Health fads come and go, it seems. One minute milk is good for your bones and teeth, the next moment it causes all kinds of allergies. Sometimes bread is good for you, sometimes it is glowered upon as a source of obesity and digestive problems. I've stopped paying attention, for the most part, because these studies are so subject to change. I'm just waiting for a study that says chocolate will keep my mind young and spry forever.

One message that hasn't changed, though, is the one that says vegetables are good for you. Nobody's ever said to stop eating your kale and brussel sprouts, although my palate sometimes wishes they would.

According to a new study, people who ate more than two servings of vegetables daily appeared about 5 years younger in terms of mental sharpness at the end of the study, than did those people who refused their veggies.

Green leafy vegetables seemed to be most beneficial in strengthening short term and long term memory. The study also noted that people who ate more veggies were more physically active.

That chocolate study is looking less and less likely. I may as well suck it up and steam myself some kale.

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First it was spinach, now it's carrots: I never thought I'd see the day where some of nature's finest vegetables were at the root of life-threatening conditions, but it's true.

Investigators believe that botulism toxin from bottled carrot juice paralyzed a woman, the fourth person who may have been poisoned by bacteria in the drink. The other three people experienced respiratory failure and remain on ventilators since drinking the carrot juice a month ago.

All four people shared a meal in early September that included carrot juice made by Bolthouse Farms.

Bolthouse Farms issued a voluntary recall for the juice last week, but a public relations representative for the company said that all of the other products remain available to consumers. The FDA has suggested that the carrot juice may have been inappropriately handled before it was consumed - meaning it had not been adequately refrigerated.

Bolthouse Farms carrot juice is my favourite juice of all time - I actually drank half a bottle before I got on a plane on two days ago. I feel fine, but I'll have to find a new favorite juice very soon.
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I just stumbled upon this fascinating and alarming article about modern food processing and how it is affecting the human race.

The article is authored by Sally Fallon, a journalist, researcher, and author of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. Her message is stark: Animal fats and cholesterol are vital factors in the diet, necessary for normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels.

Among her claims: MSG causes obesity and is associated with increased societal violence, pesticides used in fruit farms concentrate in our juice and cause disease, and tests on rats show that cereal boxes are better for us than the cereal inside it.

Ms. Fallon concludes that, due to over processing of our food, humans are on a dangerous path. She says, "We know from animal studies that if you continue a deficient diet for three generations, reproduction ceases and that's what we're seeing now. About 25% of our couples are infertile, and if we don't go back to a diet that produces good facial structure and good health, the human race will simply die out."

Wow. That's a big claim. And regardless of whether or not you buy in, the article is definitely worth a read.

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Hospital food is not generally synonymous with delicious. In fact, hospitals in my city are known for bland, paste-colored jelly moulds which smell distinctly like nothing.

But there is a new trend in hospital food and it's fresh, healthy, and tasty.

Good Shepherd Hospital in Portland Oregon offers food cooked from scratch, with menus featuring wild salmon and local organic produce. It's one of the many hospitals across the nation offering food that's healthier for patients, workers, and the environment.

It seems to be common sense, and a Portland medical food manager concurs: "The purer and cleaner the food is, the better the ability of that food to improve the health of people."

The trend is currently more prevalent in the West, where produce is more abundant. It would be nice to see this trend spreading wildly throughout North America.

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As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Hits, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

Allergies seem to be everywhere these days. I hear about children not being allowed to bring peanut-butter sandwiches into their schools, see warning signs at bakeries about ingredients potentially touching each other. I'm not sure if my perception is sharpened or if more people around me are allergic to some kinds of food: my one-year old son seems to have a mild dairy allergy.

Allergies to gluten (the stuff formed from flour and water) seem to be among the most common. So today we've searched the world wide web to bring you some of the best websites with recipes and articles about a gluten free lifestyle - which can be very challenging without the right tools.

Karina at Gluten Free Goddess is "a painter who loves to cook", and her website is a hearty meld of sumptuous pictures and savoury recipes. She has a fabulous recipe for a gluten-free cheese sandwich (pretty difficult considering gluten is a key ingredient in bread) She says she "just might write a cookbook. I think she should.

Gluten Free Vegan Diet claims that such a lifestyle is "easier than it sounds." There are some interesting facts here, including the one that 1 in 250 people are living with celiac disease, which is a dangerous intolerance to gluten-containing foods. The site is a plethora of excellent information on avoiding gluten in your diet, including a very helpful list of substitute foods.

Finally glutenfree.com has an array of gluten-free foods that can be ordered conveniently online. The list of available staples (like bread, cookies, and cereals) is extensive and easy to find in the side bar.

Hopefully these resources can help to ease the transition to a gluten free lifestyle. What did we do before the Internet?

I don't particularly like green tea. It tastes to me like I'm drinking hot water with a hint of fermented mint. But I keep sipping it because it seems to me that I should like it, and it also sounds so healthy and cozy. It's one of those things, like sushi and asparagus, that I keep trying with the hope that eventually I'll like it.

Now there's new evidence that it's a good thing to keep drinking that green tea.

According to a recent study, the beverage might be the key to a long life. The study was conducted in Japan, and took place over 11 years. Most of the participants drank green tea as part of their daily diet, but those who drank a lot (5 cups or more per day) had a 26% lesser chance of dying from cardiovascular disease than the 1-cup-a-day people.

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As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Hits, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

I've always loved to travel internationally. I love the new smells, the distinctive and exotic vibe in the air, the different flavours and colours of diversified cultures. And a side benefit of visiting other countries, at least for me, is the loss of a couple pounds.

In Greece I inhaled fresh tomatoes and sweet onions topped with just enough salty crumbled feta. In Thailand I subsisted on pad thai and green curry. In Portugal I ate fresh fish by the bucketload. And in every instance, I felt good and shed a few pounds (except, perhaps, when I visited a McDonald's in Hungary on a few occasions when their local hearty fare proved too much for me)

So tonight I'd like to profile some of the best cultural food blogs I've discovered on the web ...

Perhaps there's a reason why I haven't noticed a lot of overweight people of Asian descent in my travels: one of the key ingredients in Asian soups and salads may contain an anti-obesity compound.

Recent studies in animals suggest that brown seaweed, or wakame, contains a compound that promotes weight loss, and has anti-diabetes side effects.

Besides these benefits, previous studies have suggested that the compound (called fucoxanthin) also helps promote the demise of prostate cancer cells in culture.

Even though more study is needed, I'd say these reasons are enough for me to start scoping out some brown seaweed, and perhaps slurping a few more of those delicious Asian soups.

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Haven't we all heard the decree that we must drink eight glasses of water a day for optimal health? I know I spent years at my university desk guzzling water till I was bloated, hoping to flush toxins and maintain a healthy glow. Who knew if it worked, it was just one of those things that everyone knew. Right?

Well, new research says that we must be careful with the water consumption -- that overzealous H20 guzzling can result in serious health problems for some people -- especially people with heart conditions, high blood pressure, and edema. Snopes.com has a section on the 8-glass-a-day misconception.

That said, we all need adequate water: it prevents dehydration, promotes healing, and flushes out the body. This article has some fabulous tips on getting enough of the cool, refreshing beverage.

I have been hearing an Internet buzz lately about the Hundred Mile Diet. Have you heard of it?

It's not a typical "diet" in the sense that it doen't restrict specific calories that could contribute to weight gain, but instead focuses on eating local food, fresh and while in season whenever possible.

The Canadian founders of the diet note that when the average North American sits down to eat, each ingredient has typically travelled at least 1500 miles. This fact unsettled them (as it does me) and they resolved that, for one year, they would buy or gather their food and drink from within 100 miles of their apartment.

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