Late last summer, I'd just kicked off a personal weight loss campaign when I suffered a surprisingly stubborn bout of asthma. Prescribed a tapering dose of prednisone for what ended up being two months, my doctor advised me to keep moving forward with diet and exercise, but warned that I might not lose a pound. "Maintaining your weight on this drug is a feat in and of itself," he said.

I lost 20 pounds.

It wasn't easy ... in fact, it was darn hard. Prednisone plays with blood sugar levels in the body, and it makes me feel hungry even when my brain tells me I've eaten enough. Loren Berlin writes about her own struggles with prednisone-related weight gain after she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis:

"Initially I got angry. It seemed unfair that I should have to lose my hard-earned shape to regain my health. These weren't the terms I wanted to negotiate. But my gastroenterologist and my blood tests told me that what I wanted and what I needed were at odds, and needs trumped wants."

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We've long known that inflammation is a huge part of every degenerative disease from Alzheimer's to heart disease, and it's a big part of obesity as well. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California-San Diego found that overeating can induce inflammatory responses that underlie Type ll Diabetes and obesity. So what's the big news? We've known since forever that eating too much makes you fat.

Liposuction is a quick -- if not entirely easy -- way to get rid of the belly fat. But while lipo might help you slip effortlessly into that itty, bitty bikini just in time for spring break, it won't do much to improve your health.

Belly fat isn't just unsightly, it's also dangerous. But the belly fat targeted by lipo sits just under the skin, while the stuff you really want to get rid of hangs out around your internal organs. Studies show that while lipo can reduce waist circumference, a risk factor for weight-related diseases, it doesn't appear to impact inflammation in the body.

There's only one way to banish that kind of blubber once and for all, through good old diet and exercise. Lipo can get rid of the fat, but changing your lifestyle once and for all prevents you from ever putting it back on again ... and that trumps instant results any day.

Put a new notch in your belt this month with AOL Health's Shrink a Size, and don't forget to check out how much our readers have already lost!

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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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Overweight and unfit men are more likely to have high numbers of white blood cells. Why is this important? Because white blood cells play an important role in health, and elevated numbers can indicate the presence of infection or inflammation (inflammation is a sign of heart disease). But send diet and fitness to the rescue, and all can be well.

Pennington Biomedical Research Center conducted a study that looked at 452 healthy men. After finding the correlation between fitness/weight and elevated white blood cells, lead researcher and professor Tim Church says: "There is nothing worse than a risk factor that an individual cannot modify, but here are two risk factors -- obesity and fitness -- which they can do something about."

Well said, Professor. Reducing inflammation is just the latest in a long list of reasons to exercise and maintain a healthy weight.

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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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There's nothing wrong with a little variety, but try not to turn each meal into a smorgasbord, as doing so puts stress on the digestive tract and leads to the poor utilization of food.

What's more, it can also lead to a build up of false fat, and -- with respect to your total body health -- it may also result in inflammation. The solution? As you probably expected, keep your meals pretty straightforward most of the time. Stick to those that contain a high nutrient-to-calorie ratio, such as vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.

This, of course, doesn't mean your food has to be bland; rather, it simply means the healthier option is to not go crazy with dressings, marinades and the like. It also means staying away from processed foods as much as possible and instead sticking to more natural sources of food.

For some tips on how to turn healthy food into tasty food, visit Women's Health magazine's website by clicking here.

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Don't like to floss? Join the club. But there's one downside to membership: you may be denying yourself the opportunity to live an additional 6.4 years.

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic discovered that bacteria from the mouth can enter the bloodstream, contributing to inflammation and clogging of the arteries. Top-Doc Michael F. Roizen supports these findings, and adds that flossing regularly can increase your life expectancy by 6.4 years.

So, even if you don't like flossing, do it at least once a day to remove food and plaque from your teeth and gums. And, as mentioned, the fact that it may keep you alive and healthy for an extra six years is more than enough to smile about.

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I always thought blueberries were tops when it comes to antioxidants. Nope. The acai berry (pronounced "ah-sigh-EE") takes tops honors and may beat out every other fruit or vegetable by a mile, says RealAge. Consider this: The freeze-dried berry has 30 times the disease-preventing anthocyanins of red grapes. Sounds pretty good to me.

Acai berries are so good they can help lower cholesterol, minimize inflammation, fend off arthritis, and fight cancer -- in one study, the berry extract killed between 45 and 86% of a sample of human leukemia cells.

Antioxidants aside, acai berries are also full of B vitamins, magnesium, copper, zinc, phosphorus, and sulfur. Want to give them a try? Stop by your local health food store for juices, smoothies, and other products containing the nutritious fruit.

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When you really get down to it, one of the main objectives of life is to stay alive for as long as we can. On average, we occupy a place on this planet for about 75 years. Some of us hang around for a little longer, while others take an earlier ferry. Still, barring any unfortunate accident or contraction of a terminal illness at a younger age, 75 seems to be the norm.

Keeping your stay on this wonderful world of ours from being cut short sometimes requires a good amount of work (regular exercise, adequate amounts of sleep, stressing less, etc.). However, there are also some easy ways to prevent early departure, many of which involve nothing more than a revised grocery shopping list. For the next eight days, we'll offer one death-defying food choice each day to help keep you healthy and happy for many more years to come.

Death-Defying Food # 6: Bing Cherries

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition revealed that levels of inflammation dropped by 18 to 25 percent in patients after 28 bing-binge eating days. Even more interesting is the fact that within four weeks of the date they stopped eating the cherries, their levels began to increase again. Makes you want to yell Bada-Bing, doesn't it?

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Recently I came down with my first case of poison ivy. And it's a doozy. A trip to the doctor last Monday has me on medication that's clearing it up quickly, though. I'll be happy to see it go away completely! Since this was my first case of the scratchy stuff, I did a little research online and discovered that a lot of the things I thought were facts about poison ivy turn out to be nothing but myths.

• Scratching will cause the rash to spread. Technically, this isn't true. The rash is caused by contact with urushiol oil from the poison ivy plant. If your skin still has traces of the oil and you scratch, you could transfer the oil to another part of your body. But, once the oil is gone, scratching will not spread the rash. However, take it from my personal experience, you don't want to scratch. I'm on a heavy-duty antibiotic to clear up the infection I have as a result of scratching.
  
• Poison ivy is contagious. Again, only contact with urushiol oil will cause the reaction. The rash itself is not contagious.
  
• Once allergic, always allergic to poison ivy. Not necessarily. Your sensitivity can change over time.

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I've been considering taking the supplement Bromelain for the swelling that's settled in my lower tummy region -- a temporary side effect of my recent tummy tuck surgery. Bromelain, made right from the pineapple -- maybe I should just down a bunch of the actual fruit -- is known for aiding in the digestion of protein. It's also believed to have anti-inflammatory properties, which is why I bought a small bottle of pills at the health food store the other day. The pills cost me $10. I took one.

I've never been a fan of supplements. Desperation, I guess, is what motivated my purchase, which clearly was a waste of money. Because I don't plan on swallowing any more pills. Here's why.

• How will I know if the remedy really works? In good time, my swelling will subside, says my surgeon. If I'm taking Bromelain at the same time as my tummy deflates, what will I credit for the result: nature or the supplement? This is how people get roped into supplements, says my oncologist. They have success and attribute it to the supplement when it may have been nothing more than good old fashioned healing.
  
  

• Bromelain has not been scientifically tested for use with inflammation. It's not even its primary function. Nope, digestion is its number one task and that hasn't been tested either. I have no idea what this stuff will do to my body. I took a bunch of echinacea at one point in my life for the common cold. An eventual skin reaction made me realize that while maybe my cold symptoms got better, a skin condition was not a great trade-off.
  
  

Science does support a few natural fixes for what might ail you -- see gallery below. But Bromelain is not one of them, which makes it so not for me. If you think it might be for you, you ought to consult this article before popping any pills.

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Each week, we'll be naming a Super Food and offering unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

When I feel sick, when I feel nauseated, when my stomach hurts, I hit the bottle -- of ginger ale, that is. My mama always told me that ginger would make me feel better, and it does. It's not just all in my head either -- it's a well-known fact that ginger can provide relief to nausea, ulcers and other digestive issues. But that's not all -- in addition to spicing up your food and adding a one-of-a-kind flavour, ginger has lots of great health benefits.

In studies, ginger has been shown to alleviate many common ailments, including pain, swelling, inflammation and even the common cold. Got menstrual cramps? Have some ginger. Headache? Grab some ginger. Gas? Yep, you guessed it -- ginger will help. It can reduce your fever and reduce your LDL (bad) cholesterol. It's also widely believed to help slow down or even stop the spread of some cancers. Pretty impressive, huh?

I'm leaving for Seattle in a few hours, prepped and ready to shoot a corporate bit for Pepsi. At any rate, part of the travel arrangements involve sharing a room with a guy that I've been forewarned about: He Snores. Great. There goes the possibility of getting any sleep. But, inasmuch as his snoring may be a single-night sleep disruption for me, it may signal a bigger health problem for him (and, no, I don't mean that it may cause me to kill him in his sleep).

According to an article published in the current issue of Women's Health, snoring may lead to chronic bronchitis for a good number of people. The article references a study featured in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, which found that snoring places a great deal of stress on the airways, thus increasing inflammation. In fact, researchers discovered that people who reported snoring six or seven nights per week were 68-percent more likely to develop chronic bronchitis than silent sleepers.

The article also presents a potential solution: Placing nasal strips on a snorer's nose. This may help widen the nasal passage and reduce the nighttime ruckus. Note to self: Buy a pack of nasal strips at the airport and offer them as a "gift" to my traveling companion.

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Each week, we'll be naming a Super Food and offering unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Flax is an ancient crop (it was used as a food source in 3000 BC!) but there's nothing outdated about it's benefits. Perhaps you've heard of the many, many benefits of flax? If not, well, I'll tell you right now: It's really good for you.

How good? Here's just a short list of ailments it can help ward off: Cholesterol, cancer, constipation, diabetes, heart disease, menopause, inflammation and depression. And it's no surprise -- Flax contains all-important omega-3 fatty acids, as well as a special thing called lignans. Lignans act like antioxidants and have anti-tumor properties. And that's not all: Flax has fiber, which, in addition to helping you lower your cholesterol and risk of heart disease, helps keep you ... well, regular.