The Environmental Working Group- a non-profit organization dedicated to consumer health and protection- has published it’s latest edition of the famous “Dirty Dozen”.
These are the foods most contaminated by pesticides, and the ones you should probably buy organic. (more…)
Get ready for a warning label on the “miracle weight loss drug”, Alli.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a revised label for “miracle weight loss drug” Xenical and it’s over-the-counter cousin, Alli.
Severe liver injury has been reported with the use of both these drugs, and the new FDA label will include revised safety information that reflects that fact.
Patients should stop using these drugs and contact their doctor if they develop signs of liver injury which include: (more…)
What are the best exercises to reduce fat on thighs and stomach?
Well, here’s the bad news. Unfortunately, exercises for a specific area of the body are pretty ineffective for reducing fat in that specific area.
Despite what late night commercials may calim, the only fat that things like Thighmasters separate you from is any excess fat in your wallet. “Spot reducing”—the idea that you can get rid of fat by working the specific area of the body in which frat accumulates—just doesn’t work. Fat won’t come off the belly by doing crunches, no matter how many of them you do. (more…)
Forget multi-tasking. It’s so yesterday. And it’s also a secret robber of energy.
Unfortunately, we’re in the age of maniacal multitasking. Fuggedaboutit. Multi-tasking is the enemy of mindfulness, and mindfulness is your greatest ally in reclaiming your energy and focus.
It’s time to mono-task. (more…)
It took me three years of playing tennis to learn the lesson I’m about to share with you, and another two to realize that it was the perfect metaphor for weight loss.
Let me explain.
(And by the way- you don’t need to know a thing about tennis to get this.)
For years, I’d hit what’s called a “short ball” to my opponent and then watch in frustration as he’d put the ball away. A “short ball” is an easy ball to hit- it lands close to the net and basically puts your opponent in control. I’d sit and watch where my short, easy ball landed, hoping my opponent wouldn’t get to it (they usually did). Then I’d try to anticipate where he was going to put it. (more…)
I’m always fascinated by how quickly the mainstream health media likes to “jump” on stories that appear to show that vitamins don’t do anything. I’ve read an awful lot of these stories, but when you dig deeper, investigate the findings and read the actual studies that the headlines are based on, a very different picture often emerges.
Here’s a typical example. A story by Virginia Sole-Smith, a journalist without a single credential in nutrition writing in Recbook magazine, advises readers to save money by skipping multivitamins. “It’s fine to finish up that bottle of vitamins”, she writes, “but there’s no reason to buy another”. (more…)
We got so much terrific feedback on last week’s recipe that I decided to feature another recipe this week. Please write and let me know what you think- if the demand continues, we’ll make it a regular feature!
This week we’ll be doing a heart-healthy Mediterranean meal featuring striped bass and kalamata paste. It’s high in protein, low in calories, and loaded with antioxidants from the sun-dried tomatoes. A perfect light dish for an evening meal in warmer weather! (more…)
Ever hear of Dr. Judith Horvath?
Well, neither did I. But I can tell you that I was pretty blown away by what she had to say about the psychological dimensions of losing weight.
Horvath believes- as I do- that losing weight and keeping it off is as much about psychological struggles as it is physical changes. “Food can be used as emotional nourishment, and to calm anxieties”, she says. (more…)
Among people who use multiple dietary supplements, fish oil/ omega-3 supplements now top multivitamins in popularity, according to a recent survey by ConsumerLab.com. The survey also shows that vitamin D use jumped 30% since last year and resveratrol use surged by 66%.
The ConsumerLab.com survey is based on 6,012 responses collected in November 2009 from a sampling of subscribers to the ConsumerLab.com free e-newsletter. Most respondents- like the readers of this newsletter- use multiple supplements. (more…)
Fascinating- and important- new research from the Harvard School of Public Health questions the common assumption that eating red meat increases the risk for heart attacks.
The study actually analyzed the specific types of meat being eaten instead of lumping them all together. The researchers then looked at the relationship of specific types of meat and heart disease risk. When the data got broken down this way, some interesting findings emerged.
Number one: The increase in heart disease risk is associated with processed varieties of meat like bacon, sausage, cold cuts and hot dogs.
Number two: When you take those processed meats out of the equation, the connection between meat eating and heart disease disappears.
Let me explain. (more…)