Some heart patients still not eating right
 You'd think that after having a heart attack or being diagnosed with something scary like heart disease, people would turn a dietary new leaf. Two new studies have been released which contradict that logic, however. Many heart patients didn't get the fruits, veggies, and fiber they needed.
The fat intake wasn't curbed either. So how would a bunch of scientists know what these people ate anyway? Well, they self-reported the data used in the studies. The first study assigned points based on the healthiness of the diet after having been diagnosed with coronary heart disease or having had a heart attack. Well over 500 people were assessed, and the results showed that the average diet got a score of almost 31 points... out of 80.
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You Are What You Eat: Don't fear the dark
Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!
In two days, Valentine's Day will arrive. What a lovely time it is, then, to review a once-maligned sweet treat that is now enjoying a bit of fame and fortune.
Testing fairly high on a scale of antioxidant activity and appearing in a new study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this Super Food (the unsweetened baking variety) ranks 12th out of the top 50 foods with the highest antioxidant content per serving. Now, we can't go so far as to call this item a health food -- it happens to be packed with saturated fat and calories -- but when reserved for special occasions or eaten moderately, dark chocolate is A-OK.
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Daily Fit Tip: Don't drink hot water from the tap
 It just makes sense -- you want to boil a pot of water so you fill the pan with hot water from the tap, right? Wrong, say health experts. That's because contaminants dissolve more quickly in hot water and that means that you could be serving up a side of lead with your meal.
Though lead is rarely found in source water, it can creep into your water supply from old pipes or corroded plumbing. By cooking, drinking, and preparing baby formula with cold water, you're reducing your risk of exposure to lead.
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Maybe you should think about taking a nap
College was great for many reasons, some of which have no place being mentioned on this blog. Of those that do, however, I immediately think back to the afternoon nap I occasionally took. Living on campus, it was easy to squeeze in a quick, forty-five minute power nap before my next class and recharge my batteries a bit. But, with that easy, college life schedule years behind me, the best I can do these days is enjoy the mere thought of a mid-day nap. Amazingly, though, a thought, or that anticipation, of sleep has been shown to lower blood pressure.
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Alcohol may cause hair to gray prematurely
If you started drinking because you thought it made you look older, you may have been onto something. It turns out that regular boozers have twice the amount of premature gray hair as people who lay off the sauce.
According to an article published in the Archives of Dermatology, drinking as few as three drinks per day is enough to affect your hair color. Because alcohol stops the production of pigment-providing stem cells called melanocytes, it's very possible to experience graying at an earlier age.
The good news is that the damage does not have to be permanent. If you're graying now, cutting back on your drinking may help stop any further progression and even help restore your natural color.
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