Did you know that one in every three adults has high blood pressure? Are you one of them? I had some good news the other day. It seems that all of my hard work trying to eat healthy and lose weight is finally paying off. For the first time in years my blood pressure is actually normal. Yaaay! This is just the kind of validation I was looking for when I began my journey of weight loss and healthy living. If you have high blood pressure or know someone who does, here are some tips that can help lower blood pressure naturally.

Since it's Baby Week on Discovery Health I thought I would do a little blog round-up on pregnancy nutrition. As much as I would love to claim that I had great eating habits during my pregnancies (16 & 19 years ago), I have to admit that I made my share of pregnancy nutrition fopauxs. For example...I didn't drink even one glass of milk (I hate milk), and I gained over forty pounds each pregnancy. But enough about me, here are some posts by women trying to get it right.

There seems to be evidence that the poor economy is taking its toll on American families and their ability to make healthy food choices. For some it may be that stress is contributing to an increase in emotional eating, and for others it may be the cost of eating healthy. For what ever reason, the recession appears to be having a negative affect on obesity in America.

Are you getting enough vitamin D? Would you know if you weren't? Apparently, most of us are deficient in vitamin D, and that is putting us at greater risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, some types of cancer, diabetes, and possibly other chronic medical problems (like asthma, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis). You might be surprised to learn how important vitamin D is to your overall health, and how easy it is to make sure you're getting enough.

People have different ways of defining the arrival of summer, but for me it's when the weather is warm enough to eat outside. I think there's something about fresh air that makes food taste better, which may be why barbecues and picnics are so popular. You probably have some favorite summer recipes, but if you're up for trying something new, I think lentil salad is a perfect dish for outdoor eating.

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants" is The Omnivore Dilemma author Michael Pollan's simple, haiku-esque advice for healthy, sustainable eating. But even doing just a little research into sustainable food can bombard you with all sorts of complicated advice -- and conundrums (Local or organic? Frozen or fresh?) -- that could tempt newbie eco-foodies throw up their hands and gorge on Twinkies....

Do you have children that suffer with food allergies? It seems like food allergies are becoming more and more prevalent. Why is that? My personal opinion, is that it has something to do with how germ and bacteria free we've become as a society. Last week was food allergy awareness week, so I thought I would use this post to look at food allergies and how some parents are coping. What are food allergies? From The Mayo Clinic...

Don't skip breakfast, don't skip breakfast...It's practically a mantra in the world of nutrition and weight loss. But as much as I've been trying to eat healthy and lose weight, I have to admit that I'm one of the breakfast skippers. I know I shouldn't, but I always have, and it has always seemed a little weird to eat when I'm not hungry (especially when I'm trying to lose weight).

Can we still eat pork? The answer is YES. The H1N1 flu is not a food-born illness, it is a respiratory illness. And we are NOT AT RISK of contracting the H1N1 flu by eating pork products. However, earlier this week the World Health Organization confused the issue by saying that pigs infected with H1N1 must be kept out of the food supply. So, to clarify... From CNN...

Yes, you heard right. There is a new show on We-TV that has many women (including myself) up in arms - It's called I Want To Save Your Life. But what could be so bad about a show that wants to save lives? Well, it gives the impression it is a kind of "intervention" type show...but it's really an attack on women who are overweight.

Have you ever wondered how the foods we choose to eat each day affects our carbon footprint? You might be surprised to find out just how much it does. But, do we all have to start growing our own food and become vegetarians to save our planet? No. Even if we just make one or two changes in our eating and purchasing habits, we can each begin to make a positive impact on our environment. So...I'm going to give you a few tips on little things we can all do to help us get on the path to greener eating.

Findings from a study published last week in the Archives of Internal Medicine concluded that regularly eating red meat increases the odds of premature death.  Pork, too, was lumped into the red meat category, unfortunately for me.