Category Archives: Studies

FDA Warning: Black Licorice May Cause Heart Problems

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Greg Asseff

Part of living a healthy lifestyle is regularly performing a variety of physical activities, consuming a well balanced whole foods diet that is nutritionally rich in vitamins and minerals, and ensuring that you get plenty of rest, relaxation, and sleep. In addition, depending on the individual, it is common that one of the specific aspects of living a healthy lifestyle will be consistently more challenging to achieve than the others.

For some individuals, regularly enjoy a variety of different types of candies and sweets. In fact, many occasions include or center around, consuming some type of sweet treat. For example, many couples that get married have a wedding cake at the reception. In another example, Halloween is centered around children dressing up in a costume and going from door to door and receiving a candy treat.

This being said, if you are trying to determine what sort of sweet treats you would like to indulge in this Halloween and which ones you would not, consider removing black licorice from your list, according to a new warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Posted in Diet, Food, Health, Health Facts, Medical, News, Nutrition, Studies | 14,372 Comments

Tips for Keeping the Pounds Off During the Holidays

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Greg Asseff

The holidays are upon us once again, and regardless of what your family is celebrating, one thing is for certain: the next few months are sure to be filled with cooler temperatures, social gatherings and more than a few rich, high-calorie foods.

Experienced fitness seekers know that staying healthy and keeping the pounds off during the holidays can be as difficult as fighting the crowds on Black Friday. If you want to maintain your current weight during the holiday season (or, even more challenging expectation, lose weight), you had better take the time to prepare a solid health and fitness strategy.

The Holiday season is unique in that they often times produce increased stress and anxiety in meeting commitments at work and in your personal life.

For example, many companies have year-end goals that need to be met while, on the personal side, you have your “friends and family” obligations that must be met. In the case of your personal obligations, in many instances, traveling may also be required as well.

Posted in Diet, Exercise, Food, Health, Health Facts, News, Studies, Weight Loss | 7,115 Comments

Planning a Pregnancy? Consider a Mediterranean Diet

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Greg Asseff

Countless Americans and individuals around the world have adopted what nutritionists and marketers call a “Mediterranean style diet” – one that is rich in a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, healthy oils, and legumes – as a means of losing excess body weight or maintaining their current weight if it is at a healthy level.

Indeed, the Mediterranean diet is an excellent dietary lifestyle choice for individuals that are in the pursuit of weight loss, as it’s ideal for decreasing the overall total calories consumed per day while helping to ensure a well balanced intake of a variety of important vitamins and minerals. In addition, clinical evidence has even linked the Mediterranean diet to lowered risks of heart disease, diabetes, bone density loss, as well as other obesity type related illnesses, while improving brain function and health.

Posted in Diet, Food, Health, News, Nutrition, Studies, Weight Loss, Women | 106 Comments

Can Stress at Work Really Make You Sick?

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Greg Asseff

Despite the proliferation of devices such as smart phones and tablet PCs designed to streamline and simplify our lives, modern living only seems to be getting more stressful, busy and hectic. This being said, between trying to balance work, family and the responsibilities and obligations that come with both, has become more challenging than ever.

Living under constant stress can obviously wear on your mental wellness, focus, and concentration, however, can work stress actually make you physically sick? When you feel that you are under pressure at work, and hence, stressed out, does it have the possibility of increasing your chances of actually becoming physically ill? Health and fitness researchers have been asking that very question for decades, and more and more clinical studies are beginning to come to the same conclusion.

Posted in Health, Health Facts, Medical, Mental Health, News, Studies | Leave a comment

Are You Prepared for Flu Season?

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Greg Asseff

Few things are more detrimental to your short-term health than catching the flu. You could miss work, interrupt your fitness routine, and end up with less time to spend with your family and friends if you fall ill this autumn.

With the weather getting colder and the days getting shorter, flu season is now fully upon us, and if you haven’t already gotten a flu vaccine shot, if that is something that you believe in, now is the time to do start thinking about flu prevention.

First and foremost, the most important thing to remember, in terms of being “battle ready” for the flu season, is to ensure that your immune system is functioning at an optimal level. This being said, our immune system is designed combat, and destroy, infections and illnesses.

More specifically, our immune system recognizes the normal cells that comprise and make up our entire body (i.e. the cells that are supposed to be present) and will create antibodies to eliminate the bacteria, viruses, and parasites that are not.