A Surefire Way to Lose Weight

Want to shed some unwanted pounds, increase your energy and even improve your mental outlook? It’s simpler than you probably think. Just turn off the television and take a walk. I recommend walking 30-45 minutes a day as a way to maintain a healthy body and weight. I also recommend taking a break from television. Local news focuses on crime, violence and death, and its images and message can lead to feelings of fear and depression. Start by swapping out 30 minutes of television-watching a week for a walk, and work your way up to making it a daily activity. You will soon feel better in body, mind and spirit!

How to Tell If You Have Allergies

Do you think that you may be suffering from allergies? If you do, you may looking for conformation. The good news is that there are a number of approaches that you can take to help you tell if you do have an allergy problem.

Perhaps, the easiest way to determine if you have allergies is by seeking the advice of a medical professional. Doctors are one of the best ways to receive a proper diagnosis. In fact, did you know that if you are suffering from allergies, you may be able to get a prescription medication through your doctor? Even if you aren't prescribed anything, your doctor will likely provide you with more information. This information may include natural ways that you seek relief from your allergy symptoms or tips on how to cope with them.

MSG Can Pack on Pounds

You may not know you're consuming MSG on a regular basis, but this flavor enhancer is everywhere - not just in Chinese food but in all kinds of processed foods, from chips to canned soup. And this common food additive may be responsible for weight gain. A new study from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, suggests that the more MSG you consume, the more likely you are to be overweight or obese. This holds true even if your intake of calories and exercise habits are the same as those who don't consume MSG. Researchers followed more than 10,000 adults in China for about 5.5 years, measuring their MSG intake and asking them to estimate how much they consumed over three 24-hour periods. Results showed that individuals whose daily MSG intake was highest (about five grams) were about 30 percent more likely to become overweight by the end of the study than those who consumed the least MSG (less than half a gram daily). After excluding study participants who were overweight at the study's start, the risk was 33 percent. The study was published in the June, 2011, issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

3 Reasons to Eat Asparagus

A good source of vitamins K and C, potassium and folate, asparagus is a perennial with 20 edible varieties. A springtime favorite, it may help support heart health, healthy fluid balance and prevent birth defects. Asparagus is prized worldwide as a gourmet vegetable, yet it is easy to grow, fairly inexpensive to buy and simple to cook. Look for:

Green asparagus - the most common variety.

White asparagus - grown underground to inhibit its development of chlorophyll content, it has a more delicate flavor and texture.

Purple asparagus - smaller than the green or white varieties, it has a fruitier flavor. Purple asparagus also provides benefits from phytonutrients called anthocyanins that give it its distinctive hue.

A "Safe" Facelift?

While I believe that attempts to halt or deny the aging process can be roadblocks to aging gracefully, there may be an acceptable alternative to some current "turn back the clock" trends: facial acupuncture. This therapy is far less invasive than a surgical procedure and does not carry the dangers associated with a traditional facelift (not to mention being less expensive). Facial acupuncture is also free of the side effects of therapies such as Botox injections, and it offers psychological benefits - patients may feel relaxed as a result of the therapy. With or without acupuncture, a healthy diet, exercise and stress reduction techniques are still my top recommendations for a healthy lifestyle, and the keys to aging gracefully.

3 Reasons to Eat Broccoli

This vegetable-platter classic - along with other cruciferous vegetables - is tasty both raw and cooked, and is a standout in soups, casseroles and salads. I have long recommended broccoli as part of a healthful diet. This versatile vegetable:

Promotes a healthy nervous system. Broccoli is a good source of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), which can help calm and nourish nerve fibers.

Supports bone health. Broccoli is a good source of vitamin K and calcium - both of which help keep bones strong and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Can improve energy through its high levels of vitamin C, a micronutrient which supports the normal processes of cellular energy production.

3 Reasons New Yorkers Live Longer

In 2007, the New York City Department of Health released some surprising news: a New Yorker born in 2004 can expect to live 78.6 years, nine months longer than the average American. Add to this that the life expectancy of New Yorkers is lengthening faster than that of other Americans, and it’s worth taking a look at some reasons why:

Less Smoking. The city's wide-ranging smoking ban of 2003 is estimated to have decreased deaths attributable to smoking by 10 percent.

Healthier food options. New York (like other large cities) attracts a critical mass of people who demand fresh, organic or otherwise superior food choices.

A Shot for Stress

Don’t give up on meditation, relaxation and yoga just yet - you’ll still need them to help deal with stress in the foreseeable future, but a Stanford University researcher is at work on a vaccine to counteract some of the most damaging effects of stress, particularly the chronic type associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer and a depressed immune system. The vaccine works on rats, but remains years away from human studies. The idea is to neutralize the glucocorticoid hormones our bodies produce when we're stressed before they can cause their damaging effects. These hormones are part of the immune system and also help us fight off cancer and inflammation, but because we can’t turn them on and off selectively, they can become harmful to the brain and the immune system following simple stress. The investigator, Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience, has adapted a herpes virus to carry engineered neuroprotective genes into the brain to neutralize stress hormones and leave you feeling fresh and prepared for the next threat.

Multi-Grain Scones

These scones are the perfect answer to the morning rush. Unlike a lot of low-fat foods, which can be so loaded with sugar that you feel hungry soon after eating them, these are quite filling - you can eat just half of one and still satisfy the need for morning sustenance. Plus, you'll get in a nice amount of bran for the day, an appropriate source of roughage.

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

5 tablespoons grape seed or expeller-pressed canola oil

1/8 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup oatmeal (not instant)

1/4 cup wheat bran

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

2 tablespoons millet

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1/2 teaspoon salt

The Younger You Look, the Longer You'll Live

At least that's what Danish researchers concluded after testing 1,800 pairs of twins over the age of 70. The investigators performed physical and cognitive tests on the twins and also took their photos. Then three separate groups of people who didn't know the twins' year of birth looked at photos of the twins' faces and guessed their ages. The researchers tracked the twins for the next seven years and found that the ones who had looked younger than their actual age were much more likely to still be living, even after adjusting for such factors as gender and environment. The researchers also found that the bigger the difference in perceived age within any set of twins, the more likely it was that the older looking sibling died first. The only biological explanation advanced was that the individuals who looked younger also tended to have longer telomeres (repeating DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes) that are linked to aging. Individuals with shorter telomeres are thought to age faster - in this study, the more fresh-faced individuals had longer telomeres. The findings were published online on December 14 in the British medical journal BMJ.