We've made tremendous progress in the fields of food, health and technology since the Victorian era. And yet we're not nearly as healthy overall as we were then. What gives?

Recent research is showing that not only did people live longer in the late 1800s, but they had strong immune systems too. Of course, there are several differences in the average Victorian diet compared to ours. Here's a rundown:

• They ate more, around 4,500 calories a day for men and 3,000 for women.
• But they also burned more calories, spending their working hours doing hard manual labour.
• Salt, sugar and tobacco weren't as readily available, and were rarely consumed.
  
• They ate between 8-10 servings a day of fresh fruits and veggies.
  
• In fact, all their food was fresh. After all, they didn't have fridges.
  
• They consumed lots of yeast, in both breads and beer. Yeast helps strengthen the immune system.
  

Want to know more? Read the full article over here.

Are hot dogs on your menu this Memorial Day? If so, you'll be joined by billions of others who will begin scarfing down dogs beginning this weekend.

About seven billion hot dogs will be consumed between Memorial Day and Labor Day, according to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council. This means that roughly 818 hot dogs will be eaten every second during the summer. That's a lot, considering the average annual consumption is 20 billion.

I'm not a big fan of the hot dog, myself. For one, I'm never really sure from what the things are made. Second, I don't love all the fat that comes packed into each modest serving -- one Ballpark beef frank contains 16 grams of fat, six grams of it from the saturated fat family. Hot dogs just are not my food of choice. Many people love them, though. Check out these gallery stats.

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Globalization has been taking the world by storm with jobs going overseas and import/export markets booming. It's a hot topic that can sometimes spark a debate. Well add one more applicable job for the female workforce in India: commercial surrogacy. Imagine a clinic where dozens of women carry babies for people all over the place, including the United States.

These surrogate mothers eat, sleep and live together. Since 2002, this type of commercialization has been legal in India, but the government doesn't even regulate the practice. Some critics are saying this undermines the health of needy women looking to make money to support their families. After all, to be considered for the job, the women must have at least one child already.

When clients end up paying only $10,000 or less for this whole process, it becomes clear that outsourcing birth is just as competitive as any other industry. But the surrogate mothers are providing a global service for couples aspiring to build a family of their own. This comparably high compensation also provides well for their own families. Some women are making more than what others could make in 15 years! Would you consider being a commercial surrogate mother? How about contracting one?

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The weather report is calling for a solid dumping of snow later today, so I'm gearing up for the possibility of being snowed in this evening. Schools and businesses have already been closed in anticipation for the horrendous weather, making me wonder if my gym will also follow suit.

The good news is that there are always ways to get some exercise in, and good, old fashion manual labor is certainly one of them. Shoveling snow for an hour will burn 400 calories, which is far more than the same amount of time spent on walking on a treadmill would. Just be careful to lift the snow-filled shovel mostly with your legs and torso, and to also turn your body to dump the snow instead of trying to throw it over your shoulder. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself and extend your time away from the gym even further.

Once you're finally done outside, shoveling out your driveway and cleaning off your car, you can always head back in and follow any of these simple ways to burn 100 calories from inside your house.

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A few years ago a friend of mine was preparing to have her first baby. As most women understandably are, she was pretty freaked out about the thought of labor. During one late night phone call she casually blurted out that she thought she would have a c-section. I asked why. She replied that it was less frightening to her and she just thought it would be better all around. I was so surprised. I had no idea that women could request a c-section; I thought they were only performed when there was a known medical reason or there were complications with vaginal delivery.

It turns out my friend isn't the only one requesting a c-section. A growing number of women are opting for the procedure for the sake of convenience. (Although, if you ask me, a c-section doesn't sound very convenient.) As of 2004 (the most recent data available) c-sections accounted for 29% of all deliveries -- a record high. The "convenience" factor isn't in the surgery itself -- it's major abdominal surgery and can be a difficult recovery, particularly when caring for an infant. But being able to pick the time and date of delivery is tempting for parents. For physicians, a shorter, controlled procedure allows them more flexibility in their already jam-packed schedules.

International studies have shown that a more acceptable rate of c-sections is about 10-15% of births. To combat the growing rate of c-sections in the US, doctors are instructing women in the inherent risks of the procedure.

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It takes a tremendous amount of strength to changes your life and take off that extra weight you've been carrying around. But according to this study, losing weight won't lessen your chances of giving birth to an overweight baby. It's been known for a while that obese women typically give birth to larger babies, and larger-than-normal babies are at a high risk of experiencing birth trauma.

The study showed, basically, that on average, larger women give birth to larger babies, while women who have been a normal weight most of their lives gave birth to normal-sized babies. However, women who were previously overweight but had lost the weight prior to pregnancy still gave birth to larger babies.

So it seems what the evidence is telling us is that the long-term effects of being overweight can last after the weight's gone. So while slimming down is definitely a step in the right direction, the ideal solution would be to not put on extra weight in the first place.

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Exercising while you are pregnant has proven to help reduce fatigue, build endurance, and can help women have a shorter labor. This is particularly true if you use movement in labor by changing positions. Despite the differences in your body, exercise is still important. One of the things you need to determine before you jump right into an exercise program is how fit you are and if you have not previously been on any exercise routine. There are several exercises that you can do while pregnant, even if you were previously a couch potato or sedentary.

Here are four exercises that are safe while pregnant.

Yoga combines exercise and relaxation.
Walking is a great workout for muscles and aerobic fitness.
Pilates emphasizes balance, strength, and flexibility.
Swimming helps relieve stress and strain on muscles and builds endurance.

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Researchers working with rats have discovered that oxytocin, a hormone produce by a mother's body during birth, quiets babies brains during birth so that they don't use as much oxygen. This explains how babies -- who depend on blood flow from the placenta for oxygen -- can survive the process of labor.

Oxytocin is responsible for the starting a woman's labor, and this study found that the hormone surge a mother has at the beginning of labor serves as a "neuroprotective" to the baby, telling the fetal brain to conserve energy and use less oxygen. This just solidifies what women, birth attendants, and physicians have known for ages -- labor is a natural process, and the body knows how to prepare itself.

Researchers think that this finding may be significant in helping women with difficult pregnancies or infants who are in distress during labor. They theorize that treating mother and child with oxytocin may prevent or treat certain complications. With prematurity rates in the United States at an a record high, it will be interesting to see where this research leads.

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