If you knew a pint of beer had as many calories as a hot dog, would it stop you from downing six on a night out with friends. Experts in Britain think so, and they're looking into putting calorie counts on alcohol in an effort to curb binge drinking. It's thought that this move will target young binge-drinking women in particular, who are more conscious of their waistlines. The calorie count could also come with a warning like the kind you see on cigarette packs, an idea of what a food equivalent would be calorie-wise and an indication of how many standard drinks are in the serving size you're consuming (for the record, there are 2.3 alcohol servings in a pint of beer).

But not everyone agrees. Opponents of the initiative think that instead of deterring people from binge drinking, this will encourage them to compensate for the alcohol calories by skipping meals. Hmm. Good point.

What do you think? Are calorie counts on booze a good idea?

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All fruits and vegetables are good for you, but grapes are getting some additional props for their heart-healthy benefits.

A recent study divided mice who were specially bred to be susceptible to high blood pressure into diet-defined groups -- one got a low-salt diet, another got a high-sodium diet, a third got a high-sodium diet with the addition of a grape mixture, and a fourth got a high-sodium diet with a small dose of hydrazine (a common blood pressure medication). At the end of the study, the mice who got the grape mixture came out on top with lower blood pressure, better heart function, reduced inflammation, and less heart muscle damage.

Grapes make a convenient and healthful snack as is, but there are lots of other ways you can enjoy grapes. Freeze them for an alternative to other frozen treats. Top your salad with some red or black grapes. Or sip on a few ounces of 100% grape juice.

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When you cook, do you stick to the standard salt and pepper? Or do you get more creative, adding fresh herbs and spices to your meals? There are benefits beyond great flavor ... so the next time you cook, be sure to spice it up.

Using spice has been linked to weight loss, and using herbs and spices in place of salt can benefit your blood pressure. In a recent study, researchers found that many herbs and spices can protect tissues from damage and inflammation -- both of which are problems caused by high blood sugar. So frequent use of certain spices and herbs may help those who are living with diabetes.

Spices and herbs are high in antioxidants. While it's not clear how much of each item is necessary to protect tissues, incorporating these ingredients in your meals in small amounts certainly can't hurt. The spices and herbs researchers found to be beneficial include cloves, cinnamon, allspice, apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice, marjoram, sage, and thyme.

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Just looking at the schedules of my cousin's kids exhausts me: Soccer two night a week, Karate two nights a week, swimming three times a week and SCUBA diving classes once a week. That's in addition to full-time school and part-time volunteering. Holy commitment.

And there's no doubt that commitment is what it takes to be outstanding -- these past Olympics have showed us that. But when it comes to kids sports, how much is too much? Bloggers over at the New York Times are asking the same thing. On one hand, fostering a lifelong relationship with exercise will benefit your child's body and mind for years to come. On the other, too much exercise can be dangerous and can have lasting effects.

What do you think?

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Strokes can be debilitating at best, deadly at worst. But for those who've survived a stroke, new research shows that there is one important thing they can do to help their brain facilitate positive changes: Exercise. And we're not talking about running weekly marathons here--walking on the treadmill as little as three times a week can significantly improve mobility and physical conditioning.

What's more, patients don't need to start an exercise regime immediately after their stroke -- Starting a workout program any time after a stroke was beneficial. In fact, one patient showed improvement after exercising 20 years after his stroke.

Man, is there anything a good workout can't do?

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I've mentioned before that I'm a pescetarian (I know it sounds pretentious -- it just means that I eat fish, but not any other form of meat). I have a number of reasons for my personal food choices, and I try not to force my choices on anyone else.

In fact, my husband is a big meat eater (though he's become less of one since marrying me), and until now, I've never tried to persuade him not to have steak -- he's in great health and he enjoys it.

However, this post at Green Daily made me realize that perhaps I should be just a little more outspoken about eating vegetarian meals. From the post: "... driving your car aimlessly for three hours consumes less energy and is responsible for fewer greenhouse gas emissions than producing 2.2 pounds of beef."

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Still using last year's sunscreen? Maybe you shouldn't bother -- sunscreen expires, and once that date has passed, it's no longer effective.

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In the market for a tasty, healthy treat? Try blueberries. Why? Read on and you'll find a handful of reasons.

Blueberries are quite low in calories -- there are only 83 calories in one cup, says CalorieKing.com. If for some reason, this is too much for you, you can burn these calories off with any one of the following: 11 minutes of walking, four minutes of jogging, three minutes of swimming, or six minutes of cycling (based on a 35-year-old female standing 5.74 feet tall and weighing 144 pounds). Or you could just pick some berries yourself -- I did the other day and spent about 45 minutes walking up and down rows of bushes, sweating my butt off. I surely burned off a serving or two of these blue berries. Really, though, it doesn't matter to me whether or not I burn them off because they are so darn good for me, the health trade-off is worth the caloric intake.

According to the The World's Healthiest Foods, blueberries are superbly healthy for these reasons.

• They are good for the heart, the brain, and the eyes.
• They protect against colon and ovarian cancers.
• They promote gastrointestinal health.
• They help relieve diarrhea and constipation.
• Their antioxidants neutralize free radical damage to cells and tissues.
  
  

Clearly, blueberries are bursting with health benefits. So buy some, pick some, eat some. They'll do your body good. So will the following antioxidant-rich foods.

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My little family of four and I have already blasted through 12 bottles of sunblock since early May. At nine dollars a pop ... the cost is certainly adding up. But then I think about the investment I make each day, and the price it will prevent us all from paying some day in the future. Here's a short list in no particular order.

• Painful Sunburns -- Ouch!
• Freckles
• Moles
• Leathery Skin
• Sunspots
• Flaking
• Chemotherapy -- Not cheap!

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Let's talk liver. No, not that dish that your mom served with onions -- the other liver, the one in your body that cleans your blood. Truth is, life wouldn't be the same without it. Well, life wouldn't exist at all without it. You need your liver. That's why you don't drink too much alcohol or pop too many pills -- because they'll hurt your liver. But there's another way you're hurting your liver and it's more surprising: Eating. Let's clarify though-- eating healthy won't hurt your liver; it's the other kind of eating - the unhealthy eating.

According to recent studies out of Sweden, fast food binges can do severe damage to your liver. In fact, participants in the study had signs of liver disease after only one week of excessive fast food consumption. Yikes!

Want to know more? Read the full results.

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Bulimia nervosa, like anorexia nervosa, is an eating disorder that centers around control. One of the most common eating disorders, bulimia is characterized by consuming large amounts of food and then ridding the stomach of its contents by way of vomiting, over-exercising, or use of laxatives.

Eating to excess (called the "binge") is comforting to bulimics. But eating too much causes them to feel out of control. They also feel guilt, shame, and a fear of weight gain which causes them to "purge." This "binge and purge" cycle is extremely dangerous and can lead to serious and long-term health problems, like tooth decay, gum disease, loss of tooth enamel, osteoporosis, kidney damage, heart problems, and even death.

Because bulimia is harder to recognize than anorexia -- the symptoms are more subtle and bulimics are not always thin -- awareness is critical. Please consider these symptoms and physical effects of bulimia.

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Researchers yesterday reported that a "cocktail" of HIV-treatment drugs used in AIDS patients also appeared to halt brain damage caused by human immunodeficiency virus as a side effect.

Drug combinations known as HAART(highly active antiretroviral therapy) are often used in AIDS patients in order to slow down the effects of the disease. Although HAART-based mixed treatments can highly suppress the effects from AIDS, it cannot rid the body of the virus completely. AIDS, as we all probably know, still has no known cure.

In addition to harming the body's immune defenses, HIV can also affect the brain and nerves. But, with HAART treatments, the scientists that made this study public stated that some of the drugs that comprise HAART treatment methods can indeed get into the brain and help protect it, although not all of the drugs used in the cocktail could be helpful there.

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Toss those hot dogs, bacon, and cured meats you're planning to devour -- because they could just take your breath away.

According to an analysis published recently in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, people who munch on these meaty items have an increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD, the umbrella term for emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is the fourth leading cause of death in America and is primarily caused by smoking. Still, diet plays a role and while studies don't conclusively link eating habits with COPD, there does seem to be an association. Specifically, those who ate 14 or more servings of cured meat per month increased their odds of developing this condition by 80 percent.

I don't know about you, but 80 percent seems pretty significant to me. This, along with the fact that cured meats contain large amounts of nitrates -- linked to lung damage in animals -- is enough for me to steer clear of these iffy meats for the rest of time.

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An osteoarthritis drug called Prexige has been taken off the shelves and can no longer be sold in Canada after Health Canada decided to pull the product. The drug was approved in November 2006 as a treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee and later was approved to treat general osteoarthritis symptoms in adults.

However, patients -- including two in Canada -- began reporting serious liver problems after taking the drug. Australia was the first country to pull Prexige and the United States rejected the drug altogether due to concerns over these side-effects.

Those who have been prescribed Prexige who want more information on the story can look here, and should visit their doctors in order to find an appropriate treatment to replace the drug.

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Summer is coming to a close, and your skin may be showing the effects. Now's the time to do damage control, in this in-between time of the year when the summer sun is waning but before the winter weather sets in and you have a whole other set of issues to deal with.

Your top priority should be exfoliating, and then applying moisturizer. Now is the time to switch to something a little heavier than you were using during the summer months, and it's also a good time to attack imperfections like sun spots and other skin/sun damage issues left-over from the summer season. If you're looking for some new products (and who isn't) take a look at this list, and if you've found something that works wonders for you please share!

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