water

Tests on leading brands of bottled water turned up a variety of contaminants often found in tap water, according to a study released Wednesday by an environmental advocacy group. The findings challenge the popular impression - and marketing pitch - that bottled water is purer than tap water, the researchers say. However, all the brands met federal health standards for drinking water. Read more...

If you're as busy as I am, it's not always easy to keep healthy habits. But below are some simple guidelines that can help you stick with the program. No one's perfect, but if you follow these tips most of the time, you'll be healthier and slimmer. 1. Drink enough liquids. Good news! You don't have to drink just plain water to satisfy your thirst and stay hydrated -- many nonalcoholic Read more...

The desire to shape up rises sharply in summer. If you're suddenly motivated to get active or to lose weight, do it right. It may take a bit longer, but you'll be healthier and your results will last longer. A valid shape-up program has two components: diet and exercise. Let's tackle diet first, starting with the biggest no-no: crash dieting. Besides requiring an extremely low daily Read more...

Dog poop doesn't stick to your shoes. There's no need to lock the back door because it's frozen shut. The dogs don't get on the sheets with muddy paws. There's no need to worry about driving the car because it probably won't start. You don't have to bathe the kids because the water pipes are frozen. The house will get warm without electricity because it caught Read more...

Myth: I shouldn't eat any fat. Fact: Fat serves many important functions, such as storing energy, transporting certain vitamins and providing flavor and texture to foods. When it comes to weight loss, calories are the bottom line. Reduced-fat foods often have reduced calories compared to their full-fat counterparts. But, be sure to check the label, as some reduced-fat or Read more...

By Katie Gilbert Studies presented at a meeting of the Obesity Society in Boston have suggested that water helps weight loss and low-fat foods may hinder it. The first study, which analyzed data from 240 overweight women, aged 25 to 50 and using popular carbohydrate-limiting diet plans, found that dieters who replaced all the sugary drinks in their diets with water lost an average of 5 Read more...

By Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., Director of Clinical Dietetics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. QUESTION: What's the difference between whole grain and high fiber? ANSWER: One is a major, though nonexclusive, vehicle for the other. Whole grains -- the unadulterated seeds of cereal grasses such as wheat, rice and barley -- are good sources of fiber, and they are rich in other nutritionally valuable Read more...

By June Lay Junefit.com How many times during this week did we consider how our food choices are connected to the function, appearance and health of our body? Is there a brain-food connection and if so, what can we feed it to enhance its performance? After all, our brain controls and regulates all our voluntary and involuntary physical functions as well as its mysterious functioning of Read more...

Believe it -- your mother made you eat things you probably didn't like for a good reason -- there is such a thing as brain food. Health experts Mary Spillane and Victoria McKee says our "think tank" has to be properly nourished, and some foods are better than others at doing the job. As might be expected, fish and the oils found in some of them, such as salmon and mackerel, help Read more...