I have a friend who conducts about a dozen job interviews each day, with a courteous hand-shake before and after each meet-up. With many of his interviews back-to-back, he doesn’t get a chance to properly wash his hands. So, between appointments, he squirts on hand sanitizer to prevent spreading germs from applicant to applicant.

He complains that his hands are raw from all the alcohol, but he considers it a necessary precaution. But is this quick wipe-up enough to protect him and the folks he interviews from spreading cold, flu, and H1N1 germs? Is hand sanitizer as effective as a good hand-washing? [Read more →]

Did anyone ever tell you that your skin is AMAZING? Well, it is your body’s largest organ, after all. It protects us from the harmful rays of the sun, keeps us hydrated by preventing fluid loss from our body, and produces vitamin D (with the help of the sun) to maintain strong bones. The skin also plays an important role in maintaining our body temperature. Healthy skin goes hand in hand with a healthy lifestyle:

> 5 fixers for this skin care flare-up

> Prevent this potential pimple promoter while you sleep!

> 8 ways to be kind to your skin once winter comes

> When dry winter air saps your skin of moisture, consider adding this tool to your skin care repetoire.

> Is the cellulite battle really worth fighting?

> Hey, Sleepy-Eyes: What to do about these 6 sources of undereye bags and circles

> Find out how protecting your skin can support your body’s immune response.

When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes almost three years ago I was shocked. I shouldn’t have been – it runs in my family and I wasn’t the poster girl for healthy living. Nonetheless, diagnosis of a chronic and potentially life threatening disease is a blow, and it’s scary.

So scary for me, in fact, that I completely changed my diet. I was afraid of eating anything that might exacerbate my newly discovered condition. In my zealous attempt to change I lost over 30 pounds.

I felt great and my weight loss and medication kept my blood sugar levels in control. Things were suddenly not looking quite so bad. I could handle this.

But it’s dangerously easy to become complacent. [Read more →]

Do you count yourself among those skeptical of meditation? Wondering what in the world you could possibly gain from sitting and doing what looks like nothing for 20 minutes a day? Research released recently should cause a change of heart. [Read more →]

I would never try to convince you that Southern foods are the healthiest foods in the world. I mean, take okra for instance. As a kid, I only ate okra if it was pickled and stuffed in a jar (which I loved for a quick, salty snack) or sliced and batter-fried to within a inch of its life. I couldn’t even rightly recognize fried okra as okra were it not for the tiny little pods that go “Pop!” when you bite into them.

I still enjoy a pickled okra spear now and then and will never pass up a helping of fried okra - even when the grease has made the paper plate transparent. But now I know that I can also enjoy okra in its more naturally nutritious state - raw and sliced on a salad, stirred in to thicken a vegetable stew, or sliced lengthwise and mixed with tomatoes, onions, and red chil in an Indian bhindi masala.

Considering my okra origins, I was pleasantly surprised to learn how nutritious these seed pods really are!

Why okra is awesome:

- Okra is an affordable, low-calorie way to add thickness and savory flavour to a dish without adding sodium, fat, or cholesterol.

- Okra is an immunity-boosting treat. Eat just 8 little pods, and you’ll have met a third of your daily needs for vitamin C!

- Those same 8 pods will also support your cardiovascular health and your digestion by providing you with a hearty helping of your daily fibre needs - in terms of both soluble and insoluble.

These powerful pods are packed with at least 6 other important vitamins and minerals. Click here to find out which ones …

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You try to get up out of bed and, yowza, your head spins, it pounds. It feels like your brain rattles and bounces against your skull.

Whether you saw it coming or not, the dreaded day-after hangover can really slow you down. Or else, it sends you speeding to the toilet.

One of the first hangover “cures” lots of people reach for is a big ol’ cup of black coffee. You’re totally thirsty and super-sluggish, after all. Won’t coffee jolt your head out of that hazy hangover cloud? [Read more →]