Recently at a women's wellness weekend I was listening to a well-known nutrition guru touting the health benefits of a daily glass or two of wine. And I was thinking to myself, when is he going to mention the risks of alcohol? Because, sure, wine is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, but also an increased risk of breast cancer. In the same way, sunlight is associated with increasing your levels of vitamin D, which can decrease your risks of all sorts of nasty diseases -- but as we all know, sun exposure can increase your risk of skin cancer too. And exercise can lead to all sorts of physical and mental health improvements, but too much can lead to injuries and possibly impaired fertility.
Find out which exercise is safest if you're trying to get pregnant.
The list goes on and on: For every study that comes out and promotes the benefits of something, a counter study says the exact opposite, or so it seems. What's a girl to
Blog Posts by The Editors at Sharecare
When It's OK to Ignore Health Advice
By The Editors at Sharecare | Healthy Living – Tue, Jun 26, 2012 3:11 PM EDT3 New Ways to Boost Your Metabolism
By The Editors at Sharecare | Healthy Living – Mon, Jun 25, 2012 2:14 PM EDTRaw or pickled, chile peppers help boost your metabolism.By Joy Johnston, for Sharecare
Looking for an inexpensive supplement to help you lose weight? According to Dr. Oz, it may be time to try white bean extract. Like the popular new belly fat-burning supplement raspberry ketones, white bean extract works by boosting your metabolism, so you burn more calories. The more calories you burn, the more weight you'll lose.
Do you know what it takes to boost your metabolism? Take this quiz and find out.
If belly fat is your bugaboo, white bean extract may be just the supplement you need. It blocks the absorption of carbs, which helps keep belly fat at bay. Dr. Oz recommends taking 500 mg of white bean extract daily before a big meal. You can also add it to a smoothie for a healthy meal replacement. If it agrees with you, increase your intake to 500 mg twice a day. (Diarrhea is the most common side effect.)
Lose that muffin top: 9 foods that help melt belly fat
White bean extract isn't just for dieters. Studies have shown
Read More »from 3 New Ways to Boost Your MetabolismStuffy Nose? 7 Ways to Clean Up Indoor Air
By The Editors at Sharecare | Healthy Living – Fri, Jun 22, 2012 10:20 AM EDTBy Michael F. Roizen, MD
Did you know that 20% of the U.S. population lives in communities with lethal levels of smog and particulate pollution -- the toxic soup of chemicals, metals, acids, ash, and soot that triggers asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, and early deaths? Makes you want to close the windows, bar the door, and stay home, right?Not so fast. The indoor air quality in your living room might be worse.
Indoor levels of some pollutants (e.g., formaldehyde, chloroform, styrene) can be 2 to 50 times higher than levels in your front yard. Since most of us spend nearly 90% of our time inside, we're inhaling by-products of everything from household cleaners to emissions from our laser printers.
Here's how to cut down on pollutants, improve your indoor air quality and breathe easy.
- Ban cigarette smoke. Secondhand smoke is the single largest source of particulate pollution inside homes. The best way to purify your indoor air -- and reduce your risk of
Sugar Vs. Sugar Substitutes: Which is Worse?
By The Editors at Sharecare | Healthy Living – Thu, Jun 21, 2012 3:46 PM EDTBy Michael F. Roizen, MD
Sugary drinks just can't get out of the spotlight when it comes to nutrition and obesity -- they even became a political issue recently when New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared a citywide ban on the sale of sugar-sweetened drinks over 16 fluid ounces -- with a $200 fine slapped on store owners who don't fall into line. The ban doesn't apply to diet sodas, so does that mean no-calorie fakes are a healthier choice?
Don't be faked out by misleading food labels.
It's like choosing between raising taxes and increasing the national debt. Pick your poison. Okay, neither sugar nor sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and Stevia are poison if they're eaten in reasonable quantities, but that's the point. There's nothing reasonable about the amount of sugars and syrups in all kinds of foods, from bagels to frozen veggie mixes. The effect of these added sugars? Imagine eating 22 teaspoons of sugar for breakfast every day. That's average for Americans.
Read More »from Sugar Vs. Sugar Substitutes: Which is Worse?3 New Weight Loss Myths, Busted
By The Editors at Sharecare | Healthy Living – Wed, Jun 20, 2012 4:27 PM EDTBy Deborah A. Wilburn
Who isn't for looking for fresh ways to slim down? The trouble is that, in time, the latest weight loss or diet trick doesn't work anymore -- you get lazy or don't quite remember what the tip was so you follow it in a halfhearted, or even diet-busting, fashion. Here are three current weight loss beliefs that have morphed into myths.
1. Myth: Eat five mini meals throughout the day. The initial idea was to eat small, healthy amounts of food every couple of hours to keep blood sugar levels steady and energy high. The trouble is, many people end up eating what amounts to five full meals. "I find that people do much better when they sit down and have three balanced meals a day with two small snacks in between," says nutrition counselor Katherine Tallmadge, MA, RD. "Real meals stave off hunger. If you eat tiny bits throughout the day, you're hungry all the time."
2. Myth: Eat less by using small plates. Studies have shown
Read More »from 3 New Weight Loss Myths, BustedTop 10 Things to Know About Belly Fat
By The Editors at Sharecare | Healthy Living – Tue, Jun 19, 2012 7:28 PM EDTGet more health tips from RealAge:
Live the youngest life possible - take the RealAge Test now
Has smoking stolen 7 years off your life?
Q&A: How can I avoid shin splints?
Check your risk for oral cancer
Stand by your man: 10 surprising facts about men's health
Read More »from Top 10 Things to Know About Belly Fat10 Best Cities for a Happy Marriage
By The Editors at Sharecare | Love + Sex – Sun, Jun 17, 2012 7:49 PM EDTGet more health tips from RealAge:
Find out your true age -- take the RealAge Test now
Help him stop smoking for 6 instant health benefits
Expert Q&A: What are the signs of aging skin?
It's small, sweet, and good for teeth
Stand by your man: 10 surprising facts about men's health
Read More »from 10 Best Cities for a Happy Marriage3 New Ways to Quit Smoking
By The Editors at Sharecare | Healthy Living – Thu, Jun 14, 2012 8:27 PM EDTQuit smoking for good.By Deborah A. Wilburn
When you want to quit smoking, you need all the help you can get. A new study in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research reveals that help may come from some unexpected sources.1. Eat your fruits and veggies. In the study, 1,000 randomly chosen smokers asked about their smoking habits and their fruit and vegetable intake. In follow-up phone interviews 14 months later, they were asked if they'd abstained from smoking during the previous month. The study found that those who consumed the most fruits and veggies were three times more likely to be tobacco-free for at least 30 days at follow-up than those eating the fewest fruits and vegetables.
Stop smoking for good with our 10-step guide.The researchers also found that smokers who ate more fruits and vegetables smoked fewer cigarettes per day, waited longer to smoke their first cigarette of the day, and scored lower on a test of nicotine dependence.
How can produce help you smoke less --
Read More »from 3 New Ways to Quit SmokingThe Junky Truth About Frozen Yogurt
By The Editors at Sharecare | Healthy Living – Thu, Jun 14, 2012 2:42 PM EDTWhat's the truth about this innocent-looking cup of yogurt?By Joy Johnston, for Sharecare
As the temperatures rise, so does our desire for a refreshing, tasty treat. If you're trying to be health-conscious and opt for a serving of frozen yogurt instead of a scoop of ice cream, you may be surprised to learn the surprising truth about the health benefits of frozen yogurt.
Related: Try this mind trick to lose more weight.
The frozen yogurt craze has taken America by storm, fueling a billion-dollar industry. One reason for the dessert's rise in popularity is the common belief that frozen yogurt is healthier than ice cream. Sharecare nutrition expert and Dr. Oz Show guest Samantha Heller sets the record straight:
1. Serving size matters. The American Diabetes Association recommends choosing a frozen dessert that contains 3 grams or less of fat per 4-ounce serving (1/2 cup). Some popular frozen yogurt shops offer cups in only one size -- large -- and charge by the ounce. Left to their own devices (and cravings), many people dish up a Read More »from The Junky Truth About Frozen YogurtChildhood Obesity: The 64-Calorie Solution
By The Editors at Sharecare | Parenting – Wed, Jun 13, 2012 7:11 PM EDTSmall steps can help prevent childhood obesity.By Maura Rhodes, for Sharecare
My daughter, who's 13, has started asking a lot of questions about food. She wanted to know, for example, if the mango smoothies she likes have a lot of calories (and was crestfallen to learn that one bottle is actually two sugar-laden servings), and if the bangers and mash she orders at our local gastropub is healthy (uh, no, honey, the sausage has lots of saturated fat, the potatoes are swimming in butter and there's nothing green on the plate).
Smart dinner tips from a mother of 7
I try to answer Eliza's questions without sounding judgmental and gently steer her toward healthier choices. I'm also lucky: Eliza is active, and despite what she puts in her mouth, she's a healthy weight -- unlike the nearly one-third of kids in the United States who are overweight or obese, which puts them on a path to a lifetime of potential health problems, from type 2 diabetes that can develop while they're still young to heart disease as adults.
Read More »from Childhood Obesity: The 64-Calorie Solution
