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Mediterranean diet could lengthen your life

Reuters has recently reported that “eating the Mediterranean way could help you live longer, according to the first study to look at how the dietary pattern relates to mortality in a US population.” Researchers based at the University of Cambridge examined diet and mortality in 380,296 men and women between the ages of 50 to…

Combat the Blues by Going Green?

Outdoor activities might be the key to lifting your spirits: English mental health charity Mind is claiming that “ecotherapy” will help those with mental health problems. The chief executive of Mind, Paul Farmer, was quoted in a recent article as saying that ecotherapy is “a credible, clinically-valid treatment option and needs to be prescribed by…

Cholesterol: 5 good foods, 5 bad foods

Trying to lower your cholesterol? Then stock up on these five foods: Almonds “Studies have found that eating just a quarter cup of almonds a day can lower your LDL by 4.4 percent.” Oatmeal “It doesn’t matter how you get your oats—those instant, just-add-water packets are just as good for you as traditional, slow-cooked versions.”…

Can fast food be healthy?

Yes! …If you’re in Denmark, that is. In a recent study, researchers compared meals from McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken in 20 countries around the world, concentrating on levels of trans fatty acids. The study concluded that “fast food from McDonald’s is healthiest in Denmark and worst in the United States.” A meal of nuggets…

Healthy Eating at Home

Want to eat healthier meals at home? Put down those chips and check out these tips: Cooking: Cook once, eat twice: Prepare larger meals to provide leftovers for another meal. For instance, today’s grilled chicken (if you make twice as much needed) can be tomorrow’s chicken fajitas. Cook like a pro by doing prep work…

Are you taking sleeping pills?

If you are, check this out: Strange behavior by insomniacs taking prescription drugs, ranging from binge eating to having sex while asleep, have raised safety questions about anti-insomnia medications like Sanofi-Aventis’ Ambien. Apparently, these side effects “have been around for years, but the incidence is rising because of an explosion in the drugs’ use.” About…

Avoiding the Red Wine Headache

We all know about the benefits of drinking red wine–but we don’t know just what causes some people to experience those miserable ‘red wine’ headaches. A recent MSN article offered three theories: 1. Sulfites Sulfites are possibly to blame. They are compounds that contain sulfur and a less-than-optimal number of oxygen atoms. Consequently, they “grabâ€?…

The Five Foods You Should Never Eat

Some foods you should eat regularly, some you should eat occasionally, and some you should eat only rarely… but are there any foods you should never eat at all? Dr. Joseph Mercola and Rachael Droege think so. Here are excerpts from an article they wrote entitled “The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat,â€? which…