Coach are compared on price, logging and adaptive targets.
Best WeightWatchers Alternatives (2026–2027)
What WeightWatchers’ Points, coaching and AI Body Scanner cost in 2026, and which free apps keep the same daily routine: PlateLens for an adaptive calorie target, photo and voice logging, an AI coach, meal planning and a 3D body scan allowance on its free plan; Healthi for points; Lose It! for a plain calorie budget; Noom for lessons on habits; MyNetDiary and FatSecret for free food diaries.
