I’ve reported on the merits of xylitol before, and now it seems you can add yet another reason to incorporate this sugar substitute made from the fiber of fruits and veggies into your life. Sounds good to me.

This has been your Healthbolt Easy Health Tip of the Day! That is all.

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The scoop? Children who ate these special gummy bears five days a week had a significant decrease in the plaque bacteria that causes tooth decay.

So what’s so special about these special bears? In place of sugar, the scientists sweetened the bears with xylitol, which interferes with cavity-causing bacteria. In fact, this bacteria was reduced enough that, in theory, tooth decay could be prevented. *Cue parents and children cheering all across the world*

At this point, the study was too brief to ascertain whether or not these gummy bears will have any effect on future cavities, but there is a two-year study under way in Cleveland to do just that.

Imagine that: good-for-you gummies. Ahhhhh. Life is good.

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Image details: Health Food Junk Food served by picapp.com

Is there just anything better than reading about the health benefits of steak, beer or chocolate? Methinks not.

So here’s another gem for you: German researchers say that eating a square of dark chocolate every day can reduce your systolic blood pressure (the top number) by 3 points and your diastolic pressure by 2! And you don’t have to worry about breaking the diet bank, either. Each square only totals about 30 calories (calories full of bliss, I might add.)

The trick? Natural compounds found in dark chocolate raise your levels of nitric oxide, a known blood-vessel relaxer.

So…more chocolate in your life = better health? Man, what great news for a Monday, eh?

Bon apetit!

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Image details: Fast food meal. served by picapp.com

Slow to hop on the bandwagon of apples vs. french fries, Burger King will soon be unleashing a massive ad campaign directed at parents. Their goal? To entice you into their eating establishment by way of offering “healthier” fast food choices for your rugrats.

In theory, this sounds nice. In actuality, it’s a joke. Why? Because their “healthy” kids meal consists of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, apple fries, and milk. For $3.49.

$3.49?!? Are you kidding me? I could buy 6 boxes of mac-n-cheese for that! I could buy a whole bag of apples for that! I could buy a gallon of milk for that!

While I guess sometimes you can’t put a price on convenience, my thoughts are, if you’re heading to a fast food joint, indulge in a little fast food. Otherwise, stay home. Make your mac-n-cheese with whole wheat noodles. Serve your apple slices with yogurt, rather than processed caramel. Give your child skim milk, rather than whole or 2 percent. Stuff like that.

Now, I guess I appreciate that the fast food conglomerates are making the effort. But is it really necessary? Or should they keep doing what they do best? Making burgers, fries, shakes and other indulgences, while we as informed consumers make better choices about what we put in our bodies (and those of our kids’)?

What do you think? Should fast food stay true to its roots, or should it hop on the Healthy Lifestyle movement? Whose responsibility should better nutrition be? Weigh in. I’d love to hear your thoughts…

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Image details: Couple sharing gelato cone served by picapp.com

1 in 8 couples has trouble conceiving. This, I did not know, but given how many folks I’ve met who are having a hard time getting pregnant, sadly, I’m not surprised.

But, the fix could be just the thing that summertime is all about…Ice Cream!!!!

I’m not making this up, I swear! The good folks at Harvard University have found that along with the usual suspects of increasing fruit and veggie intake, limiting red meats, adding healthy fats by way of nuts and fish, and other assorted healthful advice, full fat dairy products may also boost fertility. And when I hear full fat, I think Ben & Jerry’s, baby!

The thing here is that it must be full fat dairy, not low fat or skim. Evidently, “skinny” dairy products lack the hormones which hitch a ride on fat molecules – the ones that may aid in ovulation. Huh. Now there’s a reason to belly up to the dairy bar if I ever heard one.

While more research needs to be done, this finding looks promising. And, in my opinion, any reason to eat more ice cream sounds promising to me.

Of course, while this is fun and exciting news, dealing with infertility can be such an emotional and trying process. For fabulous advice, insight and tips, be sure to visit Gabrielle at Fertility Notes, another great b5media Health & Wellness Channel blog.

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More good news on the nasty habit/I-thought-this-was-junk front. Turns out all the gum-smackers of the world (myself included) have got a good thing going. Jeez, between this and the news from last week, could life get any better?!?

Here, a few reasons why sugarless (operative word) gum is great for you:

* Alert! Alert! Yes, chewing gum can help boost alertness. In fact, one study showed that students and shift workers who chewed gum during the wee hours felt less tired than those in the same situation who didn’t chew gum. The reason? Chewing motions, blowing bubbles and the burst of flavor are all mentally stimulating.

* Burn Out. Chewing gum makes your mouth involuntarily produce more saliva, which neutralizes the acids introduced by food and drinks. What’s more, swallowing encourages the esophagus to push acids down into the stomach instead of allowing them to back up and wreak havoc. So the next time you nosh on fatty or acidic foods, grab a stick of sugarless and chomp away (just avoid mint flavors, which can actually worsen heartburn).

* Dentist be Damned. Okay, so you won’t get to skip your bi-annual cleanings, but your visits to the dentist may go much smoother once gum-chewing becomes second nature. Why? Because chewing sugarless gum actually helps fight tooth decay. Again, saliva is at the helm here, keeping away acids and flushing out bacteria and food particles. This is especially handy for that spinach chunk or poppy seed stuck front and center between your teeth.

* Kind of Ear-y. According to a Finnish study, kids who chewed gum made with xylitol (a natural sweetener) got half as many ear infections as those who didn’t chew, since xylitol is said to slow the growth of bacteria in the ear. Could this be the answer to our antibiotic over-usage issue? Hmmm. Maybe it’s worth a try…

Other areas gum has been said to be beneficial:

Stress reduction
Smoking Cessation
Weight Loss
Nail-Biting
Cheek/Lip Nibbling
Jaw Strengthening
Dry Mouth

If you’re not already a gum-chewer, give it a whirl. If you are, smack and snap away – guilt free!

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Happy Weekend, everyone!

Don’t you just love when your favorite “bad” foods suddenly appear with a glowing halo hovering above them? Yeah, me too. Makes my day.

Like today. Suddenly that steak craving I’ve been having is validated, as is the beer I’m sure to consume throughout the weekend. Why, you ask? Why, I’m so glad you asked. Please, allow me to share:

Steak builds muscles. Okay, so you may not become the next Ah-nold (or Arnold-ette) by sidling up at the nearest steakhouse, but you’ll be happy to know that women who at 10 oz. of lean beef every day lost more weight than women who ate the same amount of calories, sans the meat. Why? Because meat contains amino acids that help maintain muscle, and we all know that the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn (y’all do know that right? Right?)

Beer lowers BMI. Hallelujah for that fabulous Nurses’ Health Study. It found that women who drink one to two glasses of liquid gold (aka beer), wine, or liquor per day had a 15% lower BMI (body mass index) than those who abstain. Why? Alcohol helps regulate insulin levels, which then regulate weight. Of course, everything in moderation, my dear friends. More than two drinks a day can actually cause weight gain and increase your risk of assorted diseases. Not cool.

So isn’t this great news, right in time for Happy Hour? You betcha! Glad I could help. Now you can enjoy your weekend – guilt free!

Want to know more about Beer with Benefits? Check out Health and Men for the skinny.

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Macaroni and cheese, pizza, chocolate chip cookies. Not usually found at the top of a dietician’s “Nice” list, are they? Well, no more. With a few tweaks here and there, your favorite foods can go from Nutritionally Naughty to Superfood instantaneously.

Add this: Cauliflower
To: Macaroni and Cheese
For the benefit of: Preventing Lung Cancer

Yep, adding just a 1/2 cup of pureed cauliflower to your comfort food go-to on a regular basis can lower the odds of getting lung cancer by 30% for non-smokers and 69% for smokers!

Add this: Toasted Shelled Hempseeds
To: Chocolate Chip Cookies
For the benefit of: Age-Proofing Your Mind

Adding 4 Tablespoons of these tiny nuts drives up the omega-3 fatty acid content of grandma’s cookies, which should aid in repairing brain tissue, staving off Alzheimer’s and improving insulin sensitivity. All of those factors help to create the ultimate in brain health.

P.S. Adding wacky tobacky is not the same here, folks. Sorry.

Add this: Feta Cheese
To: Pizza
For the benefit of: Improving Your Energy

When Spanish scientists compared cow’s milk to goat’s milk (which feta cheese is made from), they found that feta helps prevent iron deficiency, which just happens to be a major player in causing fatigue. Without sufficient iron, the level of oxygen to your muscles is hindered, thereby making you sluggish.

Add this: Spelt Flour
To: Pancakes
For the benefit of: Ramping Up Your Immune System

Spelt flour is packed with special carbs called mucopolysaccharides, which rev up your body’s resistance to infection. Not only that, spelt is a great source of B-17, which has been shown in studies to help prevent cancer.

With this great news, now’s the time to table-up to some of your favorite, once-forbidden foods. Mmm-mmm!

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If your Valentine’s Day is likely to have some chocolate interspersed into it, then lucky you! Be sure you either grab your lovah or position yourself in Cupid’s path because Hallelujah, you’re in for a treat.

What’s all the fuss, you ask? Well doctors from The Mind Lab in England hooked up the hearts and brains of study couples to monitors, then asked them to experience both chocolate and a kiss independently (that is, one without the other). What they found is that the chocolate stimulated their hearts to pound and the pleasure centers in their brains to fire up quite a bit more strongly than just a kiss (even a passionate one). What’s more, the positive effects lasted about 4 times longer!

So what’s the moral of this story? If kisses are good and chocolate is better, then combining kissing (and other bedroom-oriented things) with chocolate is a sure-fire winner for your Valentine’s Day (and every day) pleasures. Enjoy!

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When’s the last time you made like Pooh Bear and attacked a pot of honey with a feverish zeal? If it’s been a while (or, um, never) maybe you should give it a try. Honey is packed with more than just a natural sweetness – it’s got some serious health benefits, too.

Try to incorporate four tablespoons of buckwheat honey (the darker the better) to:

• Boost the levels of polyphenolic antioxidants in your blood. These little ditties are powerful compounds that prevent free radicals and other ickies from messing with your immune system.
• Save some calories. Though honey does pack more cals than white sugar, because of its super-sweetness, you’ll use less and get the same effects.

How to sneak it in:

• Drizzle it over oatmeal or toast spread with peanut butter
• Add it to your tea
• Mix it into a stir fry or use it in a marinade or glaze for chicken
• Stir it into yogurt (which in and of itself is a cold-fighter due to its live cultures)
• Add some droplets onto apple slices or on top of granola and milk

With cold season in full-swing, there’s no better time than now to sweeten up to honey. If you have any more ideas on how to sneak honey into your daily menu, be sure to pass them along. We’d love to hear!

More info on honey

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