Burning calories is not usually our main motivation for kissing someone, but it’s good to know that locking lips has benefits we don’t expect. Kissing can burn two to six calories a minute. Do it for an hour and you can burn up to 60 extra calories. Muah! Just don’t fall for these myths that could ruin your metabolism.
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Don’t tell your mom, but we’re giving you official permission to make a mess. As you eat, leave the candy wrappers, fruit peels, nut shells, chicken bones, and other scraps on the table. Seeing it is a visual reminder of exactly how much you’ve eaten and can provide a simple reminder to stop eating when you’re full, according to research done by the Cornell Food and Brand Lab.
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If you’ve ever had high blood pressure, you were probably told to cut down or stop consuming sodium. But a new study from Boston University that followed 2,600 people over 16 years found that a low-sodium diet didn’t actually lower blood pressure. So salt might not be the enemy after all—and actually, a little salt might be part of a healthy food plan. The study also found that people with the lowest intake of sodium (along with the highest) had a greater risk of heart disease than the people in the middle. But, that doesn’t mean you should go crazy eating processed foods that contain lots of sodium either. “In general, focusing on reducing processed foods, which tend to be rich in added sodium, and adding in more whole foods may be more effective than just focusing on counting milligrams of sodium when it comes to promoting heart health,” says Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE, author of Belly Fat Diet for Dummies. Find out the 55 health myths that need to die.
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What do economics have to do with health? At most universities they’re not even in the same building! But it turns out that a dip in the economy can lead to a rise in our weight according to a study done by John Hopkins. Researchers found that from 2008 to 2012—the period known as the great recession—weight gain was strongly correlated with the rise in unemployment, increasing the risk of obesity by 21 percent. This makes sense as one of the first things to go when our budgets get tight are luxuries like health food and gym memberships, not to mention the loss of health insurance that often accompanies a job loss. However, it may help to remember that there are many low-cost or free ways to protect your health—and an investment in you is the best one you can make. For example, here are tricks to spend less on a gym membership and here are healthy food swaps that save you money.
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Whether you’re trying to lose 20 pounds or just looking for ways to be healthier, there’s no shortage of diets to choose from. But only one looks to your blood type to determine what you should or shouldn’t eat.
The blood type diet originated from the 1996 book Eat Right for Your Type by naturopathic physician Peter J. D’Adamo. The idea behind it is that your body’s response to food is directly linked to your blood type, based on what your ancestors with the same blood type ate. Each blood type has its own guidelines about the foods that anyone with that blood type should eat and the foods they should avoid. The diet claims to help people lose weight, improve digestive health, and boost overall well-being.
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Body typing is often more hype than substance, especially when it comes to what to wear. (Not sure if you have a bikini body? If you have a bikini and a body, you’re all set.) But when it comes to your health, your body type can give you important clues about your particular risks and strengths. The key? Where and how you store your fat. Some types of fat are harder on your health than others and may respond differently to different dieting techniques. For example, one study (read more about it here) found that people who carry weight in their stomachs do better on low-carb diets while people who carry weight in their hips and thighs do better on a low-fat diet. And that’s just the beginning—these nutrition experts can help you figure out what your body shape is telling you. Don’t miss why science says your body shape really could be the key to weight loss.
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