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The best places to meet healthy singles

Fitness

Congratulations on living healthfully, Bay Area residents -- According to Fitsugar, a recent study by Match.com found that the city with the most healthy singles is San Francisco on all counts. The city was ranked the number one place to meet someone who frequents the gym, is committed to a healthy diet, is a non-smoker and follows a vegetarian lifestyle. Honorable mentions go to Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Seattle and Washington, DC. Atlanta, Philadelphia, Dallas and Chicago also made the top 10s, though they were further down the list.

So what does this say for the singles living in other areas of the country? Is it hard to find singles that aren't beer-swilling, smoking, couch potatoes? What's the singles scene like where you live?

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Quitting smoking is good for the heart in more ways than one

Healthy Habits, Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation

Ever kissed a smoker? It's not always great, is it? I know that a number of times I've heard it compared to kissing an ashtray. It doesn't matter how sweet or passionate a kiss is if the main impression left behind is how terrible it tasted. As a lifelong non-smoker I've always preferred to date fellow non-smokers. That doesn't mean it always works out that way -- attraction is attraction after all. But given the choice, I'll always go for someone who enjoys clean air and clear, healthy lungs.

Turns out I'm not the only one. According to this, a study conducted at the University of Sydney shows that the majority of singles state they prefer to date someone who does not smoke. The study gives a number of reasons why men and women tend to seek out non-smokers. Not wanting to "kiss an ashtray" is certainly not the only reason. There's also not wanting to be inundated with harmful secondhand smoke, not wanting a potential life partner to drop dead of a heart attack or suffer with lung cancer, not wanting to sit alone at dinner while a boyfriend or girlfriend shivers out in the cold as they get their nicotine fix, and so on.

So all the smoking singles out there should stop and think about it. I realize that smoking is a very hard habit to break and has to be done for your own reasons and on your own terms. But if you're looking for love, now you have yet another good motivation.

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Farmers switch from tobacco to ginseng and lavender with the government's help

Vitamins and Supplements, Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements

Ginseng field in Ontario
With cigarette sales slumping and entire cities declaring smoking bans, tobacco farmers have seen a drop in demand for their product. Add an influx of imported, cheaper grades of tobacco coming from China, Brazil and Zimbabwe, and the farmers started hitting hard times.

The federal government in Canada decided to provide help to this troubled industry. They offered an incentive to the farmers to switch to other types of crops.

Over the past few years, tobacco farmers have been taking them up on the offer. The $67-million aid package helped them move away from tobacco and to a range of healthier crops - ginseng, lavender, hemp, asparagus, sweet corn, strawberries and cucumbers.

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