Since this Labor Day, THE last “unofficial” day of summer, I’d love to take you down the memory lane that was your eating habits throughout the weekend. How did you do? Did you eat yourself silly like me? Or did you stick to your regular diet (c’mon now, no fibbing!)
If, by the off chance, I was not the only other American eating like there would never be another summer barbecue throughout the rest of time, here is what your calorie consumption might have looked like after just one meal (albeit, it was a large, large meal!) Take a look:

Cheddar Bratwurst …read more

Do you crave carbohydrates in a big way? Here’s your cure.
Image details: Dry spaghetti pasta served by picapp.com
Got a thing for carbs? First of all, welcome to the club. I am the Carbohydrates Anonymous Prez, nicetameetcha.
Second, there is hope for us yet.
If pastas, breads and potatoes make your heart sing, perhaps you’re not getting deep enough sleep at night.
Huh?
Yep, evidently, sound sleeping helps regulate the hormones in charge of carb cravings and the blood sugar spikes often associated with them. It’s important to remember even the smallest of noises can disrupt your rest, so try using earplugs or …read more

Ice Cream as a fertility booster? Bring it on!
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 …read more

Well, it’s finally here. – the very first Healtbolt Carnival and  it is huge.
 You know, when we first decided to do this, we were a little nervous. After all, what if we gave a party and nobody came. A natural fear, but one, it seems, that wasn’t warranted. ‘Cause it looks like everyone, and I mean everyone, has come to the party.
So put on your glad rags, grab a drink and start mingling…
And don’t forget to pass the word on. After all, the more the merrier.

SjP presents the sister study…the battle against breast cancer posted at Sojourner’s Place.The Sister Study is …read more

Image details: Mixed nuts served by picapp.com
Want an easy way to reduce stress naturally? Go nuts!
Assuming you’re not allergic to nuts, eating as little as one once of these little wonders can pump a ton of calming nutrients into your harried body. And after a l-o-n-g week, that’s probably exactly what you need right now, right? Thought so.
Nuts contain blood-pressure lowering B vitamins (which tend to get depleted when your muscles are tense), anxiety-kicking zinc, and vitamin E, a super antioxidant which helps protect cells from the damages caused by chronic nervousness.
What’s more? The simple act of cracking open a …read more

Image details: Scooping Popcorn served by picapp.com
I stumbled across an article today in the current issue of Men’s Health, and it pert near brought me to tears. Why so? Because they gave a no holds barred rundown of movie theater goodies – admittedly the reason I even attend movies sometimes – and let me tell you, it ain’t pretty.
Yes, I realize you already knew that movie theater fare doesn’t qualify as health food. But I bet you unless you’ve made a conscious effort to research this sort of thing, you’ll be astounded by the calorie and fat content of these …read more

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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: …read more

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This article on MSNBC caught my eye. (Probably because I’m teetering on the brink of Slim Down for Summer mode. Sound familiar?)
The article exposes some of the weirdest cravings and food combos I’ve seen yet. Peanut butter and yellow mustard? Come on! But as odd as that is, I’m willing to bet you Healthbolt readers can one-up this by a long shot. So to break up the monotony of the week, let’s engage in lively conversation centering around my favorite subject…food!
What are some of your whacked-out must-haves? Is there any …read more

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Did things get a little crazy with the chocolate lips and conversation hearts this Valentine’s Day? Or maybe raiding the kids’ candy stash is an hourly occurrence for you (surely I can’t be the only one.) If your dietary efforts seem thwarted by the sheer amount of candy carcasses piling up around you, take heed…and save those wrappers as cold, hard evidence.
Why? A new study from Cornell University has found that those folks who save candy wrappers as a visual reminder of their treat consumption eat about half as many …read more

Photo Credit
Think you’re doing your diet a favor by snapping up those cute little 100-calorie snack packs that come in everything from Oreos to Cheez-Its to fruit snacks? Feel like you’re accomplishing a major feat in your quest for healthy (or controlled) snacking when you pop a pack open? Happy to plunk down whatever coinage is necessary to keep your snack habit under wraps?
Well, sorry m’friends. It’s time to reconsider.
Not only are those prepackaged snacks considerably more expensive than splitting a regular-sized box or bag of your favorite goody into individual servings, researchers at Brown University have also found that …read more