Daily Health News Blog

(BPT) - The new year is widely accepted as a time to start fresh, and every year people make resolutions to better themselves. For many, this means vowing to make lifestyle changes to improve how they look and feel. However, sticking to restrictive diets and intense workout programs can be difficult and not sustainable for most people. Before you get hooked by the annual flood of diet tips and gym promotions, focus on a few key areas to commit to a healthier lifestyle for 2013. Consume whole foods  Adding more whole foods into your everyday diet is a natural way to obtain the nutrients your body craves without feeling like you're making a drastic change. One of the easiest ways to do this is by incorporating fresh juices into your daily routine. Whole-food juicing is a quick and easy way to get several servings of fruits and vegetables at once, making it a perfect on-the-go solution for those juggling hectic schedules. Simply toss whole fruits, vegetables, or a combinatio

It would be a dream come true if we could all be good sleepers. But for many of us who are not, sleeping pills are a help. Or are they? Actually, sleeping pills are usually of limited effectiveness, all have potential risks, and none have been tested for long-term safety. That’s why most of the pills have been approved only for short-term use. Now a study in the online journal  BMJ Open  has linked prescription sleeping pills to a surprisingly high risk of premature death. The risk of dying over a 2.5-year period was four times higher among pill users, a finding that held up after the data were adjusted for many health and lifestyle factors. Even occasional users had a higher death rate, though the risk increased with more frequent use. This is not the first study linking sleeping pills to higher death rates. Many factors are involved. The drugs can cause falls and car crashes, even the next day, and may worsen depression. The study also found that people taking at least

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy

(BPT) - Whether you're resolving to eat healthy, begin an exercise routine, save money or update your wardrobe, many of these resolutions are easier said than done, as people aren't sure where to start or how to get motivated to make these important life changes. Nearly one third of people who made resolutions in 2012 failed to sick with them, according to a recent survey by MSN and Impulse. Nationally recognized nutrition expert and published author Keri Glassman offers these tips for jumpstarting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle this new year. *New year, clean pantry - More than 30 percent of people want to eat healthier in the new year, either by eliminating junk food or pursuing a specific diet. Set aside a little time to raid the pantry and clean out items that are old, unhealthy or any that you might be prone to overconsume. Throw food out or, better yet, donate to a local food pantry and make room for new, healthier foods. This exercise also helps you get or

Small easy changes can lead to sustainable weight loss and healthier eating habits Previous research conducted by Dr. Brian Wansink through the Food and Brand Lab has shown that making small easy changes to our eating habits on a consistent basis can lead to sustainable weight loss. The challenge lies in figuring out which changes work for each individual and how to stick with them long enough to make them second nature. To find answers to these questions, Cornell University researchers launched the National Mindless Eating Challenge (NMEC), an online healthy eating and weight loss program which focused on simple eating behavior changes, instead of dieting.

There’s no magic fix for being overweight—no diet pill, supplement, or crash diet. But one promising approach to weight loss has been to identify factors that promote satiety, the feeling of fullness. If you feel full longer, you are less likely to overeat later, yet not feel deprived. In some cases, you may even be able to eat  more and still lose weight. Perhaps more important than any individual food or food component in increasing satiety is choosing foods that are low in “energy density.” First promoted by Dr. Barbara Rolls at Pennsylvania State University, the concept of energy density is the basis of her  Volumetrics Eating Plan  and has also been incorporated into other popular diets. According to Dr. Rolls, many studies show that lowering the energy density of a diet can lead to a decrease in food intake. How it works Since people tend to eat roughly the same amount of food a day, regardless of calories, eating foods that are low in energy density allows you to fill up

Hypertension named 'public health enemy No. 2' In many cases, high blood pressure has no symptoms, which could be why more than half of the 67 million Americans who have hypertension are doing little or nothing to control it. CDC Director Thomas Frieden has labeled high blood pressure "public health enemy No. 2." It's right behind tobacco. High blood pressure is defined as a reading greater or equal to 140/90. Normal blood pressure is 120/80. Moderately high blood pressure is 120 to 139 over 80 to 89. In hypertension, blood flows through your arteries with too much force. It stretches arteries past their healthy limit, causing microscopic tears, says the American Heart Association. Scar tissue that forms to repair the tears traps plaque and white blood cells, which can lead to blockages, clots and hardened or weakened arteries, according to the AHA. Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, the first and fourth leading causes o