To sip or not to sip? When you're talking tea, the consensus among health experts seems to be: sip up! Tea is nutritious, delicious and virtually calorie-free. Over at Mark's Daily Apple, they're talking tea. Here are 10 reasons to start brewing:

• Tea is full of antioxidants.
• It also has anti-inflammatory properties, meaning it can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, among others.
• It can lower the body's absorption of carbohydrates.
• It can protect you against ovarian cancer.
• If you have it sans milk, it counts as a glass of water against your eight glasses a day.
• It can curb hunger and help satisfy cravings.
• it's lower in caffeine than coffee
• To get the most positive impact from tea, drink two to three cups a day. If you can't? One cup should be fine.
• Loose, fresh tea offers more benefits than bags of tea.
• Worried about staining your teeth? Drink white or green tea instead of traditional black tea.

What do you love about tea?

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Do you know that olives are in the fruit family? How about this: The olive, like the oil, is great for you.

Yep, olives are fruits. And they're bursting with benefits too. They've got antioxidants, monounsaturated fat, iron, vitamin E, and fiber. There's more: Olives harness the power to protect from impotence, premature wrinkling, stroke, and heart disease.

Here's how RealAge says you should incorporate olives into your diet.

• Buy them whole -- not pitted, not stuffed, just whole. This way, you'll get the biggest dose of antioxidants and polyphenols -- these are your disease-blocking agents.
• Buy black -- Black olives are better than green because they contain more cancer-preventing flavonoids.
  
• Go dark with olive oil and store it in a dark bottle too -- more blood-clot-fighting polyphenols this way.

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What smokers really need is to quit smoking. Well, if better health is a goal, anyway. Short of kicking the habit, though, there is something smokers can do to protect themselves against lung cancer: Eat three servings of fruits and vegetables per day and drink green or black tea.

That's what UCLA cancer researchers say now that they've completed their first-of-its-kind study. They found that high levels of natural chemicals called flavonoids in smokers' diets translated into a lower risk of lung cancer. This is a promising finding since 90 percent of lung cancers are caused by tobacco smoking.

Smokers most protected from the disease are those who ate catechin, found in strawberries and green and black teas, kaempferol, found in Brussels sprouts and apples, and quercetin, found in beans, onions, and apples.

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As your loving online fitness trainer, I'm constantly searching for fun new products to help you achieve ultimate fitness with the most ease and enjoyment. Thomas Kemper Low Calorie Root Beer, with only 20 calories per 12 ounce bottle, is one of those products. Look. We all know that plain old water is the best beverage in the world health wise. But...I'm a big fan of the no and low calorie drinks as well. I find that a diet soda satisfies my sweet tooth and keeps me from hunting down muffins throughout my day. It keeps me in the teeny jeans I like to wear as well.

Thomas Kemper did a great job creating the perfect low calorie version of their Original Root Beer. It tastes delicious and my die hard root beer loving neighbor guzzled it down to rave reviews, without even knowing it was a low calorie drink! He almost fell off of his chair when I told him it was a 'diet' drink. Having said that, I think his new addiction to Thomas Kemper Low Cal Root Beer is going to help him get rid of his 'regular beer belly'. Such an easy way to lose weight!

Not only is the Low Calorie Root Beer a yummy treat, the bottle will make you feel fancy. It's brown and beige with a cutie logo, and will make you feel like you're sitting on a farm with Wilford Brimley and Huck Finn. Not that those two characters were known to hang out together, but Thomas Kemper will make you feel like they did. It will make you feel like you're all three together on the farm throwing rocks....or something else sweet and old fashioned like that!

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Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Bob Rose

Age: 45

Occupation: Morning Radio Talk Show Host, The Bob Rose Show

How often do you exercise? Five times each week.

What type of exercise do you do? A mix of machines and free weights, push-ups, and core work. I alternate body parts three times a week. I play basketball and tennis for cardio on the other two days.

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Although many Caucasians can indeed create a healthy amount of Vitamin D when their bodies are exposed to sunlight, that feature is harder for those with dark skin, including some Hispanics and African-Americans.

A Canadian study released this past week even said those dark-skinned individuals may be at greater risk of osteoporosis because of a lack of Vitamin D production due to skin color more than anything else.

Also included in the references were more potential for developing cancer and diabetes. With skin color being a large factor in the determination of internally creating Vitamin D at any given altitude, those with darker skin best pay attention to the level of Vitamin D supplementation in that daily diet.

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I just returned from what was supposed to be a short two hour trip to the mall to grab some Black Friday deals, and boy did I have my butt kicked! Instead of a short visit, I spent two hours shopping and waiting in the Disney Store line alone, followed by three more tedious hours in only two more shops. I'm DONE!

Normally, I'm capable of full-blown kickboxing for at least two hours, but apparently that's way easier than standing around at the mall. What is that all about? Maybe what added to my exhaustion was the mental strain involved in spending a bazillion dollars in one morning. I only felt a little bit bad about it though, because I saved a few million. Isn't it strange that we rationalize these sales? I did 'save' a bunch, but I think I definitely bought more things because of the sales. I don't know.

Nonetheless. I'm pooped! Tired! Whipped! Drained! My feet hurt and I'm taking the rest of the day off. I've raised my white flag! This fitness trainer has been beaten. Mall 1 - Fitz 0.

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The results of a 25-year study show alarming racial difference between children with diabetes -- in fact, twice as many black children with diabetes died than white children throughout the last two and a half decades. And with diabetes on the rise, particularly type 2, researchers are hoping that the gap doesn't increase.

It's thought that these differences are a result of access to healthcare and health information; More specifically, black communities tend to have more limited healthcare and educational resources. And resources are the key -- without treatment, diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure and death.

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Most of us are aware of health risks associated with the foods we eat and the ingredients in them, but I suspect that many people are in the dark about the dangerous ingredients in cosmetics, since, unlike foods, we don't ingest them. But cosmetics can be scary too, and here's a prime example: The FDA has recently approved a black pigment to be used in cosmetics that contains small, but supposedly safe, amounts of carcinogens.

D&C Black No. 3 is also known as bone black, which is interesting considering where it comes from -- it's made from cattle bones that are heated to over 700 degrees. Mmm, sounds lovely, huh? But regardless of how gross it is to make makeup out of charred cow bones, I have to ask -- is there any amount of carcinogens that are safe? What do you think?

(via The Beauty Brains)

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When I first saw the title of this piece -- Black, White Women Differ on Dieting -- it really picqued my interest. "What exactly does color have to do with weight loss?", I wondered. Basically the results of a study conducted in Philadelphia showed that while both black and white women involved in the study were concerned about how they looked, body image was a bigger influence in wanting to lose weight for white women than it was for black women. In addition, white women were more likely to seek help from an outside source in their quest to get into shape.

I think the most important issues brought up by the article are, first of all, that black women trying to get to a healthy weight are may likely to try programs offered within their community, but there are not enough of these available where they can seek help. Secondly, the article says that neither white or black study participants listed health-related worries as a main reason for wanting to drop some pounds. If your health is being negatively affected by your weight, I think that should definitely be a number one motivator. What do you think?

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Between green, black and white it is no secret that tea and all of its variations have a wealth of health benefits. If you keep in the know then you're probably already aware that the subject goes far beyond the quintessential green variety. Black, for instance, can help us recover from stress faster.

But did you know it holds a more distinct flavor that can range from sweet and spicy to even chocolaty? This fully fermented style of tea is in a league of its own and is definitely worth a closer look. A fifteen year study conducted in the Netherlands found that black tea reduces bad cholesterol thus lowering the chances of having a stroke. The cardio benefits don't end there. Boston's medical school concluded that drinkers of this leaf had a lower risk of heart attack due to the reversing of abnormal functioning in the blood vessels. Who knew!

Black tea is shaping up to be a contender with its green cousin, especially if you enjoy a robust and full-bodied brew. Check it out and learn more if you think this addition to your diet is worth the research.

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