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 - Calories: 270, Fat Grams: 22
• Regular Potato Chips - Calories: 150, Fat Grams: 10
• Lite French Onion Dip - Calories: 35, Fat Grams: 1.5
• Doritos - Calories: 150, Fat Grams: 8
• Bacon Ranch Boxed Pasta Salad - Calories: 280, Fat Grams: 11
• Watermelon - Calories: 40, Fat Grams: 0
• Faygo Red Pop x 3 - Calories: 360, Fat Grams: 0
• Baked Beans - Calories: 140, Fat Grams: 1
• Half a Kogel Vienna Hot Dog - Calories: 80, Fat Grams, 7.5

So, yeah, we’re looking at over 1500 calories and about 61 grams of drippy, mostly-saturated fat. Yum. Add to that unknown calories for extras like homemade potato salad, Texas sheet cake and condiments like buns, pickles, ketchup and mustard, and…WOW!

Is this anything like what YOUR menu consisted of this weekend? Please tell me I’m not alone.

Off to work out…for the next 17 hours!

Have a great Labor Day!!

Post from: Healthbolt

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 a white noise machine for those carb-crunching Zzzzz’s you so desperately need.

Post from: Healthbolt

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.

Post from: Healthbolt

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 the only long-term study of women aged 35-74 whose sister had breast cancer. It is a national study to learn how environment and genes affect the chances of getting breast cancer. A total of 50,000 women will join the effort to find the causes of breast cancer.

Alicia writes about how  Ghost Hunters Declare The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum Haunted over at Mental Health Notes, saying, “This historic mental health institution in West Virginia first drew attention when the new owners renamed it the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Now, TAPS (Ghost Hunters) have declared it haunted.”

Jessica Donnovan presents How to Make Diet Shakes That Taste Great! posted at Sensible Self-Improvement, providing information and a couple of diet shake recipes that will make your mouth water.

Crabby McSlacker presents Fearin’ The Flames posted at Cranky Fitness, featuring ideas on how to make your barbequing days healthy, safe, and fun.

Carla Birnberg presents Tues Tip posted at mizfitonline.com, saying Chia is good for you. But what is it and do you know what to do with it?

Barbara Schreiber presents Rx Wine posted at Britannica Blog, updating us on the possible health benefits of red wine, citing a new study that seems to indicate that it’s good for the liver.

D. Singh presents Google Health Launched. Can We Entrust our Health to Google? posted at Internet Marketing Blog, looking at Google Health and what it can do for you.

Marcus presents Motivation To Exercise posted at Personal Development & Self Help, offering some great strategies to get you off the couch and into exercise mode.

Marijke presents Bone marrow transplants – would you be a donor? posted at Marijke: nurse turned writer, asking that we take the time to learn about bone marrow transplants and why it’s important to be on the donor registry.

Israel presents Rising Gas Prices Can Help Your Weight Loss posted at Fat Man Unleashed dot com, making the point that rising gas prices really can be good for our health and our ability to loss weight.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents The Five-Second What??? posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog, offering an entertaining limerick that will stick in your head about food on floor and the five second rule.

You’ll have to turn the page to read the rest….

Shaheen Lakhan presents The Great Embryonic Stem Cell Debate posted at GNIF Brain Blogger, discussing stem cell research and the work of controversial Dr. Geeta Shroff in India.

Marijke presents Company’s calling: For Grace’s founder, Cynthia Toussaint speaks out posted at Help My Hurt. Interesting interview where Cynthia talks about her struggles with having having the disease she suffers from – Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) also known as the Suicide Disease – recognized.

Jose DeJesus MD presents How to Make Your Energy Last Through the Afternoon posted at Physician Entrepreneur. Great tips for any feeling sluggish in the afternoons.

Tip Diva presents Tip Diva | Top Ten Tips – Managing The Side Effects Of Chemotherapy posted at Tip Diva. Dealing with chemotherapy is tough but knowing what to expect and how to deal with it before it happens might just makes things a little easier.

Chris Davis presents Healthy Snack Trend: Single-Serving Nut Butters posted at The Healthy Snacks Blog, for peanut butter fans everywhere.

Andre Blackman presents Man vs. Machine: When I Realized I Wasn’t a Robot posted at Pulse & Signal, discussing why it’s so important, in this digital age to keep a balance in life to ensure good health.

monica presents Eating Less Beats Exercise for Longevity posted at SmarterFitter Blog, discussing two recent studies that support calorie restriction for longevity.

Scott Kustes presents You Walk Wrong And Your Shoes Are To Blame posted at Modern Forager, looking at what shoes do to your feet.

Michael Snyder presents 10 Powerful Secrets For How To Build A Great Marriage posted at Shattered Paradigm, offers some great tips to help both your marriage and your health.

Aparna presents Beauty and Personal Grooming: Our face reflects our health posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming. What does your face say about you?

Brandon Patchin presents Intensity Propensity: The Importance of High Intensity Exercise posted at www.OneChanceToLive.com, looking at what it can do for fat loss and health.

Health Chaos presents Scoliosis and what to do? posted at Health Chaos. Here’s one person’s take on dealing with scoliosis.

Barbara Y presents Homemade Facial Masks posted at All Natural Blog. Try these homemade facial masks for better skin.

Larry W presents Weight Training Safety posted at Muscle Bound Blog. Tips on making your weight training sessions safe.

Murphy S presents Saving money on your organic food shopping! posted at All Organic Blog. Saving money is something on everyone’s mind these days.

Davexplorer presents What is natural cooking? posted at Natural Cooking Blog. It’s easy. Here’s how.

Alfred L presents Natural Cure for Bad Breath posted at Only Natural Blog. Interesting tips for dealing with bad breath.

Dean Moyer presents Sciatica Relapse Question posted at The Back Pain Blog, discussing how to avoid a relapse of sciatica symptoms during rehabilitation.

Marijke presents Prenatal care – what is it? posted at Womb Within, giving us a brief rundown why pre-natal care is so important for both mother and baby.

Joanne presents Benefits of Sunbathing and Risks of Sunscreen posted at Open Mind Required. Interesting discussion on the controversy of sunbathing and sunscreen.

Michael Beck presents How a Famous Copywriter Can Help Your Practice posted at Chiropractic Marketing | Chiropractic Advertising, offering a 4 Part Marketing formula to help health professionals grow their business practice.

Walter presents Tired? You May Not Be Getting Enough Sleep posted at Highlight HEALTH

Dianne M. Buxton presents Professional Footwork, Muscle Memory For Ballet, and Neural Pathways posted at Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes, looking at the relationship between nutrition and brain health, and developing reflexes for exceling in sports and ballet.

Melanie Thomassian presents 10 Tactics to Give Work Stress the Boot! posted at Dietriffic. We all have to deal with work stress to some degree or another, so it’s helpful to learn how to deal with it before it becomes too much.

garry presents Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Will Help You to Become Successful. posted at 2 Million Dollar Bills, offering tips on keeping a healthy body and mind.

aruntheace presents Benefits of Green tea / Weight loss tea posted at HealthyBitz.

Michael. presents Beauty and the Beast: How Attractiveness Affects Your Life posted at A Law Student and Young Lawyer Blog – Law Vibe. discussing the correlation between attractiveness and success.

Murphy S presents Practical Tips to Prevent Acne posted at All Natural Acne. As anyone who has dealt with acne knows, any tip that makes it go away is worth it’s weight in gold.

Trisha presents What is the face of noma? posted at Women’s Health Research News. Learn more about this terrible disease that strikes African Chlidren.

TherapyDoc presents Definition: ADHD posted at Everyone Needs Therapy, saying, “This discussion tends to get pretty heated.”

Brandon Patchin presents Pesticides and Parkinson’s posted at www.OneChanceToLive.com, looking at the relationship between the chemicals and the disease.

Technology Editor presents Lowering Prescription Drug Costs posted at Physician Entrepreneur, discussing politicians, legislation, and doctors prescribing.

Well, that’s it for this edition.

You can submit your blog article to the next edition of a healthbolt carnival using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: a healthbolt carnival, blog carnival.

Post from: Healthbolt

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 nut (so buy them shelled) can be a stress reliever in and of itself!

So there you have it. Go nuts this weekend and feel all the better for it!

Post from: Healthbolt

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 delectable delights.

What’s more, the article also pings us with the news that it’s not possible to pay attention to both a movie and to how much we eat at the same time, so we end up taking in many extra calories that way. And serving sizes? Just an open invitation to gorge.

So, what’s the good, er, bad word, exactly? Take a look (but just remember – I warned you!):

Medium Popcorn
Calories: 825
Fat Grams: 46 (34 of which are trans fat)
Carbs: 94 g
The good news is, there is a ton of fiber in popcorn. 17 g to be exact. There’s also a decent 15 g of protein.

Large Nachos with Cheese
Calories: 1,101
Fat Grams: 54 (40 g trans fat)
Carbs: 133 g

Hot Dog
Calories: 300
Fat Grams: 18 (9 g trans fat)
Carbs: 25 g

Soft Pretzel
Calories: 483
Fat Grams: 4 (3 grams trans fat)
Carbs: 99 g
Pretzels do pack 12 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber, however.

And finally, the beloved Medium Coke with Ice:
Calories: 385
Sugar: 100 g!
Can’t resist a Coke at movies? Check out the effects Coke has on your body and maybe next time you’ll be ordering up a water.

***

So, great news, hey? Considering popcorn is the primary reason I’m easily talked into taking the kids to a flick, this is just ever so depressing.

What about you? Will knowing this keep you from heading to the movies more often? Or will you still go, but bypass the concession stand? Let us know in the comments below.

Post from: Healthbolt

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!

Post from: Healthbolt

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 reason behind your desire or was it just a random pairing that struck your fancy and has held on ever since? How often to you indulge in your unusual food fantasies? Pull up a Wendy’s french fry dipped in a chocolate Frosty and discuss…

Post from: Healthbolt

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 candies over the course of a few hours as those who do away with the evidence. Your eyes settling on the wrappings helps your brain to process how much you’ve actually eaten and keeps you honest. And since humans are generally visual creatures, this might be just the trick you need to keep your candy habit under wraps. Get it? Wraps. Ha!

Don’t go thinking candies are the only offenders, however. A similar study showed the same type of outcome when diners indulged in a chicken wing extravaganza. Those who had the bones removed from their sight underestimated how much they actually wolfed down by about 50 percent!

I guess instead of blaming the Smarties carcasses piled up next to my computer on my kids, I’ll give this candy wrapper/wing bone-veiwing thing a try. Surely, I’ll look like Heidi Klum’s body double when all is said and done.

What? It could happen…

Post from: Healthbolt

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 we eat the same amount of our junk pick regardless of how they come packaged. Yes, choosing to nosh was more about the availability of it in our homes than anything else.

Want a better choice? Ditch the snack packs and load up on fruits, veggies and whole grains instead. But you already knew that, right?

Post from: Healthbolt