Want to live longer? Eat soy every day.

If you missed our daily postings this past week, we invite you to take some time to catch up on our prior week's news and gear up for a new week of healthy living information and inspiration.

The Japanese have gone bananas over the new Morning Banana Diet, while PETA has just plain gone bananas, suggesting that we all start eating breast milk ice cream.

Sure, you could lose weight eating eggs at every meal, but why would you?

Krispy Kreme trys to find its niche in a failing donut market, with ice cream. What's your favorite indulgence?

Bar Refaeli is committed ... to her legs. Find out why she looks so good.

Her sister lost weight, and now she looks older. Fitz weighs in on why.

The cooler weather is officially here, Chris shares several ways to keep your health from going south this winter.

Have a great week, everyone!

The Japanese love their fad diets, and a new one has taken the country by storm. The Morning Banana Diet has become so popular due to recent publicity that grocery stores across Japan are sold out of bananas, according to recent reports from banana importers. What's all the hype about? Here's a run-down of the diet:

• You eat a raw, unfrozen banana for breakfast.
• You can eat whatever you want for lunch and dinner, even fried foods. However, dessert is prohibited. You must eat dinner before 8 pm.
• At 3 pm, you can have a sweet snack, like chocolates or cookies. You can have something healthier, but if you want chocolate, don't deny yourself.

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If such a thing existed, I'd be a card-carrying member of SLA -- sushi lovers anonymous. I'm addicted to the stuff. In fact, I could probably eat it every day. I don't, but I could.

There are worse addictions, of course. Sushi is low in fat and high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, so it's no wonder the Japanese are some of the healthiest people in the world. But we Westerners have a tendency to take healthy things and and 'Americanize' them -- also known as doing whatever we can to make them tastier and more marketable.

Sushi is no exception. What started as rice, fish and seaweed now comes in hundreds of different flavours and colours. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not complaining about those spicy mayo-laden tuna rolls I love so dearly, but I can't help but wonder what we've done to the nutritional value of sushi.

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Little girls born in Japan in 2007 have the longest life expectancy of any other people on the planet... 86 years. Though life expectancy is a complicated issue, experts say that Japanese women live so long in part because of their healthy diet and unique social structure, as well as advancements made in medical care. Boys born in Japan last year can expect to live 79.2 years, while residents of Iceland and Hong Kong aren't far behind.

The flip side of this is that Japan's birth rate is also very low, which leaves the Japanese government in a unique position -- how to run a country with an aging population without a younger population to back them up?

Still, the Japanese are definitely doing something right. About.com digs a little deeper into the hows and whys of the long life spans of Japan.

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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!

A self-confessed sushi addict, I love heading to my favourite Japanese restaurant when I'm hungry. Their sushi is fresh and fantastic, but that's not the only draw: The meals all come with a steaming bowl of Miso soup. Now, I've heard that Miso soup is a bit of an acquired taste, but I love it; salty, a bit tangy, satisfying and the best part? It's really low in calories. We're talking 80 calories or less in a cup of soup.

But Miso is more than soup. This Japanese ingredient is used in a number of delicious dishes. Now, don't be grossed out or anything, but Miso is actually a fermented soybean paste with the consistency of nut butter. It has a delicate, light taste that makes it a welcome addition to many dishes.

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Kinoki Detox Foot Pads claim to remove your cellulite through a pad you tape to the bottom of your foot while you sleep. When you awaken, it will be covered with icky brown junk -- these are the toxins your body needs to eliminate (apparently in the same way a tree eliminates toxins through its roots). In addition to removing cellulite, they are supposed to cure headaches, depression, and insomnia by helping your body detox through "Kinoki's Natural Power of Nature."

I'm not convinced. Not at all.

While there might be some merit in the ancient Japanese (or Chinese, depending on whether you're watching the infomercial or reading the website) secrets upon which these are based, they're not going to remove cellulite. This is one product I won't be spending my hard-earned cash on -- I'd rather use it toward a new set of running shoes or a healthy meal, both of which are more likely to yield real results.

12 "healthy" foods that really aren't:

Why? Click to find out!

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Americans eat out on average four to five times per week, says a survey conducted in 2000. Once a special treat, going out to eat is now routine, which makes it more important than ever that we're careful about what we consume. Keep these guidelines in mind when enjoying your favorite cuisines.

Italian

• Don't go overboard on portions that come with the names pesto, creamy tomato, alfredo, carbonera, pancetta, sausage, pepperoni, parmigiana, stuffed, or frito -- this means fried.
• Cut down on your servings of pasta dishes stuffed with cheese, like manicotti and lasagna. Instead choose noodles with a sprinkling of cheese.
  

Chinese

• Watch out for sauces. They are generally low in fat but high in sodium or sugar. Examples are: Black bean, hoisin, oyster, plum, and sweet and sour.
• Steer away from the words fried, crispy, or golden brown. It means the food has been battered and fried. Think egg rolls, egg foo young, spring rolls, pot stickers, won tons, and sesame noodles and you'll know what I mean.
• Beware of MSG (monosodium glutamate), a flavor enhancer that may come with sensitivity issues. Ask for your food to be prepared without this additive.
  

Japanese

• Minimize your sodium intake by passing on some of these: Miso, soy sauce, and teriaki. Try balancing these items with a lot of fruits, veggies, and water.
• Be mindful of the amount of cream cheese, avocado, and fried foods that are packed into your sushi rolls.
  

Mexican

• Choose your sides wisely. Most Mexican meals automatically come with chips, beans, rice, and tortillas. Forgo some and pick only what you really love.
• Order a side salad instead of either rice or beans for added nutrition and fiber.
• Take black or pinto beans over the refried variety -- these are higher in fat and some restaurants still use lard when preparing them.
• Use salsa and pico de gallo -- they are loaded with nutrients -- to add flavor without adding fat.
  

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The ultimate in lazy health devices: a machine that doesn't even require you to stand or sit up in order to measure your body fat. Tanita Corporation has invented what it's calling "a world first" (I have no idea if that's true) in the form of a machine that can measure a person's body fat from a completely reclined position. It's designed for the morbidly obese and people with disabilities or limitations that make it difficult to reposition -- and in those cases it really is a good thing. Plus for the rest of us it's a nice option to have instead of, say, the water tank method of calculating body fat.

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The Japanese are notorious for being slim and healthy. This is often credited to a diet rich in veggies and fish and low in sweets and fat. But as our sibling blog Gadling tells us, there's another key to the Japanese waistline: No-calorie Jello. Japanese women and girls who are looking to shed pounds will eat this jelly instead of a meal. And this jelly is easy to come by -- it's available in convenience stores throughout the country.

Jello can be a great thing to eat if you're trying to lose weight--it's a low-cal dessert that's great at satisfying a sweet tooth--but there's no way that eating it as a meal is healthy. Your body needs calories to keep going. Looks like whoever came up with this idea has found a way to make money off of eating disorders. Ick.

What do you think?

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The Japanese always seem to be at the forefront of technology, so it's no surprise that they've devised some ways to incorporate fitness into gadgets we use every day. Take the Japanese Fitness Phone, for example -- it's a phone that can measure your heart rate, act as a pedometer by counting your steps, and dish out fitness and nutrition advice.Guess what else it can do? I can tell you if you have bad breath. Just breath into it and it will tell you whether you're a-ok for that business meeting or whether you need gum or a mint pronto.

The fitness phone is aimed at the middle-aged working men of Japan -- and it's sure to be a hit since men in Japan have been getting larger over the last few years.

What do you think of weight loss and technology -- A good combination or no?

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The world as a whole seems to get bigger and bigger, and people in Japan are no exception. Well, half of them are anyway. The male half.

That's right -- studies are showing that as men in Japan get heavier and become closer to obesity, the women of Japan are staying slim and even getting slimmer on average as the years go by. In the past few decade, women on average have lost 2 kg (4.4 lb), while men have gained 4 kg (8.8 lb.)

The reason behind these changes? Women are becoming more aware of the benefits of exercise, while men are working longer hours and socializing for work more.

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We all want good skin, and we've all heard of countless different ways to go about getting it, but sitting in an enormous bowl of Ramen noodle soup? That's a new one.

A Japanese spa is offering just that: the opportunity to dip yourself in noodles to get a healthier glow. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending how you look at it!) it's not real noodles (just noodle-shaped spa treatments) but it is real broth. The pork-based broth contains collagen, hence the skin-enhancing benefits.

The treatment costs about $29 -- would you do it? I think I'll pass, and save my Ramen noodles for meals only.


Via Luxury Launches

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Here's an ingenious suggestion from Working On My Fitness -- use Bento Boxes for portion control. Bento boxes -- those cute Japanese eating 'plates' that have little compartments for each part of your meal -- would be ideal if you're trying to follow the food pyramid. Put your veggies in the largest compartment, your grains in the second largest and your protein in the smallest. There might even be room for a small (healthy) dessert.

What's great about this idea is that you can't just heap your plate full of food like you can with regular plates. And your meal doesn't have to Japanese to use the Bento box, but it can't hurt since Japanese food is one of the healthiest cuisines out there.

So what would go in your Bento box?

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Japan has some of the longest lifespans in the world. And while this is a sign that they are healthier on average than the rest of the world, longer lifespans are putting a strain on the healthcare system in Japan.

New studies are showing that spending on healthcare in Japan is lower than in US, and there just aren't enough resources to keep up with the needs of patients, so many of whom are elderly. And the result? Doctors and other healthcare professionals are cutting corners where ever they can -- yikes! Apparently longevity isn't always a good thing, at least as far as the healthcare system is concerned. Still, a country whose patients are just too healthy is far better off than one in which people would rather die young than eat healthy.

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