Blog Posts by Vitamin G, Glamour Magazine

By Lexi Petronis, Glamour magazine

Until exactly two weeks ago, a diet soda was my usual default lunch beverage. But in an effort to break my dependence on caffeine, I let that almost-daily diet bubbly go (along with its morning sidekick, the latte) and am hitting the plain ol' water so hard, I'm pretty sure I'm mostly liquid at this point. Anyway, I've always found diet soda research interesting, especially because it seems to run the gamut from "hey, it's all good!" to "it's the worst!"... and these two new studies are rather case in point.

OK, so here's study number one: research in the March issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that people who switched from drinking sugary sodas to sipping diet soda and water lost more weight than people who kept on drinking the sugary stuff.

See more: 15 Foods That Boost Your Metabolism

"Substituting noncaloric beverages--whether it's water, diet soft drinks or something else--can be a clear and

By Sarah Jio, Glamour magazine

I bought a new car last year, and I didn't think twice about whether my new vehicle would be a health threat. After all, it had airbags! And seat warmers! But, wait, it also had that lovely, but toxic, new car smell. A new report is making people think twice about new cars, and what chemicals lurk inside...

We've known for sometime now that the "new car smell" we all know and love could actually be a toxic mix of chemicals that aren't so good for us. But, until now, it wasn't known which cars had the most intense chemical cocktail wafting from their slick interiors.

"Research shows that vehicle interiors contain a unique cocktail of hundreds of toxic chemicals that off-gas in small, confined spaces," Jeff Gearhart, research director at the Ecology Center, said in a written statement. "Since these chemicals are not regulated, consumers have no way of knowing the dangers they face. Our testing is intended to expose those dangers and

By Sarah Jio, Glamour magazine

Raise your hand if you ate too much chocolate yesterday? I did! Now, yes, it's probably not such a great idea to eat Valentine's Day proportions of chocolate every day, but if chocolate's your weakness, don't feel so bad! Here are three reasons to feel good about an occasional splurge...

We love chocolate here on Vitamin G, and I've reported on many chocolate-related health stories over the years. And, it's no joke, chocolate (preferably dark) is loaded with health benefits. But, did you know about these health benefits?

1. Chocolate can make you smarter (and maybe help you balance your checking account): A previous study, found that a chocolate fix helped people do math calculations more accurately. (Why didn't I know about this in that horrible calculus class in college?)

See more: 15 Foods That Boost Your Metabolism

2. Chocolate makes you eat less: Danish researchers report that people who ate a tiny bit of dark

By Lexi Petronis, Glamour magazine

Did you know that, when you're pregnant, you're not allowed to change kitty litter? For real. And it's not just because it's hard to do when you're sporting a huge baby belly. There's an actual health risk involved...

Cats can play host to a parasite called toxoplasmosis after eating infected prey (like a mouse or bird). The parasite multiplies inside the cat and produces oocysts that are deposited in the cat's feces. These oocysts are extremely resistant and can stay in the environment for almost a year. If a pregnant woman comes in contact with the parasite, her unborn child can become infected and could face loss of vision, mental disabilities, and loss of hearing.

See more: 15 Foods That Boost Your Metabolism

It's rare--and not a reason to give up your cat. Indoor cats are very safe from getting the parasite, and the chances of an outdoor cat transmitting it to you are seriously slim, as well. But cleaning the

By Lexi Petronis, Glamour magazine

Have you ever felt like you might have a gluten sensitivity--or do you know already that you do? I have at least three friends who get abdominal pains, bloating, and sleepiness after eating wheat--so they stopped. If this new proposed classification system for gluten-related illnesses is approved, my friends may be able to find out why wheat bothers them so much.

A group of experts has proposed guidelines to view gluten sensitivities on a spectrum, instead of "tolerant" and "intolerant." The researchers suggest classifying gluten-related disorders by what defenses the body uses.

See more: 15 Foods That Boost Your Metabolism

There's a lot of buzz about gluten; the Wall Street Journal reports that, in the U.S., sales of gluten-free foods grew to $2.3 billion in 2010--more than doubling from 2006. According to the researchers (whose study was partly funded by a maker of gluten-free products), people are confused

By Lexi Petronis, Glamour magazine

So I'm on day three of no caffeine--and I think I might finally be over the nausea, the shakes, and (almost!) the headache. Would you believe me if I said I had no idea any of that was coming?

I honestly didn't! I have one latte a day, with the occasional Diet Coke (I know, I know). I thought it would be easy-peasy to call off the caffeine, but it's been anything but. Once my temples reached the point where it felt like an '80s metal drummer was using them to record an extended cut, it was time to find a remedy. Like one of these:

See more: 15 Foods That Boost Your Metabolism

Peppermint: peppermint has been used for centuries to treat everything from digestive issues to headaches. You can dab a little peppermint on your head to help ease a headache, or even drink peppermint tea (it's non-caffeinated, and it will help you hydrate--water is also good for headaches).

Aromatherapy: ginger, lavender, or eucalyptus

Gourmet

By Lexi Petronis, Glamour magazine

Oh my. My husband sometimes pours himself a second, more-sugary bowl of cereal in the morning (think Lucky Charms) and calls it "breakfast dessert." And I laugh and laugh and shake my head in that "you so crazy" way, because... c'mon. Right? Wrong! At least, if this study has anything to say about it...

See more: 15 Foods That Boost Your Metabolism

Tel Aviv University researchers found that eating dessert with breakfast can help people lose more weight--and keep it off. The dessert has to be part of a 600-calorie breakfast that's balanced with carbs and protein (no Cap'n Crunch with a cruller).

Participants in the study who added cookies, cake, or chocolate to their breakfast lost an average of 40 pounds over the course of 32 weeks--and kept it off--while participants who avoided morning desserts and ate 300-calorie breakfasts lost about 33 pounds. But then they regained 22. (Both groups ate the same number of total

By Lexi Petronis, Glamour magazine

Did you see the news recently about Daniel Radcliffe--where he admitted he was often drunk when filming Harry Potter? He says he never drank on set, but would show up for his scenes still reeling from a night of drinking...

"I can point to many scenes where I'm just gone. Dead behind the eyes," he said (I've only seen probably half of the Harry Potter series, but I honestly would never have guessed. Would you?). Oh, and Pat Sajak also recently revealed that he and Vanna White would go get margaritas between tapings of Wheel of Fortune: "I had a great time. I have no idea if the shows were any good, but no one said anything, so I guess I did okay" (if I had to host a game show as a sober person, I would probably faint from terror, so I can't even imagine the stress of doing it drunk!).

But I was chatting with an acquaintance the other day, and this stars-drunk-on-the-job news came up. And she totally surprised me; she said that, in an