I get a lot of headaches. Everyone manifests their stress in different ways (crappy sleep, for example, or an irritable gut…) but I carry mine squarely in my neck and shoulder muscles. Which, consequently, translates to frequent tension headaches. I’ve also had the distinct displeasure, in recent years, of experiencing migraines. Now that’s some nasty pain. I have newfound sympathy for […]

In my first post on this topic, Passport to Slim: Weight Loss Secrets from Around the World, I talked about how (and why) other countries kick our butts all over the place in terms of staying trim & healthy. But there’s no need to despair–we can (shamelessly) steal those ideas, and use them for our own […]

It was exactly a year ago when everything changed for me. On May 10, 2011 I logged on to check my bloodwork results. I scrolled down, and stared at the screen. And the floor dropped out from under me. I had a positive result. Which, in the medical world, is a very big negative. I […]

I know–when life is throwing you curveballs, your impulse is to bee-line for the freezer (chocolate chip cookie dough Haagen-Dazs, anyone?) or the snack cupboard (hello, Sea Salt & Vinegar Kettle chips…). But that’s not going to make anything better. Especially not your coronary arteries. Or your muffin top. So I’ve rounded up some healthier options–and snack […]

Here’s what I mean by Stress Ninja. Chronic stress is a big deal. It can sneak up on you, and it can seriously mess with your health (mental and physical…and your appearance, too). So stress management is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle. That said, a lot of people have no idea where to […]

When I was younger I used to avoid nuts because of their high fat content. You too? Fortunately, we now know about the blissful thing called “healthy fat“. There’s no doubt, nuts do contain a lot of fat, but most of it is the monounsaturated kind (same stuff that’s in olive oil). And that sort of fat is good for your cholesterol profile, […]

Is CRP a test you should be getting done? Chances are, you’ve never even heard of it. (If you have: bonus points to you!) CRP stands for C-Reactive Protein, and it’s a marker for inflammation. But we also use it as a screening test for heart disease risk.  At this point you might be asking: what does inflammation […]

A new study found that celery (specifically, luteolin, a compound found within celery) had brain-boosting power in older mice. Yes, celery. So this got me thinking: are there other things you can do to upgrade your smarty-pants quotient? You betcha. Omega-3 fatty acids are well-known to boost brain function. This, in addition to all the other health benefits of omega-3, […]

Used to be, all fats were considered bad. We gobbled down low-fat versions of everything, assuming this was the path to true health. This was not a good time in dietary history, as far as I’m concerned. Three words: Low. Fat. Cheese. Ugh. Thankfully, we now know that dietary fat is not nutritionally black and […]