I recently got married and moved into a new house, which means I'm cooking in a new kitchen and am all inspired to start trying new recipes. In the cabinets of a healthy kitchen, one of the most common players is olive oil (love a good stir fry) but getting what you pay for is isn't as easy as it should be. Many stores have bottles of oil that have been sitting for ages on the shelf (which diminishes not only flavor but also antioxidant benefits) and some companies are even fraudulently blending in filler oils like sunflower or soybean oil. For the best, healthiest olive oil, follow these tips:

• Go for the smallest brands -- smaller growers almost always produce higher quality oil than mass producers.
• Keep your olive oil cool and dark, and look for brands packaged in dark bottles.
• Read the label carefully, intentionally vague statements like "imported from Italy" can be deceiving (it wasn't necessarily made in Italy).
• "Extra virgin" isn't necessarily the best. To be labeled extra virgin, olive oil must have an acidity of 0.8% or less, which isn't that hard to do. For really good oil, look for 0.5% or less.
  

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Here's some interesting news I learned from The Beauty Brains: Dirty hair might save the environment. Ok, maybe that's stretching it a bit, but dirty hair is at least good for the environment because it absorbs ozone from the air. In fact, dirty hair absorbs seven times as much ozone as clean hair does. And according to scientists, this can help cut the amount of harmful ozone floating around your head. Surprising? I think so.

But, as the brains are quick to point out, this isn't going to save the world or anything. In fact, the ozone in the air can interact with oil in dirty hair to produce other harmful chemicals. Still, washing your hair too often will waste water. Instead? Try to find a balance. Or, just shave your head.

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For a lot of people it's tough figuring out what kinds of food to eat as well as how much. But for vegetarians, it can be even harder as a major staple of their diet -- protein derived from eating meat -- is removed from the list of foods they can eat.

If you're a new veggie and you're wondering what exactly you need to consume each day to maintain a healthy diet, this vegetarian food pyramid is a great place to start. Obviously, it's pretty similar to a traditional food pyramid (and shouldn't be confused with a vegan food pyramid) but offers examples of what you should eat to replace meat in your diet.

This article goes into a bit of depth explaining how the pyramid works. Basically, you should eat the foods at the top (vegetable fats and oils, sweets and salts) sparingly, and munch on more of each of the subsequent levels. Staples like whole-grain bread, cereal, rice and pasta are at the bottom of the pyramid, so you should include lots of these in your meals and snacks each day.

Remember though that everyone is different and while the pyramid is a useful general guide, it may be a good idea to chat with a nutritionist about your own personal dietary needs.

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Kudos to nearly all New York City restaurants who are now complying with phase one of the city's new trans fat regulation. Those still using spreads or fry oils containing the artificial trans fat will be fined by the Health Department.

A whopping 94 percent of 3,300 restaurants inspected between July 1 and September 1 were using zero grams of trans fat. Before the regulation had passed, 50 percent were in compliance. By June, 80 percent were on board. And for the few still not passing with flying colors, it seems margarine use is the hold-up. Fines starting at $200 -- fining began on October 1 -- is the penalty for non-compliance.

"Despite claims to the contrary, New York City restaurants have shown that it's easy to get artificial trans fat out of spreads and fry oils," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, Health Commissioner for New York City. "New Yorkers are now enjoying more healthful foods without any change in taste or price."

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Are trans fats on their way out from all foods in the U.S.? That is the wish y many experts on nutrition and public health these days, and they are calling on food industry leaders to help make it happen.

During the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) meeting this week, conclusions were presented by the 'Trans Fat Free Americas Task Force ' in order to open a dialog into jettisoning that type of processed oil permanently.

Do I see this coming in the next decade? Yes. Many restaurants and food companies already market themselves as "trans fat free" and the continuation of that trend will only grow larger until having trans fat in your products make you the joke of the shelf. It's only a matter of time.

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Fish is generally a very healthy product to eat, unless it is fried in a bucket of trans fat-containing oil. Fried fish tastes great to most, but in general it's the fat being tasted there, not the fish. Same goes for most fried foods.

But, this is not sitting well with Japanese scientists, who want to create a more healthy version of fried fish -- with less fat. to do so, they've invented a new fish batter that's still extra crispy, but has less amounts of fat than what most of us know as current fish batter.

Now this is the neat part -- these scientists analyzed how the structure of batter molecules change during the frying process. To take the process a step further, the water content was altered along with the frying time to create a very tasty and crispy batter, while jettisoning much of the fat used to fry the batter in the process. Now, if all fried foods could go through the same process, we'd be onto something.

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Confused about how many trans fats your body needs? Let me help. Zero.

Trans fats -- abundant in cookies, candies, pastries, fried food, and margarine -- are not necessary in any way, shape, or form. There's no need to eat them at any level, especially because they seriously up the risk of heart disease.

Make it your project, starting today, to buy only foods with zero trans fats. Nutrition labels now make it easy to identify trans fat-free foods, and there are more of these products on the shelves than ever before. Head to the outside aisles of your grocery store for fresh fruits, veggies, fish, and whole grains -- OK and maybe small amounts of healthy oils like olive and canola. This way, you'll be sure to stay out of trans fat trouble.

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Are we really eating healthier than we were before? More than 1,200 new reduced-fat or trans-fat-free products were introduced last year, so like many others, you probably think you are. But the truth is that many manufacturers are replacing one evil (trans fat) with another evil (saturated fat). While saturated fats are less harmful, it seems that the newly formulated formulas may have slightly more saturated fat then they did before. And, to simply put it ... well, more fat is more fattening!

What to watch out for: Tropical oils, such as coconut, palm kernel, and palm oil.

Healthier alternatives would be: Soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, ultra-low-linolenic soybean oil, or high-oleic canola oil.

That being said, Whole Foods Market gives a different point of view and defends the use of tropical oils.

Of course, the best approach would be to limit any packaged and processed foods. Instead, load up on 'whole' foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and lean proteins.

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Depending on what your needs are, you've probably got a slew of face and skin care products stashed in your bathroom right now. Some of them work, and some of them don't, but if you're like a lot of people then you're probably slowly getting more and more tired of all the artificial colors and preservatives, and even the dangerous chemicals, that come in most commercially manufactured skin care products. So have you ever tried making your own?

I admit I never have, although these recipes for skin care oils look easy enough that I just might give it a shot. And they have mixes to try for everything from general facial balancing to specific concerns like eczema -- and even a specialized hip and thigh formula. And I bet it would be such a nice time working with all those essential oils making the house smell all wonderful!

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Inflammation is the body's response to tissue damage and infection. There are many conditions that cause inflammation. Genetics play a role, so does the environment. Environmental factors include diet, exposure to toxins, germs, pollutants, and inhalants. Some people have a genetic predisposition to heightened inflammation which can cause them to have an illness such as rheumatoid arthritis. But a commonly overlooked cause of inflammation is poor diet.

Foods that cause inflammation are sugar, simple carbohydrates, and certain fatty acids and oils. To reduce inflammation avoid junk foods such as donuts, pastry, and sugared drinks. Insufficient consumption of fish, fruit and vegetables is as bad for human health as smoking.A diet that reduces inflammation consists mostly of vegetables and fish. In my opinion, the foods that cause the least inflammation and are the most anti-inflammatory are fish such as halibut and salmon, and all kinds of vegetables. Make changes slowly and accept the fact that there may be times when you binge on unhealthy snacks and foods.

There are many other herbs and nutrients that could be taken to reduce inflammation. For instance using curry and cinnamon when cooking is great. Use a variety of herbs and spices. Many of them have antioxidants and other beneficial compounds. For instance, curry has curcumin, rosemary has rosmarinic acid and ginger has vanillin and zingerone. All of these compounds have health benefits. Basil, bay leaves, cumin, chili powder, coriander, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger, oregano, pepper, rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic appears to protect against fungal and bacterial infections, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, blood clots and even cancer. Bee pollen, pomegranate, goji, mangosteen, graviola, green tea extract, and spirulina, are great herbs and additions to add to the body. A calcium supplement is recommended for postmenopausal women.

Cutting down or cutting out your sugar intake is a must to cut down on inflammation. Stevia, a no calorie natural herbal sweetener, is available in liquid or powder in health food stores. Reduce your intake of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin also.

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There is so much information out there nowadays on what's healthy and what's not, how to workout and how not to workout, that it's amazing we keep it as straight as we do. Sometimes it's good to review the basics, to remind you of some simple things you may have forgotten, or just to make sure you stay on track. Things like: Are all plant oils healthy? No. Is it really accurate to try and count calories burned while working out? No. How big of an impact does the intensity of my workout have on the calories I burn? Quite a big one.

So check out this article for some random fitness facts. For being such a quick read, I thought it was pretty good info.

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You'd have to be living under a rock to have not heard all the controversy surrounding Trans Fats. Yeah, they're bad for you. Really bad. We get it. What would be more helpful would be if someone told us exactly what to avoid -- in short, what are the worst trans fat offenders? We know to check the labels on stuff at the grocery store, but what about when we're eating out or eating on the run and nutritional information isn't available?

Here's help from AOL. The frequent trans fat-rich foods are (drum roll, please), Nutrition Bars, microwave popcorn, salad dressing, cereal, baked goods (especially muffins), deli meats, margarine, shortening, oils and frozen entrees -- think chicken and fish fingers, frozen pizza, meat pies, waffles and even seemingly-healthy vegetarian meals.

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There are plenty of reasons why people would rather sink their teeth into salmon that is "wild" as opposed to farm-raised. It has a more distinct taste with a stronger flavor and firmer feel to it. Not to mention it isn't gray like the farmed kind.

Turns out that some stores are stocking farm-raised salmon that's labeled "wild" during the slower season. In November, December, and March, a test was conducted on 23 store-bought salmon that were marketed as "wild." Only 10 passed the test as being such; the other 13 were frauds.

Another interesting twist involved the "organic" salmon. With no federal standards, the unlabeled fish that were tested came from farms as well. So what does this mean? Well, since the "wild" kind ordinarily costs more, and doesn't have added toxins, people should be getting what they paid for -- not a farmed alternative marked up at a higher price. If you want to avoid the fish fraud, get it during the summer when it's most abundant. This will minimize your chances of getting salmon that's falsely labeled.

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