Blog Posts by Vitamin G, Glamour Magazine

When you're visiting family (especially over the holidays) some things never change. Your mom whips out embarrassing baby photos, you fight over the remote and Grandma always pressures you into eating another slice of pie. Read on for smart ways to indulge at family gatherings--without gaining an ounce. (Trust me, you'll be using these tips all year!)

I'm visiting my parents in California now, and the house is a diet minefield. There's orange junk food--my absolute weakness--everywhere! This year, I'm vowing to be a little more restrained, but that doesn't mean I'm turning down any home cooking. For example, my mom makes huge, fatty breakfasts every morning. Instead of eating a sad bowl of oatmeal while everyone else enjoys sausage and eggs, I cook up a few egg whites and help myself to one link so I don't feel left out. Another time, under the guise of "helping" my mom, I went grocery shopping and loaded up the cart with fruits and veggies. I made dinner, but didn't tell anyone

http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/candy.jpgI promise, I don't think nixing sugar is the end-all, be-all, health cure-all (how about that for a tongue twister?). But, I do think that cutting back on the refined white stuff could do us all some good. And, health experts agree that ditching some of the sugary foods we've grown accustomed to (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups anyone?) could have all kinds of health benefits. So, today, here's an installment of the Sugar Diaries...

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Many of you have written me or left comments asking for tips on how to rid your diet of sugar. First off, says sugar expert Scott Olson, ND, be prepared for some serious cravings.

"I wish it were easy to kick sugar completely out of your life, but it is not," he says. "The fact is that sugar is an addiction--as real as addictions to cigarettes, alcohol or even drugs. This means that you should be prepared for sometimes-intense cravings every time you try to stop sugar." Recent research, out this week from Princeton University, confirms

Do you have a no-shoes policy at your house? It's funny how controversial the topic can be. Some people feel very annoyed when asked to remove their shoes in someone's home, others happily slip them off, given that they do the same in their house. Tell me what you think--after reading just what's lurking on the soles of your shoes...

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Now, let me start by telling you that I love shoes. Love them. Leggings without my Uggs and a skirt without heels--not the best look. But I'm happy to remove my shoes at others' homes, because I expect them to do the same when they come to my house. Here's the deal: We tromp all over the place in our shoes (think: public restrooms, city streets, grimy restaurant floors). Why would I want all that on the floors of my home?

Is it rude to decline a handshake to avoid germs?

People in Asian cultures have been removing their shoes for centuries, for reasons of respect and cleanliness. And nowadays, more and more Westerners are adopting

I recently ran across a story about women having orgasms during childbirth--and I did a major double-take. Did I read the words right? Was it a joke? Who are these women and are they delusional? Even more, how in the world could this ever happen? But, then I did some digging and learned that it's actually something health experts say happens--that some women find childbirth to be, gulp, pleasurable...

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I recently asked you if you if you were afraid of childbirth, and the responses were kind of split down the middle. Some of you were terrified at the thought, others were actually excited to have the chance to experience labor and delivery. And, I shared that I'm not too anxious about childbirth this second time around (other than my worries about the baby's potentially enormous size!). Why? Because I trust my docs and I know that an epidural is there waiting for me, should I need it (and after 30+ hours of labor with my son, I DID).

So, when I think back to all the

How would you rate your food-safety IQ? I know someone who never washes their fruits and vegetables after bringing them home from the market because he believes that they're washed at the store. Um, no. Read on to learn about what some call the "5 dirtiest foods" and for a food safety wake-up call...

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The dirty food list, according to this fascinating piece I found over at AOL Health include the following:

Eggs: While most eggs aren't going to make anyone sick, experts estimate that more than 2 million germy eggs (as in Salmonella infected) get into circulation each year, sickening 660,000 people each year and killing as many as 300. Um, maybe we should think twice about eating that cookie dough (or, judging by our conversation on Vitamin G, perhaps you'd rather take your chances?). How to buy cleaner eggs? Make sure the carton says they're pasteurized and never buy a dozen that contains any obvious cracks or leaks.

Peaches: They're pretty, but that's just

What makes you really squeamish? Whether it's a a mouse or a spider--or riding on an airplane or being stuck in an enclosed space for too long--I think we'd all agree that phobias aren't a laughing matter. I'll share my phobia (which I'm dealing with right now!) if you share yours--let's get to know each other a bit...

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The National Institutes of Health describes a phobia as "a strong, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger." Symptoms may include panic and fear, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling, and a strong desire to get away when faced with the source of the phobia. (Can you be baby-phobic?)

Want to know what my lifelong phobia is? Rats. And mice and rodents of any kind. Even gerbils and hamsters. When I went to a school camp in elementary school, we spotted a mouse in our cabin, and I slept with my sleeping bag covering my head and face all night--even though it made me really hot and sweaty and uncomfortable. I was sure

Are you suspicious about full moons? I know people who swear that more crimes are committed, more babies are conceived and born, and more people are admitted to hospitals on nights where the moon is full. And when my sister told me her prediction--that my baby would be born on December 12 (next Friday!), when a full moon is predicted, I wondered what research had to say on the topic--and what you thought, too...

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Let me preface this by telling you that I am probably the least superstitious person I know. Cemeteries don't even freak me out. But I was a little spooked at what I read about full moons and how they affect human behavior.

Past studies suggest that some wacky things happen when a full moon is in the sky. For instance, University of Miami researchers analyzed crime data over the course of 15 years in the Miami area and found that violent crime was more likely to be committed on--you guessed it--full-moon nights. Still more studies have suggested that full

Have you ever had a killer headache--the kind that Advil and aspirin just don't seem to touch? Dehydration, stress and your period can bring them on--and then there are those dreaded migraines. When your usual over-the-counter pain pills don't cut it, here's some new thinking from researchers about what will...

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Get ready to get poked!

Researchers say that acupuncture, an ancient Chinese therapy where a trained practitioner inserts needles into specific pressure points on your body, may be more effective than common pain meds like aspirin when tackling the pain and frequency of chronic headaches. Duke University scientists reviewed data from 4,000 headache sufferers and found that 62 percent of those who received acupuncture treatment reported pain relief, while those who only took pain medication reported a 45 percent improvement. (Try these 3 natural cures that work.)

The researchers, who were already encouraged by past studies that have linked acupuncture