Blog Posts by The Editors of Prevention

If you're what researchers call a short sleeper (measured by how long you sleep each night--5.5 to 6 hours or less qualifies you), you'll have trouble losing weight, no doubt about it. In a 7-year study of 7,022 middle-aged people, Finnish researchers found that women who reported sleep problems were more likely to experience a major weight gain (defined as 11 pounds or more).

You know that sleep and weight gain may be linked, but why is that? Here's what the new research has revealed, and why lack of sleep could be stalling your ability to lose weight and keep it off:

How to Lose Weight All Day Long

1. Sleep less, burn less.
In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers had a group of men sleep for 12 hours a night but didn't allow them to sleep the next night, and then had them eat an opulent buffet the following morning. Then the researchers measured the subjects' energy expenditure--the calories you burn just by being. When the men were

Read More »from 5 Ways Sleeping Less Makes You Gain Weight

What does moderation really mean when it comes to your favorite foods?Yes, you can have your cake (or pizza, or cheeseburger) and eat it, too. But you need to learn what "moderation" really means. Here's how.

You already know that a too-strict eating plan can backfire, resulting in a blowout binge or, worse, throwing you off the wagon altogether. But when it comes to allowing yourself a little leeway, moderation is key. But what does "moderation" really mean? For gourmands, a cheeseburger a week might seem reasonable; for health nuts, maybe it's one every 3 months--minus the cheese and bun. To find out who's right, we turned to Sarah Krieger, RD, and Joan Salge Blake, RD, who are spokespeople for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Why You Shouldn't Start Your Diet On A Monday

Step one: If you're overweight or have health concerns--especially heart disease or diabetes--talk to your doctor. This advice is based on an average 2,000-calorie diet, consumed by American adults at a healthy weight.

Step two: "Take a look at how active you really are.

Read More »from 10 Healthy Ways to Splurge

What are you risking by not sleeping enough?You deal with the fallout of not getting enough sleep by feeling a little groggy every morning. But what you may not realize is the domino effect at work here, and it's much more dangerous than just feeling tired. Increasingly, researchers tell us, it's clear that "short sleeping" can get us into plenty of trouble with our health. Insufficient sleep is linked not only to obesity--which brings its own set of health issues--but also to a host of other maladies. Here's a sampling of health problems you might bring on by skimping on sleep.

Why Is Sleeping So Important?

Cardiovascular Disease
In a 2010 study published in the journal Sleep, researchers at the West Virginia University School of Medicine reviewed data from 30,397 people who had participated in the 2005 National Health Interview Study. They discovered that those sleeping fewer than 7 hours a night were at increased risk of heart disease. In particular, women under 60 who sleep 5 hours or fewer a night have twice the risk for

Read More »from 6 Major Health Problems You Can Create by Shorting Yourself Sleep

Heart Health Weeknight Meals Everyone Will Love!

These 6 quick and easy main dishes are so delicious, you'd never know they were good for you too.

Think a heart-healthy diet means nothing but steamed vegetables and brown rice? These mouthwatering recipe ideas are low in saturated fat and include everything from pork chops to beef chili, all full of heart-helping ingredients.

What's more, you can bake, simmer, and stir-fry a delicious, nutritious dinner in 40 minutes or less. Try one of the six recipes tonight!

Savor The Flavor, Cut The Fat: 5 Comfort Food Makeover's From Ellie Kriegers


Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Apple Skillet

This one-skillet chicken recipe reduces saturated fat to just 2 grams by using skinless chicken and lower-fat bacon. Sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and apples add extra nutrients and plenty of taste.

Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Apple Skillet
WORK TIME: 30 MINUTES / TOTAL TIME: 35 MINUTES / SERVINGS: 4

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes
4 tsp olive oil
3 slices Read More »from 6 Heart-Healthy Weeknight Dinners

Can't drop those extra pounds? These surprising explanations can help you reach your goals. You've spent the last 7 days putting in your best effort to lose a pound or two. But your weekly check-in with the scale reveals (again) that you can't get your weight loss mojo in motion. The good news is that the problem probably isn't your willpower. You may be making common mistakes that even inveterate dieters fall prey to. These are seven surprising reasons your weight loss plan isn't working. Get the facts and get back on track.

50 Ways to Lose 10 Pounds

1. You aren't eating enough.
You may need to bump up your calories to stoke metabolism. When you dip below about 1,200 calories per day, not only are you not eating enough to get all your nutrients, but your body slows metabolism in order to hold on to precious calories, says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, author of The Doctor's Detox Diet. Also, if you skip meals to lose weight, your body could lose its ability to feel full. Blame evolution, which has designed our bodies to resist famine and not the buffet table. For example,

Read More »from 7 Reasons Your Diet's Not Working

A whopping 1 out of 6 Americans drinks too much. Are you one of them?A whopping 1 out of 6 Americans drinks too much. Here is how to tell if you--or someone you love--is overdoing it.

You rarely turn down wine with dinner, not to mention that second (or third) cocktail at happy hour--but that doesn't make you a binge drinker, does it? It depends, but according to a new report by the CDC, an exploding number of Americans are in the drinking danger zone--and they aren't always who you'd think.

More than 38 million adults binge drink an average of four times a month, according to a the report, and while 18 to 34 year olds are more likely to go overboard than any other age group, it's actually the over-65 set that does it most often. Tying one on now and then may seem harmless, but overindulging in alcohol is responsible for more than 80,000 deaths in this country per year, and is the third leading cause of preventable deaths.

5 Excuses That Hurt Your Heart

So how much alcohol means you're overdoing it? For women, binge drinking means having four or more

Read More »from 6 Sneaky Signs You Drink Too Much

Even the most nutrition-savvy women can get lost in the headlines. Here's what you really need to know. You heard that eggs can be high in cholesterol, so you dutifully switched to whole grains for breakfast. Next, you swapped out red meat for fish--only to later learn that fish can contain dangerous levels of mercury...and eggs may not harm your heart after all. "With all of the different reports and headlines, it's no wonder that many people get confused," says Angela Ginn, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and owner of Real Talk Real Food in Baltimore. To help you make sense of these and other health head-scratchers, we consulted our experts and sifted through the research. Here, the new bottom line on 12 "health" foods.

The Top 25 Ridiculously Healthy Foods

1. Coffee
Trying to kick your java habit for your wellbeing? You may not have to: A growing body of research shows this drink can do a body good. In fact, coffee is Americans' top source of antioxidants, serving up a hefty dose in each cup. "It also contains magnesium and chromium, which help

Read More »from The Truth About 12 Confusing Foods

Weak grip? Light sleeper? These seemingly harmless traits could mean health problems to come If you want to know what your risk of dementia and stroke will be down the line, new research finds that surprisingly simple tests today could give you the answer.

The handshake test How's your grip? Not only is a firm handshake a sign of confidence, but doctors say it may be a barometer of your health, too. Researchers followed nearly 2,500 men and women for more than a decade, according to new research presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting, and linked the risk of dementia and stroke to how strong their handshakes were at the beginning of the study. Having a stronger grip was associated with a 42 percent lower risk of stroke in people over age 65 compared with other study participants with flimsier grasps. What's the connection? "Vascular problems in the brain manifest themselves in a wide variety of ways," says study author Erica Camargo, MD, of the Boston Medical Center. The suspicion is that if your grip is particularly weak, it could be a sign that

Read More »from What Your Handshake Says About Your Health