That's Fit

I caught a minute of ABC's The View on Tuesday and learned that co-host Whoopi Goldberg is trying to quit smoking. Good for her.

"I want to be done by December 15," Whoopi told her audience. A wise plan, considering smoking damages nearly every organ in the human body, is linked to 10 different cancers, and accounts for 30 percent of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. Yet one in four Americans still light up.

Smoking is by far the leading risk factor for lung cancer. And it is far more dangerous for women than men. Now wrap your head around this fact: The nicotine found in cigarettes is as addictive as heroin. If that's not reason enough to stop smoking, I don't know what is.

Would you be willing to change your diet if it meant you could look younger? It's a pretty intriguing possibility, isn't it? According to this piece, author Dr. Steven Masley who penned the book Ten Years Younger Diet suggests adding a number of food items to your daily meals in order to look and feel younger.

In the article, the items are described in a range of ways:

• cancer-fighters (leafy green veggies and lean proteins, seafood, beans and legumes)
• foods that help you maintain a healthy weight (soy and whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, berries, nuts and flaxseed)
• items that lower cholesterol (garlic, herbs and spices, green tea)
• foods that stabilize blood sugar levels (non-fat yogurt, red wine, cocoa and chocolate)

Everything on the list is relatively easy to find at a local supermarket, and also quite simple to add to your diet. If you want to read more about each of these youthful foods and just why they're so good for you, take a look at the full article here. I think we all know that eating well is the key to healthy insides but I think it's pretty encouraging to know that it's also helpful when maintaining a healthy-looking exterior.