Our kids are growing – no, really growing. Big. The statistics are scary and so is the outlook for the future if they continue. A 2006 NHS study found that 16 per cent of children aged 2 to 15 in England were classed as obese, an overall increase of 5 per cent since 1995.

It is not just the children, entire families are eating too much processed food that is high in fat, sugar and salt, not eating their five serves of fruit and veg a day and not doing enough physical activity. In many developed countries, we are developing health and social problems at a rapid rate. continue reading »

You may remember the old adage: “You are what you eat.” There’s a lot of truth in those words! No, you won’t turn into a turnip if you eat one! However, your diet can greatly affect your overall health—how you feel, how you look, how you think.

Amazingly, numerous Americans are eating themselves into an early grave! We live in a land of plenty, where good, healthy foods are readily available…and, yet, what we eat is basically garbage! continue reading »

*This is a guest post by very awesome Heather*

I hear two things all the time in regards to healthy living and coupon shopping: Either people complain they can’t eat well because it costs too much or they can’t use coupons because they like to eat healthy. I’m here to bust the myths, since my family does both!

Coupons are only for processed junk

This is probably one of the biggest myths surrounding couponing. Sure, you’ll find a lot of coupons for boxed goods, canned goods and snack foods. You’ll also find tons of coupons for health& beauty items, organic foods, frozen foods and, yes, even fresh meat or produce! My girls love when the Cuties coupon comes out – clementines are a huge hit at our house. continue reading »

Many people are carrying a few extra pounds that they would like to get rid of and would love to know how how to lose weight. We are inundated every day with different weight loss plans, pills, shakes and many more. However, sometimes the simplest things can be the best. Everyone knows that if you eat fewer calories and exercise more you can lose weight. In addition, many people do not realize that just by eating more meals in a day you could also increase your weight loss. continue reading »

Every huckster out there has got a sure-fire way to lose weight. There are good diets and bad diets. Here are the top six worst ways to lose weight. continue reading »

With more and more studies proving that diets high in refined sugar (sucrose) can be more dangerous then high cholesterol diets, many people are looking for alternatives. This has led to many artificial sweeteners being released to consumers promising to be sweeter than regular table sugar as well as zero calories. So are these artificial sweeteners safe for your health?

As we said before, artificial sweeteners have many fewer calories then sucrose and because many of them are chemically made, they are much sweeter then sugar and so require less to sweeten foods. Artificial sweeteners are popular among diabetics because they can raise the sweetness of foods without raising blood sugar levels. continue reading »

Ask any person who buys a diet soda what their reason is for doing so and they will most naturally tell you to reduce weight or stay thin. Well that is the reason diet sodas were invented after all, zero calories and of course zero guilt has led millions to use them as an alternative to their calorie laced rivals.

But a new study is finding out that just because a soda has zero calories doesn’t mean it is helping with weight loss. In fact according to Sharon Fowler who is an epidemiologist at the University of Texas, it might be doing just the opposite (increasing weight). continue reading »

Raw food is gaining popularity these days and for some very good reasons too. Raw food is good for our bodies.

So what is considered raw food? Well it is a vegetarian food which is not baked, cooked or heated over about 120 Fahrenheit or 48 Celsius.

Four main groups raw food is categorized with are:

• vegetables and fruits,
• sprouts of all kinds,
• dehydrated breads and fruits,
• and fermented food with friendly germs.

continue reading »

Becoming familiar with the science of food aesthetics is like learning feng shui for the palate. Although it would surprise many in our gluttonous western world to know it, enjoyment of food is not just about getting full. There are many aspects to the enjoyment of food besides how hearty it is. Scientists, chefs and marketers have all long ago realized the value of making food look good, as well as smell good and taste good.

Researchers have done tests with subjects being blindfolded and given food to taste. It was noted by the subjects by not being able to first see the food they were about to eat, it made it less appetizing, and even, less tasty. Therefore, the appearance of food is just as important as taste, smell and texture. continue reading »

Go into the break room of any office or workplace, and you will surely find every manner of chips, cookies, cakes, coffee, and soft drinks. Westerners love food, and we love fatty, unhealthy junk foods more than any other, it seems. It appears that English-speaking peoples have developed some decidedly unhealthy eating habits, exchanging wholesome, fresh food for synthetic, over-processed pseudo-food. Some people tend to snack at work, when they are sitting at a desk performing a monotonous task, while others habitually “munch” while they are at home. People who are trying to quit smoking have a tendency to snack in order to cope with their desire for a cigarette. continue reading »