Everyone should have a steady diet of fruits, vegetables, and music. That’s right, music is good for the soul, and the rest of your body. Authors of the latest study on music’s health benefits claim that the best type is opera, which may help particularly with stroke rehabilitation.

Researchers tested various combinations of music with silence on volunteers and found that songs that emphasized alternating between fast and slow tempos were most effective in improving circulation and heart health.

“We have seen enormous benefits in people who have had strokes or heart attacks. The power of music is just incredible,” says Diana Greenman, chief executive of Music in Hospitals, a UK-based charity that provides live music to hospital patients.

Joining us as guest blogger is Jill Knapp. Jill is from Idaho, where she lost 100 pounds after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes while pregnant. Today, she manages her diabetes with diet and exercise and without medication. Jill’s goal is to keep generating awareness about Type 2 diabetes and encouraging others to “Get Up and Get Moving.” I competed in the Mrs. Idaho pageant, made the top 5 and the reason I competed is to spread my message more.

Jill Knapp: Before/After Losing 100 Pounds

Like many other pregnant mothers, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes when I had my last child at age 37. I was suffering from fatigue and headaches after childbirth. My son was born very ill and I thought my own health symptoms were just the result of taking care of a sick newborn. My husband encouraged me to go see my doctor to find out what was causing the headaches. After taking a few tests, I was confirmed as a Type 2 diabetic.

Like anyone else hearing this new for the first time, I was in shock.  It took about 24 hours for me to establish an action plan as I did not want this for myself nor for my family. So I gradually began to exercise and eat six small meals a day. Over time, I lost 100 pounds and successfully brought my diabetes under control.

Each week, DietsInReview.com will recap the hottest headlines in weight loss, diet and health news to keep you informed of news you can really use.

Suicide Risk Increases for Overweight Teens

This is alarming news that parents, educators and even teens should take to heart. Recent research shows a great suicide risk for teens that are overweight or believe that they are, regardless of gender. Our mental health professional, Brooke Randolph, asks how we can work together to get teens on board with living healthy lifestyles.

Prevention is a Healthier Route Than Treatment

As President Obama’s health care plan starts gaining traction, there is more and more discussion taking place about health care in our country. Nutritionist Kinsey Lowrey explains how disease prevention costs less in the long run - both financially and on our health - and how it’s simple to implement small changes toward that goal.

A lot of foods appear healthy but contain ingredients that add unwanted fat and calories and can undo hours of work at the gym. Let’s look at a few of them.

• Yogurt - many popular brands of yogurt contain as much sugar as ice cream. Some have added cereals and chocolate chips. Instead, start with a plain version and add your own flavors with whole fruit. If you need a sweetener, a small amount of honey or agave syrup can add a great deal of flavor. Greek yogurt is one of my personal favorites!

• Granola - this popular cereal choice can be very high in saturated fats and calories. Make your own granola and you can control the ingredients, adding more healthy choices. You can even mix the granola in with your plain yogurt for a delicious treat!
  
  

It’s well known that eating healthy includes increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free/low-fat dairy products. However, even though we know we should eat better Americans still don’t do it. The American Dietetics Association provided a quick breakdown of the basic food groups, what you should eat within those groups, how many servings you should eat, and what counts as a serving.

Whole grains
It’s recommended to consume 3 servings a day.

What counts as a serving?
A one ounce serving equals one slice whole-wheat bread, 1/2 cup brown rice, 5 whole-wheat crackers, 1/2 cup oatmeal.

Recently the question has been posed to me in various variations of ‘how do we reach the teens’? As a therapist and working closely with INShape Indiana on health promotions, I understand that you cannot work harder for someone than they work for themselves, or you cannot care about their growth more than they do. Doing so would be a fast track to burnout and poor client relationships, which helps no one. I have taken to regularly texting and chatting with a few of my teen cousins to try to make sure I understand their culture and what is motivating to them. (We didn’t have texting when I was a teen!) If we find it difficult to motivate real life change in adults who generally have a wider perspective on the real costs and benefits, how do we reach teenagers and help them develop healthy habits early?

Many of the diseases and cancers seen in our society could be preventable or postponed if we shifted our focus to prevention rather than treating a disease. Too often people go on medication to lower their cholesterol or help with their blood pressure, but had they considered diet and exercise years before it’s likely that they wouldn’t have to depend on medication at all.

Obesity is another medical issue that could probably be avoided if we paid more attention to what we put into our mouths and how much exercise we get. The cost of prevention (eating right and exercising) is far cheaper than the cost of medical expenses (doctor visits, hospital stays, medications, etc.).

All this being said, what can you do to start this road of prevention? In my eyes, it’s never too late to start getting healthier. So what can you do? 

When it comes to weight loss, these four brand names are probably the most recognizable. And they’ve got a few things many of today’s quick-fix diets don’t - longevity, reputation and results.

We decided to take a look at Curves, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and NutriSystem side by side to see where they’re similar and where they aren’t. Each of these plans are uniquely different, and each deliver results in their own proven ways. Our comparison looks at six different areas: meal delivery, diet, fitness, online availability, personal support and cost.

Jay Leno is famous for his Tonight Show bit where he roves the streets and interviews people, exposing their ignorance on world affairs and random trivia. We get a big kick out of how stupid people are, right? Well, be prepared for a whole new low.

According to a new survey, more than half of people couldn’t locate the exact location of the human heart on a diagram. And as if that isn’t bad enough, nearly 70 percent can’t correctly identify the shape of the lungs. But wait, there’s more: even patients who were being treated for a specific condition involving an organ often didn’t identify that organ correctly.

Here are the results of the survey:

Sometimes it’s the little things that make the difference. In the case of your diet, don’t just look at the food you eat, but what you put on it.

Condiments are often a second thought in our meal preparations, that may be putting on extra pounds. Yes, but not necessarily in the way you would think.

New research is suggesting that if you just say no to the extras on your food, like ketchup, relish, etc., you can shed some weight. But not so much because of the extra calories, even though that would help too, it’s more about evidence that shows condiments make people consume more food.