5 Worst Beach-Body Foods

#1: WORST SMOOTHIE
Smoothie King The Hulk Strawberry (20 oz.)
1,035 calories
32 g fat (13 g saturated)
125 g sugar

Few foods are as disarming as smoothies. The liquid meals have a reputation for being healthy and low in calories, which seems like a perfect combination right before you bear all on the beach. But let this be your warning: Not all smoothies are created equal. This one from Smoothie King packs as much sugar as 91 Nilla Wafers and more fat than a McDonald's Big Mac. If you drink something like this with any regularity, you might unknowingly be sabotaging your beach body all summer long. Make the swap to Smoothie King's Strawberry Shredder just three times a week and you'll drop more than two pounds every month.

Eat This Instead!
Smoothie King Strawbery Shredder (20 oz.)
356 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
41 g sugar

#2: WORST DINNER
Stouffer’s Skillets Easy Express Broccoli & Beef (1/2 package)
350 calories
6 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
1,660 mg sodium

Looking beyond the raffinose-riddled broccoli, this meal is stuck with an absurd amount of sodium. If you're hungry enough to work through an entire bag, you've just exceeded your day's allotment by nearly 50 percent. Why is that a problem? Because sodium is an electrolyte that tells your body to withhold water. That's not the same as being properly hydrated. See, sodium-induced water retention causes you to carry water weight, which makes you appear swollen and puffy. Unless you're going for a beached-whale look, seek low-sodium foods before hitting the waves.

Eat This Instead!
Birds Eye Viola! Shrimp Scampi (1.75 cups)
190 calories
2.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
540 mg sodium

#3: WORST DESSERT
Russell Stover’s Sugar Free Toffee Squares (1.6 oz.)
210 calories
16 g fat (9 g saturated)
0 g sugar

Don't be duped into thinking that these candies are "healthy" just because they're sugar free. First, each serving has nearly half your day's saturated fat, and second, it contains 23 grams of sugar alcohol, a sweet carbohydrate that provides fewer calories per gram than actual sugar. These sweeteners aren't fully absorbed in the body, and as result, they simply ferment and emit gas. For some people, this causes severe discomfort and bloating. Stick with fruit and you'll avoid the problem entirely.

Eat This Instead!
Fruit Salad of Banana, Mango, and Papaya (1 cup)
78 calories
0 g fat
14 g sugar

#4: WORST SNACK
Broccoli with ranch dressing  (1 cup broccoli and 2 Tbsp dressing)
170 calories
14.5 g fat (2 g saturated)
370 mg sodium

Broccoli, like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage, falls into a class of produce known as cruciferous vegetables. These vegetables are among the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, and as such, they should be consumed as often as possible. That said, you might want to hold off your day's broccoli until you're off the beach. Cruciferous vegetables contain a sugar called raffinose—the same sugar that gives beans their heavy-winded reputation. In your gut, raffinose is fermented by gas-producing bacteria, which can make you feel bloated and gassy. That's not necessarily unhealthy, but it might lead to some awkward beach photos. Instead, if you're picking beach-bound snacks, pair high-fiber tortilla chips with low-calorie salsa. And be sure to avoid the dietary disasters on this list: The Worst Chips and Dips in America.

Eat This Instead!
Food Should Taste Good Jalepeno chips with salsa (1 oz. chips/2 T. salsa)
150 calories
6 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
340 mg sodium

#5: WORST DRINK
Diet Coke (12 fl. oz. bottle) and other diet sodas
0 calories
0 g fat
0 g sugar

No calories, no fat, and no sugar—so what's the harm? For starters, the carbon dioxide that supplies soda's fizz will continue to burble and expand in your stomach, priming you for serious bloat. That's the short-term effect. The long-term could be even worse: The artificial sweeteners in diet soda might actually inhibit weight loss. Studies have shown that rats consuming artificial sweeteners consume more calories at subsequent meals. It's as if the promise of calories, without the payoff, causes the body to crave food. Below is a better beach-day beverage: Hint Water. By drinking water, you keep your body flushed out and your skin looking healthy, and since Hint uses natural flavors, you earn all the boons of hydration without suffering the downsides of sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Drink This Instead!
Hint Cucumber Water (16 fl. oz.)
0 calories
0 g fat
0 g sugar

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Dairy products don’t raise heart attack risk

LONDON: Cheese and butter eaters worry no more as researchers found that eating dairy products do not raise the risk of heart attack.
The nutritionists examined thousands of old-aged people and came to know that even those who ate more than half a kilo of cheese did not put them under increased risk.
Things like milk and cheese are very complex substance, explained researcher Stella Aslibekyan from Brown University, Rhode Island, where the study was carried out.
The study suggested that nutrients like calcium, vitamin D and potassium present in the dairy products may protect against heart disease for all but those who ate the most of them.

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Common drug combo spikes blood sugar:

WASHINGTON: An anti-depressant and a cholesterol lowering drug, taken together by as many as one million people in the United States, may cause a spike in blood sugar levels, researchers said Wednesday.
Paxil and the anti-cholesterol drug Pravachol do not have this effect when taken independently, said researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University and Harvard Medical School.
The interaction was uncovered by analyzing voluntary reports of adverse events in a database maintained by the US Food and Drug Administration, and comparing that to electronic medical records held by the three medical institutions.
The study used "data-mining techniques to identify patterns of associations in large populations that would not be readily apparent to physicians treating individual patients," it said.
While none of the patients taking the combination reported having hyperglycemia as a result, researchers found 135 patients who did not have diabetes showed an average increase of 19 milligrams per deciliter in blood glucose after starting treatment.
Among 14 people with diabetes, the effect was greater -- 48 mg/dl after the drug combo was begun.
The blood sugar spikes were significant enough to possibly push a person who is pre-diabetic into full blown diabetes, and to put diabetic patients' health in danger, said the study published in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
Then researchers tested the drug combination in laboratory mice who were first fed a high-fat, high-calorie diet which would put them in a state considered pre-diabetic and insulin resistant.
When these pre-diabetic mice were treated with the two drugs for three weeks, their blood glucose soared from about 128 mg/dl to 193 mg/dl. Neither drug alone has such an effect.
"These kinds of drug interactions are almost certainly occurring all of the time, but, because they are not part of the approval process by the Food and Drug Administration, we can only learn about them after the drugs are on the market," said Russ Altman, professor of medicine at Stanford.
"Understanding and mitigating the effect this pair of medications has on blood sugar could allow a person with diabetes to better control his or her glucose levels, or even prevent someone who is pre-diabetic from crossing that threshold into full-blown diabetes," said Altman.
Up to 15 million people in the United States have prescriptions for the two drugs, said the study. Paxil is also known by its generic name, paroxetine, and Pravachol is pravastatin.
The drugs do not currently carry warning against combinations that may increase blood sugar.
"By extrapolating from the electronic medical records at Stanford and elsewhere, we can predict that between 500,000 and one million people are taking them simultaneously,"

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Drug may take the edge off bad memories

NEW YORK: Blocking a hormone involved in the body's stress response may change the way people remember negative memories, according to a new study.
But it's still unclear exactly how the drug involved works, and if the finding has implications for the treatment of people with conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The drug, metyrapone, blocks the stress hormone cortisol and has been used to treat people with diseases related to cortisol production.
But cortisol is also involved in storing and retrieving memories, leading researchers to wonder if tinkering with its levels in the body could change how people recall past events.
"We know that (cortisol) is important for memory," Marie-France Marin, the study's lead author from the University of Montreal, told Reuters Health. "Very high levels are bad for your memory, and very low levels are bad for your memory," she explained.
In their research, Marin and her colleagues went for the very low levels, using metyrapone to stop healthy volunteers from producing cortisol.
Those volunteers, 33 young men, were first shown a narrated slide show that had both "neutral" and "emotionally negative" slides.
The slides told the story of a young girl who goes to her grandparents' house. There, she and her grandparents try to build a birdhouse, and the girl gets badly injured, with scenes showing lots of blood and a trip to the operating room. In the end, viewers know that the girl will be okay.
Three days after watching the video, researchers gave the men either a single 750-milligram dose of metyrapone, a double dose, or a drug-free placebo pill. Then they asked them to recall as much information as possible from the story.
Another four days after that, they brought the participants in once more, and without giving them any drugs asked them to recall the story again.
There was no difference in how men who had taken a single dose of metyrapone and those given a placebo remembered the story either time.
But on both occasions, those given a double dose remembered significantly less of the negative emotional components of the story.
For example, men in the placebo group scored between 40 and 50 percent on their second memory test for negative emotional information in the story, compared to about 30 percent in the group given a double metyrapone dose.
"The fact that the effects of metyrapone were still evident for four days after -- that's pretty remarkable," Tony Buchanan, who studies stress and memory at Saint Louis University and was not involved in the study, told Reuters Health.
Both metyrapone groups still recalled the "neutral" information as well as the placebo group.
The investigators who determined how much participants remembered didn't know whether they had taken metyrapone or the placebo, the authors note in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Marin and her colleagues believe that once participants were asked to retrieve the memory of the story, those taking the high dose of metyrapone re-stored that memory in a different, less-emotional way -- probably because cortisol levels were lower at that time.
Though they predicted that people would remember the story differently while under the effects of the drug, they didn't know the memory would still be changed once hormone levels returned to normal.
"What was really surprising is that once the memory was sorted in the brain we were able to modify it in a long-lasting manner," Marin said.
Researchers still aren't sure why metyrapone might affect how negative memories, but not neutral ones, are recalled and re-stored, Marin said.
The ultimate goal from this and other studies that have tried to use drugs to alter negative memories is to treat people who are overwhelmed by these memories, such as war veterans suffering from PTSD -- an idea that still makes some uncomfortable.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 3.5 percent of U.S. adults suffer from PTSD -- but that rate climbs to up to 20 percent in estimates of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
PTSD is generally treated with psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy, and some people are also prescribed anti-depressants. Marin said a drug like metyrapone could one day prove helpful for people who don't get better with therapy alone.
But it's not clear yet that a drug that helps people without PTSD remember fewer ugly details in a story will also work for those who experienced the trauma first-hand and have been profoundly affected by that trauma.
"We need to see if autobiographical memories are sensitive (to metyrapone) in the same way or not," Marin said.
What's more, "only a small fraction of people exposed to traumatic events experience PTSD," Buchanan said. It's hard to tell if any of those 33 volunteers might have had certain characteristics that would predispose them to PTSD or not, he said.
In people with that predisposition, he said, "you'd imagine there's something different about their brains before the trial," which could affect how they recall negative memories.
Researchers also can't be sure that women would have the same reaction to the drug as men, since only men were used in the study.
Metyrapone, sold under the name Metopirone in the U.S., is currently not on the market, the authors note, so it's important also to study other drugs that may have the same effect.
More research is needed before metyrapone, or similar drugs that block cortisol, can be tested in PTSD patients. But according to Buchanan, the new study "is a great step in that direction."

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Less childhood sleep has fat risk

LONDON: Children who get insufficient sleep at night are more likely to become overweight, according to researchers in New Zealand.
A study followed 244 children between the ages of three and seven.
It said more sleep was linked to a lower weight, which could have important public health consequences.
UK experts said there was "no harm" in drawing attention to the link between reduced sleep and ill health.
The children were seen every six months when their weight, height and body fat were measured. Their sleeping habits and physical-activity levels were recorded at ages three, four and five.
The researchers found that those children who had less sleep in their earlier years were at greater risk of having a higher Body Mass Index at age seven.
This link continued even when other risk factors, such as gender and physical activity, were accounted for in their research.
Suggested reasons for the link include simply having more time to eat and changes to hormones affecting appetite.
In an accompanying analysis, Professors Francesco Cappuccio and Michelle Miller, from the University of Warwick, said future research should "explore and validate new behavioural, non-drug based, methods to prolong children's and adults' sleeping time.
"In the meantime it would do no harm to advise people that a sustained curtailment of sleeping time might contribute to long-term ill health in adults and children."
Dr Ian Maconochie, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said: "Children under five generally average at least 11 hours sleep at night and in daytime naps. 

"However, 20% of children at this age experience problems sleeping, and we already know that inadequate sleep has a significant impact on attention, memory, behaviour, and school performance. This paper is a useful addition to our knowledge of children's sleep patterns."

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Top 10 Healthy Foods Under $3

Eating well doesn't have to come with a hefty price tag. Your health is always a good investment and you don’t have to break the bank. Here is a top-10 list of nutrient-packed foods that both your wallet and body will love!

Don't be tricked into purchasing that 2-for-1 sugary snack pack. Instead, stretch your dollar and invest in these heart-healthy items.

1. Yes to Yogurt

Cost: about $1 per 6 oz. container

For a thicker, creamier texture, choose low-fat, unsweetened Greek yogurt. Loaded with protein, calcium, and natural probiotics, it makes for a tasty snack any time. Enjoy it with fresh or dried fruit, blend it into smoothies, or add a delicious dollop onto a baked sweet potato.

Budget-friendly Tip: Buy larger containers for even more savings.

2. Bonkers for Bananas

Cost: approximately $0.40 each

If you crave a sweet, creamy snack, this potassium-packed fruit is the perfect choice! Full of fiber and B6, bananas are the perfect addition to whole grain cereals and yogurt.

Budget-friendly Tip: Store bananas at room temperature away from heat and sunlight. And did you know bananas last longer when you separate them from each other in the fruit bowl?

3. Health Gains with Whole Grain Pasta

Cost: about $2.29 per pound

Full of fiber, whole grain pasta has a nutty, chewy texture that quickly fills you up--this means fewer bites, good news for your waistline. More magnesium and zinc make it a healthier choice than white pasta. Enjoy it hot or cold with sautéed greens and garlic.

Budget-friendly Tip: Look for "100% whole grain" on the package when choosing your favorite brand. If you make more than you can eat in one sitting, no need to waste: cooked pasta without sauce can be frozen for up to three months.

4. Quinoa: The Supergrain

Cost: $1.50 - 2.00 per pound

This ancient grain packs a protein punch, containing all nine essential amino acids--a perfect vegan option. Loaded with iron, magnesium, manganese, tryptophan, copper, and phosphorous, quinoa is a nutritious gem! Start your day with a warming bowl of cooked quinoa mixed with dried cranberries and walnuts, or add some beans and greens for a simple, healthy lunch.

Budget-friendly Tip: Buy quinoa in bulk to get more bang for your buck!

5. Nuts About Almonds!

Cost: $0.33 - 1.00 per handful

Nuts can be budget friendly, especially if you purchase them in bulk. Chock full of the antioxidant vitamin E, protein, and heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fat, almonds have been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol. Enjoy a handful as a crunchy snack or toss into your favorite salad.

Budget-friendly Tip: Store nuts in the freezer to prevent rancidity and extend shelf life. Nuts in their shell are also more cost-effective.

Bonus Tip: In addition to a handful of nuts, consider snacking on our High Performance tablets. This combination of unique Chinese food herbs, exotic seeds and wholesome grains strengthens the digestive system and provides high quality energy to maintain an active lifestyle.

6. Eggtastic!

Cost: $2.00 - 3.00 per dozen

This incredible, edible food can be enjoyed at any meal. New studies reveal that egg yolks are 64% higher in vitamin D and 14% lower in cholesterol than previously thought. An excellent protein source, it also contains lutein. This naturally occurring carotenoid protects the eye from oxidative stress. Enjoy eggs as a breakfast scramble or mix with your favorite veggies for a fun frittata.

Budget-friendly Tip: Store eggs in their carton to prevent them from absorbing surrounding odors. Hard boil a few extra for an inexpensive satisfying grab-and-go snack.

7. Outstanding Oats

Cost: Approximately $0.40 per bowlful

A heart-healthy breakfast choice, oatmeal has been shown to lower cholesterol with its high beta-glucan fiber content. Oats are also rich in selenium, manganese, and B1. Sprinkle some berries and flaxseed powder into your next morning bowl.

Budget-friendly Tip: Purchase oats in larger containers instead of individual packets to save more. Leave the packaged oats that contain salt and sugar on the store shelf.

8. Bountiful Beans

Cost: $1.00 per 15.5 oz can

Whether you pine for pinto beans or chirp for chickpeas, beans are an affordable, healthy food. Full of protein, fiber, and low in fat, they can be enjoyed pureed, steeped in soups, or tossed in salads.

Budget-friendly Tip: Dried beans in bulk will save you more than the canned variety, but both are pocket-friendly. Always look for low sodium on the front panel when buying canned beans.

9. Broccoli by the Bowlful

Cost: $2.30 - 3.00 per bunch

Bursting with vitamin C and antioxidants, broccoli is a low-calorie cruciferous rock star! One cup of steamed broccoli provides you with about 25% of the daily folate value and 45% of vitamin A. Steam, roast, or quickly sauté these green crucifers for a crunchy, heart-healthy side dish.

Budget-friendly Tip: Keep and cook the flavorful stalks to get more for your money. Too tough? Try dicing into a smaller size or simmer in soup.

10. Scrumptious Sweet Potatoes

Cost: approximately $1.00 each

You don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to enjoy this versatile vegetable! Bake or roast this fiber-packed tuber and get a delicious dose of antioxidant beta-carotene and vitamin C!

Budget-friendly Tip: Do not refrigerate sweet potatoes. They last longer if you store them in a cool, dry area for up to 7 days.

I hope that you will enjoy these budget-friendly healthy foods! You can find more ways to live a long and healthy life in Secrets of Longevity: Hundreds of Ways to Live to Be 100, which is now available on Kindle. You can also find top longevity food picks in The Natural Health Dictionary, a comprehensive guide that answers all your questions about natural remedies, healing herbs, healthy foods, vitamins, and supplements.

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8 Worst Appetizers in America

#1: Worst Sampler

Applebee’s Appetizer Sampler

2,590 calories

173 g fat (54 g saturated)

6,830 mg sodium

Here's a rule you can live by: Never order an appetizer sampler. Most restaurants use them to unload cheap fats and oily dips and sauces. Case in point: This abominable appetizer from Applebee's. It combines spinach artichoke dip, mozzarella sticks, bacon quesadillas, and boneless buffalo wings for an absurd amount of fat and roughly three days' worth of sodium. Your better option is to order a platter of wings and split it. Remember: You still have dinner coming. All you need are a few bites to get you started.

Eat This Instead!

Applebee’s Classic Wings with Southern Barbeque Sauce

660 calories

35 g fat (9 g saturated)

1,070 mg sodium

#2: Worst Quesadilla

Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken Quesadilla

2,140 calories

133 g fat (59 g saturated)

3,581 mg sodium

Shame on Outback. This is the chain's second appearance on this list. Not only does it bludgeon you with more than a day's worth of calories, but the Alice Springs Chicken Quesadilla also manages to stuff three days’ worth of saturated fat between its tortillas. The house salad is your best option, but select the Tangy Tomato dressing—it’s by far the tastiest, healthiest dressing on the menu.

Eat This Instead!

Outback Steakhouse House Salad with Tangy Tomato Dressing

278 calories

14 g fat (8 g saturated)

574 mg sodium

#3: Worst Fries

Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries

2,134 calories

151 g fat (72 g saturated)

2,342 mg sodium

At 72 grams, Outback’s Aussie Cheese Fries has the dubious honor of delivering more saturated fat than any other appetizer on this list. Add to that more than a day's worth of sodium and a hefty load of carbohydrates, and you have one of the world's worst meal starters. Alternatively, the Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie delivers not only protein, but also tryptophan, an amino acid that increases serotonin production to improve mood.

Eat This Instead!

Outback Steakhouse Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie

315 calories

21 g fat (8 g saturated)

657 mg sodium

#4: Worst Novelty Appetizer

Uno Chicago Grill’s Pizza Skins

2,050 calories

140 g fat (45 g saturated)

3,000 mg sodium

The good news? For a restaurant credited with inventing deep-dish pizza, Uno Chicago Grill’s starter menu has some surprisingly decent options. The bad news? Pizza Skins isn't one of them. Unless you plan on running a marathon—roughly the distance it would take to burn off one of these plates—avoid these skins at all costs.

Eat This Instead!

Uno Chicago Grill’s Avocado Egg Rolls with Cashew Sauce

600 calories

22 g fat (3 g saturated)

780 mg sodium

#5: Worst Dip
Chili’s Skillet Queso with Chips
1,710 calories
101 g fat (37 g saturated)
3,490 mg sodium

This orange, processed sludge supplies more calories and fat than a medium-sized Pizza Hut Pepperoni Pizza. Switch to a cup of the Chicken and Green Chile soup instead. You could eat more than a gallon before matching the Skillet Queso’s whopping calorie content!

Eat This Instead!
Chili’s Chicken and Green Chile Soup (cup)
100 calories
4 g fat (1 g saturated)
620 mg sodium

#6: Worst Nachos
Applebee’s Chili Cheese Nachos
1,680 calories
108 g fat (40 g saturated)
4,280 mg sodium

Talk about customer disservice. Applebee’s has saddled these nachos with twice as much saturated fat as you should consume in an entire day, and a day and a half worth of sodium. The culprit here is the train wreck of fats: the oil in the chips, the beef fat in the chili, and the dairy fat in the cheese sauce and sour cream. The only Applebee's app with fewer than 600 calories also contains more than 2,000 milligrams of sodium, so you're better off sticking with soup. The warm broth will take the edge off your hunger, and that's all you need from a starter.

Eat This Instead!
Applebee’s Chicken Noodle Soup (Cup)
160 calories
4 g fat (1 g saturated)
1,120 mg sodium

#7: Worst Asian Appetizer
P.F. Chang’s Spare Ribs with Asian Slaw
1,546 calories
113 g fat (31 g saturated)
1,624 mg sodium

Notice anything unusual about this appetizer? It's a full meal! It contains both an entree and a side dish. That would be forgivable if either of these were the least bit lean, but they're not. Far from it. The ribs deliver a deathblow of saturated fat and the Asian slaw bolsters the total fat count by 17 extra grams. The ribs’ antithesis is Chang’s Steamed Vegetable Dumplings. They're low in calories and high in micronutrients. Unfortunately, sodium's hard to avoid at Chang's, so go easy on the Potsticker Sauce to minimize the salty impact.

Eat This Instead!
P.F. Chang’s Steamed Vegetable Dumplings with Potsticker Sauce
320 calories
0 g fat
1,090 mg sodium

#8: Worst Seafood Starter
Red Lobster Crispy Calamari and Vegetables
1,520 calories
97 g fat (11 g saturated)
3,050 mg sodium

"Crispy" is nothing more than a polite way of saying "covered with oil-saturated breading." That puts the tariff for this meal at nearly 100 grams of fat, which is more than you'd find in eight McDonald's cheeseburgers. Fortunately, Red Lobster also carries one of the world's healthiest starters: shrimp cocktail. It's loaded with protein and health-promoting minerals, and it's naturally low in calories. You'd have to suck down 76 jumbo shrimp to equal the 1,520 calories in Red Lobster's Crispy Calamari and Vegetables.

Eat This Instead!
Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail
120 calories
0.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
580 mg sodium

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