Your Guide to Healthy Living

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Obese people might be more likely to lose weight if they have money riding on their success — but the pounds may creep back once the financial carrot is gone, a small study finds.

Researchers found that a program in which people stood to lose cash should they fail to lose weight seemed to motivate them, but the motivation didn’t last.

Everyone in the study received weight loss counseling, but some also signed a “deposit contract,” in which they put their own money at risk. Those individuals lost an average of nine pounds over eight months. That compared with only one pound among study participants who had no money to lose.  Read more...

ATLANTA – First lady Michelle Obama took her 1-year-old campaign against childhood obesity to the South on Wednesday, munching blueberries with second-graders as she toured an elementary school that has embraced her call for healthy eating.

The first lady visited the Burgess-Peterson Academy in Atlanta, touting that public school’s efforts to improve student nutrition and fitness as she marked the first anniversary of her “Let’s Move!” campaign. She snacked on some blueberries with a second-grade class and checked out the school’s garden with first-graders.  Read more...

What makes them “super”?
Ask five nutritionists to rate the 13 most powerful foods and most likely you will end up with five different lists, but many of the selections overlap. Why? Because every food provides something different: Some are a rich source of protein or fiber, but lacking in vitamins and minerals, while others contain disease-fighting phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals, but lack protein. The trick, experts say, is to get a variety of the very best foods. A great starting point is these 13 super foods.

Avocados
Sure, they’re high in fat, but avocados contain healthy monounsaturated fats, which has been linked with a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. “Avocados aid in blood and tissue regeneration, stabilize blood sugar, and are excellent for heart disorders,” says Ed Bauman, Ph.D., director of Bauman College. They are loaded with fiber (11 to 17 grams per fruit) and are a good source of lutein, an antioxidant linked to eye health and skin.  Read more...

Today I have a little rant on energy drinks…

I receive a ton of questions about all of these new “energy” drinks that have hit the market over the last few years. They seem to be all the rage, and they promise you the world with outrageous claims of all of the super energy that you are going to have, and how you’ll become the best athlete in the world, start lifting cars over your head, and get a perfect body.

So a couple questions arise:

Are these “energy” drinks really any good for you?
Do they actually increase your energy?
Do they really have some sort of magical energy formula?
Will they help you lose weight?  Read more...