If you want to improve your sleep – get moving! In a new poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation – the results were compelling – exercise is fantastic for sleep. Highlights from this evaluation included the following… (National Sleep Foundation, news release, March 4, 2013) People who engaged in any level of exercise were much more […]
The “Mediterranean Diet” has already garnered a sparking and well-deserved reputation as the champion of all heart-healthy diets, and it just won a scientific grand slam. In this landmark evaluation, researchers placed almost 7,500 older adults with risk factors for heart disease on one of three diet plans – a Mediterranean diet where most of […]
As a seventh generation Southern gal, I was dismayed, but certainly not surprised that a new study found a “Southern Diet” may dramatically boost the risk of strokes. In what is considered the first large-scale study on how consuming Southern foods like fried chicken and sweet tea impact stroke risk, the results were profound. The […]
Most everyone already knows that what and how much you eat matters for weight loss. But there is growing evidence that when you eat matters too. In the very first large scale study of its type, investigators sought to examine how “meal timing” affects weight loss. Specifically, researchers followed 420 overweight study subjects who were […]
Regardless of your health status or body weight, sitting for prolonged periods of time dramatically boosts your risk of premature chronic disease and death – in some studies on par with smoking and obesity. To learn more, listen to my podcast “The Dangers of Sitting”.
High-intensity interval training, known as HIIT, has been scoring one scientific victory after another, and I am excited to share two new study findings that I hope will excite you as much as they did me. HIIT involves brief (generally 30 seconds) yet very intense aerobic activity alternating with 3-4 minutes of very light activity […]
If you don’t want to lose your mind as you get older, you may want to pay close attention to your carbohydrate consumption. A study from Mayo Clinic researchers found that elderly subjects who consumed the most carb foods and sugars were the most likely to become cognitively-impaired. For the study, researchers followed the diets […]
When it comes to resisting the lure of tempting, high-risk foods – choose your words wisely. In a fascinating series of experiments, researchers determined that the specific words or the “self-talk” we choose to personally shun foods we want to avoid can make a dramatic difference in our success. The investigators found that simply saying […]
Thanks to a new scientific analysis, it appears that coconut water can rightly claim its reputation as Mother Nature’s sports drink. Coconut water is the clear liquid harvested from young green coconuts and is now available at many grocery outlets and health food stores. Researchers analyzed the components in coconut water relative to those in […]
The disease-busting credentials of stone fruits just received a huge boost thanks to new research from Texas A&M. In a series of lab experiments, scientists found that stone fruits, which include peaches, plums, and nectarines, contain a unique compliment of plant compounds that each provide a separate molecular pathway to counter the various metabolic derangements […]
In a stunning confirmation of the health-boosting power of weight loss, researchers recently determined that shedding even a modest amount of weight can pay lasting health dividends. As part of the landmark Diabetes Prevention Program study, 3,000 overweight subjects with pre-diabetes were counseled to improve the healthfulness of their diets and engage in regular physical […]
If you want to get the most health value from your salad veggies with the least amount of added fat, reach for an olive oil or canola oil based-salad dressing. Both provide heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and a nifty new study found that monounsaturated fat-based salad dressings achieved the greatest absorption of healthy carotenoids for the least […]
