How long can we realistically live? And how does our diet affect how long we will live?

These questions have been once again raised following David Murdock’s plans to live to be 125 through a strict diet. Now 87, Murdock is undoubtedly a specimen of health. According to Murdock, has never experienced any physical ailments — even colds or headaches.

When an unbelievably healthy 87-year-old man claims he can live to be 125 based on diet alone, it’s worth a moment of listening!

The Diet of a Passionate Man

How does Murdock live that differs from most our lifestyles? He consumes as many fruits, vegetables and protein sources into his daily diet as most of us manage to do during the entire week. For example, he eats as many as 20 vegetables and fruits daily, pureeing them into smoothies he drinks two to three times each day. He also eats loads of protein in the form of cholesterol-free egg whites, nuts, beans, and seafood. However, his diet is absent of red meat, poultry, and dairy altogether. Also forbidden in his diet are alcohol, sugar and salt.

Murdock is putting his money where his mouth is regarding his quest to live a long life through strict dieting. He has, by some estimates, spent more than $500 million of his fortune to build the North Carolina Research Campus, a facility that “holds the promise of optimal health and maximal life span.”

Perhaps it was his mother’s death from cancer at the age of 42 that led Murdock to examine optimal health and maximal life span, or maybe it was his wife’s diagnosis of ovarian cancer at any early age. What we do know is that the idea of nutrition was planted when he started researching ways in which his wife could treat her ovarian cancer. Although his wife, Gabriel, also lost her life early to cancer (she was just 43), Murdock continued to consider the strong link between health, nutrition and longevity.

Murdock’s Influence Far Reaching

Murdock’s passion for healthy eating was further realized when he dedicated an area behind his California ranch to tens of thousands of square feet of greenhouses. He now has a large staff of gardeners who tend to the produce grown there.

Murdock’s influence is seen throughout his companies, including at the Dole headquarters in California. From a company fitness center to a subsidized cafeteria bursting with fresh food, Dole is a fine example of healthy living. Dole is now the world’s largest producer of fruits and vegetables.

In addition, the California Health and Longevity Institute, which is across the street from the Dole headquarters, is a combined medical suite, spa and demonstration kitchen.

Although Murdock’s quest to live to be 125 is more a dream than a realistic goal, there’s one certainty: his research and passion for learning more about the benefits of a healthy diet will go on to help generations lead healthier, longer lives.

Both men and women overwhelmingly agree that the biggest trouble area on the body is the waist. Whether it’s referred to as the “pooch,” the “love handles,” or the unattractive “muffin top,” it’s all the same: extra weight on our waistline!

In addition to getting outside and burning off some steam – and some serious calories in the process – there are a number of foods we can eat that will actually help us lose weight from our midsections. Here are our favorites:

• Lean chicken – We love lean cuts of chicken, like the breast, because it is high in protein and low in fat. Chicken is easy to prepare, most people like the taste, and it’s affordable when compared with other types of meat. Chicken helps us maintain our muscle mass and rev up our metabolism, which helps reduce the bulge along the waistline.
• Tuna – Canned tuna is an affordable food for individuals looking to shed weight around the waistline. Because it is canned and precooked, it requires no refrigeration, thereby making it a popular on-the-go meal choice. Plus, it’s low in fat and high in protein, like chicken, which makes it the ideal food for trimming the waistline. Make sure you choose light tuna canned in water, however, to make it the healthiest choice.
• Dark greens – Those dark, leafy greens don’t just make a good salad base; they are also fantastic “ruffage” for shedding pounds. Leafy greens, such as spinach, kale and romaine lettuce, for example, are nutrient dense and contain little calories. Plus, they are high in fiber, which helps to improve your digestive health and reduce bloating around your waist.
• Fresh fruit – Here’s another great example of food that fills you up, but doesn’t add inches to the waist. Fruit, even though it contains natural sugar, is high in fiber, which encourages proper digestion, and therefore reduces bloating around the waist.
• Oatmeal – Oatmeal is a powerhouse when it comes to fiber. If you haven’t already caught on, it’s all about fiber when it comes to trimming the waistline. Oatmeal, in addition to being high in fiber, contains slow-burning carbohydrates. In other words, it takes a long time for the body to burn, which makes you feel fuller and more satisfied for a longer period of time.
• Heart-healthy oils – We love the healthy oils, like olive oil and canola oil, because they are an excellent source of omega-three fatty acids and vitamin E. These healthy fats, in addition to being good for your heart, may actually trigger the burning of body fat, thereby helping to trim the waistline.
• Low-fat dairy products – In addition to the many obvious benefits of low-fat dairy products, such as strong bones and teeth, foods like skim milk and yogurt also play a big role in keeping our weight at bay. Calcium is thought to prevent weight gain because it increases your body’s ability to break down and burn fat. If you have extra inches around your waist, one of the best things you can do is indulge in a large glass or two of non-fat or low-fat milk every day!

Indeed, eating delicious, healthy food can trim your waistline! Who knew it could be so easy and tasty?

We think we’re serving our bodies by eating well, exercising often, and grabbing a diet soda instead of its sugary, calorie-laden counterpart. However, are diet sodas actually helpful for your diet?

Researchers have put this question to the test. Recent studies reported by USA Today suggests that it may not be very healthy after all to drink calorie-free, carbonated soft drinks. In fact, a recent study found that people who drink diet soda every day may be at an increased risk of stroke and heart attack over those who don’t drink soda.

Wait — wasn’t the whole concept of diet soda to reduce our caloric intake and therefore decrease our risk of disease?

Although the abovementioned study was simply an observational study, it should prompt us to reconsider drinking diet soda, especially if we want to reduce our waistline and maximize our health. If you’re confused about this contradicting information, you’re not alone. Once considered to be the gold standard when it came to dieting, diet sodas are now under fire for doing just the opposite.

Healthier Alternatives to Diet Soda

Some nutritionists point out that there are better drinks than diet soda when it comes to maintaining your weight, such as water, unsweetened or light sweetened tea, and coffee. They are quick to point out, however, that diet soda is still a better choice over calorie-rich drinks such as regular soda, fruit juices and fruit cocktail drinks.

One of the studies conducted about diet soda points out another potential problem: Individuals who drink diet soda are not more likely to choose unhealthier foods. For example, have you ever seen the person who orders a Big Mac, large French fries and a diet soda? You get the idea: a diet soda, when consumed with unhealthy foods, is clearly ineffective.

In other words, it’s not necessarily the diet soda that’s hurting your waistline. It’s what you choose to eat with that diet soda.

Going Overboard with Artificial Sweeteners

Some researchers urge consumers to not consider diet soda a “health food” simply because it has no calories. In particular, there are still concerns over whether the artificial sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame potassium are harmful to our health, especially when consumed daily. Also under fire is caramel coloring, which some experts say contains two cancer-causing chemicals.

Finally, amidst everything else, some recent studies have suggested that the artificial sweeteners in diet soda actually cause our sweet tooth to go into overdrive and make us crave unhealthy foods!

Making Healthy Choices

A general rule of thumb, says many experts, is to limit your intake to no more than 12 ounces of soda (diet or otherwise) a day, and instead choose water, low-fat milk tea or coffee. If you are drinking so much soda that you are eliminating other healthy drinks from your diet, such as water and milk, you are probably overdoing it. However, as part of a healthy, low-fat diet, a diet soda may be a smarter choice than other sugar-laden beverages.

If you are ready to try belly dancing in order to gain specific physical benefits, you’ll quickly learn that the art of belly dancing has the potential to tone your entire body! Although this form of exercise is labeled with the term “belly,” participants engaging in belly dancing are using extensive groups of muscles throughout regions of the body.

Fitness Benefits of Belly Dancing

According to studies and reports, individuals engaging in belly dancing activities are able to burn an estimated 300 calories per hour. With a steady burn of calories, a dieter will be able to boost her weight loss results with greater efficiency.

Adding to the calorie loss perks, belly dancing also engages muscles throughout the body. As the muscles gradually become more toned and strengthened, the body’s metabolism will quickly (and naturally) become stronger as well! With a strong metabolism, your body will naturally burn off more calories each day without any extra work or effort.

Getting Started

If you’re ready to begin burning fat and improving your physique, you can participate in belly dancing courses at available fitness studios, dance schools, and / or community centers. Belly dancing has become increasingly popular in recent years, therefore, most dieters should be able to find access to a class at a nearby populated area.

If classes are not accessible, however, dieters can still participate to gain benefits. For at home support, dieters can choose from an array of belly dancing DVDs and videos, which help guide participants with specific instructions and step by step guidelines.

When you’re ready to begin your belly dancing work, you’ll notice that the exercise does not force your body into any strenuous or painful motions. In fact, since belly dancing is a non-impact exercise, individuals who often experience pain from running, biking, or other related activities may encounter a far more comfortable physical response from the dancing.

Best of all, if you have struggled to boost your body’s muscle strength and tone due to injuries or painful responses, belly dancing will allow you to engage muscle tissues throughout your body with little to no pain and stress. With gentle muscle-boosting movements, such as holding one’s arms above one’s head for durations of time, dropping and swaying the hips, and so forth, muscles are safely engaged without a serious risk of injury!

Dancing for the Most Dramatic Results

If you’re hoping to boost your results from belly dancing, experts recommend that participants alter their belly dancing with alternative exercises. For example, a dieter can engage in belly dancing 2-4 times each week. On the non-dancing days, a dieter can work on exercises for strength training, aerobic activities, and / or flexibility. These alternate activities can include options such as:

• Yoga
• Biking
• Running / jogging
• Weight lifting
• Swimming

Since belly dancing specifically serves to boost the strength of your smaller muscle groups throughout your hips, abdominals, back, and arms, alternating your belly dancing with other challenging activities should stimulate the most significant physical results.

If you’re seeking a new, fun, and creative form of exercise, belly dancing may be an ideal option! As belly dancing requires an array of physical movements and muscular demands, individuals engaging in belly dancing exercises are able to enjoy an array of weight loss and physical benefits.

What is Belly Dancing?

While belly dancing often carries the incorrect connotation of sexually removing one’s clothes, the art of belly dancing is actually far less erotic. Raks Sharki, which is the formal name for belly dance, involves specific movements that are to be performed with elegance and grace:

• The hip drops, rolls, and pivots. Specifically, after the hip is dropped, the hip is rotated in circles of figure eights, and gradually lead into a shimmy
• Muscle groups in the body’s core (such as the abdomen and buttocks) become controlled and engaged
• Various muscles are engaged (with an instructor’s guidance) to allow for movements that are completely natural to a woman’s body
• The belly is rolled in a controlled manner, boosting the body’s core strength and posture

With its many different steps and required efforts, many medical experts even suggest belly dancing as a form of physical therapy for patients recovering from specific injuries! In fact, doctors and studies have even found that belly dancing can provide an array of additional services and perks.

Most popularly, belly dancing is used to boost weight loss results, as the various exercise movements help to increase the body’s blood flow and muscular response. With exercises that use the body’s legs, hips, abdominals, and arms, engaging in belly dancing techniques can provide women with full body improvements.

The Benefits of Belly Dancing

• Weight loss / increased metabolism (with consistent practice)
• Improves abdominal strength and digestion health / functioning (as the movements help move food through the digestive tract with greater ease)
• Improved posture / back health
• Improved full body muscle tone, as the various movements stimulate responses in muscle groups, cartilage, and ligaments
• With the dropping, rolling, and shimmy motions of the hips, the body’s pelvis is tipped forward, which helps prevent and alleviate lower back pain / problems
• The movements can help alleviate unnatural curves of the spine
• Enhanced muscle tone, flexibility, and balance
• Arms and shoulders are toned and engaged with various movements (including circles, lifts, and other gestures)
• With its calming effects, belly dancing can help reduce symptoms / problems associated with stress
• With the belly dancing maneuvers practiced on one’s feet, the belly dancing activities are classified as weight bearing exercises. These forms of exercise can help prevent osteoporosis, as bearing weight helps to strengthen bones
• Belly dancing can improve an individual’s confidence and esteem
• Specific Raks Sharki movements (which are specifically designed to accommodate for a woman’s natural movements), has been known to provide women with helpful prenatal exercises. In fact, the pelvic / hip movements used during belly dancing activities can help foster an easier and more natural childbirth

If you feel you’ve exhausted every weight loss method, fad diet, and exercise program with no results, then you may be able to gain benefits from hypnotherapy. As many individuals who are seeking to boost weight loss results use hypnosis to overcome negative eating habits, many experts assert that hypnotherapy can be a “miracle weight loss cure” for struggling dieters.

Hypnosis and Weight Loss

While the scientific studies regarding the power of hypnosis and weight loss are mixed, experts who support hypnosis therapy argue that such processes allow the mind to overcome its negative barriers.

As hypnosis allows the mind to enter into a different / altered state of consciousness, experts claim that the mind is able to focus in on suggestions with greater power. As such, when a hypnotherapist helps a patient alter his or her conscious state, the therapist can make repeated suggestions about healthier habits that will promote weight loss.

How Does Hypnosis Work?

Before experimenting with hypnosis, dieters should be sure that their hypnotherapy of choice is reputable and highly qualified. With an esteemed hypnotherapist’s guidance, you will be put under hypnosis through common techniques, including verbal repetition and / or the use of mental images.

As you are hypnotized, a therapist will help your mind more keenly focus on his suggestions / commands. For example, if you have the unhealthy compulsion to eat in the middle of the night, a hypnotherapist may allow your mind to break this pattern as he / she states specific suggestions while you are in your hypnotic state.

Adding to hypnotherapy, many struggling dieters have gained benefits with the additional support of cognitive behavioral therapy. Some mental health experts argue that the combination of hypnotherapy and cognitive therapy can stimulate the best weight loss results for dieters struggling to control their weight.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, which can also be guided with a mental health expert, helps patients address dysfunctional behaviors and / or feelings. By addressing these issues, a therapist will help the patient to set and achieve specific goals using a cognitive, systematic strategy.

Additional Hypnotherapy and Cognitive Weight Loss Tools

While most experts suggest that dieters seek one-on-one professional guidance for hypnotherapy or mental health services, dieters who want to try a more personal and confidential approach can explore a variety of options. To gain benefits from hypnotherapy / mental therapy at home, dieters can utilize resources such as:

• Hypnotherapy CDs
• Hypnotherapy DVDs
• Cognitive Behavior Therapy books (audio and print)
• Cognitive Behavior Therapy workbooks (which often involve journaling, “homework tasks,” and other assignments)
• Group therapy / group hypnotherapy

Ultimately, whether a dieter chooses between professional guidance or at home services, dieters should know that there is no affirmative scientific answer as to whether or not hypnotherapy is an absolute weight loss cure. While many therapists / products will “guarantee results,” dieters should be aware that individual responses and results will vary.

Emotional eating is a serious problem plaguing millions of dieters around the world. As emotional eating can lead to obesity and an array of obesity-related issues, individuals struggling with any related symptoms may need to seek professional support and treatment.

What is Emotional Eating?

While, ideally, the body signals its hunger signs when it is need of calories / energy to maintain its physical functioning, emotional eating is triggered by a different catalyst. Unlike the body’s natural hunger signals, emotional eating signals are triggered by internal / mental factors, and can often feel uncontrollable. For example, some of the most common triggers of emotional eating include:

• Stress / anxiety
• Loneliness / low self esteem / insecurity
• Anger / frustration
• PMS
• Sadness / depression
• Personal trauma (including a loved one’s death, previous / current physical, verbal, or sexual abuse)

Symptoms of Emotional Eating

While emotional eating can be caused by a number of catalysts, the symptoms of emotional eating are identifiable in a larger spectrum. If you experience the following eating habits / symptoms, then you may be coping with problems associated with emotional eating:

• You feel sudden urges of hunger (as the natural and physical signs of hunger should develop slowly). Hunger from emotional causes most commonly feels urgent and sudden
• Your body craves specific (often unhealthy) foods, especially carbohydrates and / or sugars
• You experience an urgency to eat, which can even lead to inconvenient choices. For example, if you drive to the grocery store for food late at night, or if you miss out on social opportunities in order to feed your cravings, then you may be experiencing symptoms of emotional eating. While natural and physical signs of hunger can be fed after a reasonable delay, emotional triggers of eating create a sense of urgency in order to be fed almost immediately
• You eat unconsciously, where you may be unaware of how much you are eating, or you are eating while not even realizing it (zoning out). This often causes some individuals to consume foods without even tasting the products, as the food is thoughtlessly consumed without full mental acknowledgement
• You eat when you feel upset and / or after an upsetting situation or experience
• Your body rarely feels full, or you find yourself unable to stop eating even if you do notice signals of fullness. Paired with this, you may even feel that you’re unable to satisfy your feelings of hunger
• You feel guilty after you eat / overeat
• Your hunger is driven by food cravings instead of by physical and natural causes. For example, if you find yourself obsessed with thoughts of a certain food, such as ice cream, and you cannot let go of the craving until its satisfied, then emotional triggers could be the cause.

Natural signs of hunger are usually satiated with alternative foods, even if the ideal food of choice is not available (thus, even if you wanted ice cream, having a piece of fruit would calm your hunger signals and would not cause you to continually obsess over thoughts of the ice cream)

According to recent studies, individuals who struggle with obesity may gain greater weight loss results with the support of counseling. As obesity related problems can often stem from emotional or personal issues, many experts believe that counseling serves to help individuals heal the core of their weight-related problems.

Contributing Factors to Weight Gain

As an array of personal / emotional factors can contribute to weight gain, dieters who are coping with deeper (often hidden) issues may most significantly benefit from counseling. For example, a propensity to gain weight and / or overeat can often be stimulated by factors such as:

• Low self esteem
• Former experience of personal and / or sexual abuse
• Lack of spousal support / abusive personal relationships
• Inability to move on after a tragedy (such as a death, job loss, etcetera)
• Emotional eating (can be caused by loneliness or other factors)

Generally, these factors that can contribute to weight loss cannot be healed by mere diet and exercise alone. As the internal / emotional catalysts driving individuals to overeat are

psychologically complex, individuals who have been unable to achieve weight loss success can encounter remarkable benefits with the support of a mental health expert.

Counseling and Weight Loss

In examining various counseling and weight loss studies, Bio-Medicine reports that individuals who engage in weight loss counseling have been reportedly able to lose 6 percent more body fat that by diet or exercise alone. In fact, in an analysis of 46 weight loss trials, dieters receiving counseling were able to gain additional benefits, such as:

• Greater initial weight loss results
• Greater long-term weight loss success, as approximately half of the weight loss was maintained for 3 years
• More frequent counseling meetings resulted in even greater weight loss results
• Can I Benefit from Weight Loss Counseling?

If you have struggled to lose weight by diet and exercise efforts in the past, then perhaps counseling can be an effective weight loss method for your own personal needs. Since moderate weight loss can have a remarkable impact on your body’s overall health and wellbeing, counseling can be a life saving treatment for your struggles. In fact, a moderate loss of just 10 to 20 pounds can significantly reduce your risks of obesity-related diseases such as:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Stroke
• Heart disease

Additional obesity-related problems

To assess your own needs, reflecting on your eating habits may help guide you towards the best decision. Oftentimes, dieters who are prone to overeating and / or struggle to control their food cravings may be driven to obesity from internal / emotional problems.

If you find that you are unable to control sudden hunger urges, if you are unable to feel full when eating, and / or if you feel you are mental consumed with thoughts of food throughout your day, then counseling can be of great service!

As the school year begins and life becomes more hectic, chances are you will have to adjust to lots of on-the-go snacking and meals.  No matter how healthy the family meals are, kids will still want to eat snacks between those meals.  That isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as your provide healthy snacks for your children.  If you stock up on healthy items that taste great you won’t have to worry about their snack cravings ruining their appetite or their health.

You can keep some snacks handy for the kids in desk drawers or on lower shelves in the pantry.

Fruit is always a great option for kid’s snacks.  It is naturally sweet so most children love it.  It can be served dozens of ways.  For an easy solution buy individual fruit cups or pop top cans of things like mandarin oranges.  Give the kids a fork and a healthy snack.  To keep the calories low opt for things with light varieties of syrup.

Dried fruit is a great option for quick snacking.  Raisins, apricots, figs, and dates might not sound like a child’s favorite snack but after tasting them a few times children love them.  A small box of raisins has 130 calories and no fat, so the snack is healthy too.

Nuts are a great snacking option for children and adults alike.  They are filling and always able to satisfy that need for a salty snack.  Certain nuts also have other nutritional benefits.  Walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids that protect against heart disease. Keep the serving size small – 1 ounce has 160 calories and is plenty to satisfy.

Animal Cookies are a delicious and low calorie snacking option.  Sixteen cookies contain only 120 calories and plenty of fun biting the heads off of lions and hippos.

Granola and cereal bars can be a healthy and delicious snack if you choose the right ones.  Whole grain granola bars that are low in fat and sugars will keep kids happy and satisfied.

Popcorn is a snack that anyone can love and kids adore it.  Use low-fat or single serving popcorn in a bag or microwave popcorn.  You can spice it up by spraying it with zero calorie vegetable spray and adding parmesan cheese, garlic powder, or other spices (not salt).   Kids will love the salty snack, especially if they get to watch a movie while eating it.

Now is the time when many students pack up their meager belonging and head off to college.  For some it is the first time living without the parents.  For many it is a return to the unhealthy lifestyle that is prevalent among college students.  College, especially the first year, is synonymous with weight gain.  The midnight pizza runs, constant beer consumption, and unhealthy snacking that is a staple of college life leads many unaccustomed freshman to gain the dreaded “Freshmen 15.”

But college doesn’t have to be a weight gain trap.  Students that are mindful of their actions can prevent any weight gain by exercising and watching what they eat.  How can they eat right in the midst of a crazy schedule and life?  Keeping healthy snacks in the dorm is key to living healthy while in school.  Read on for a list of great, easy healthy snacks for college students.

Fresh fruit. Fruit might not seem like the easiest or most obvious choice for college students who generally survive on a diet of only processed foods.  However, it is a great choice.  Fruit that doesn’t need refrigeration can be kept on hand in a bowl or fruit basket.  It can easily be grabbed when hungry instead of reaching for the pizza box.  You can easily keep bananas, apples, oranges, plums, nectarines, peaches, and grapes around in plain site in the dorm for quick, healthy snacks.

Whole grain cereal. Keeping a box of healthy cereal you can pour and eat from the box is a great idea for college students.  It’s a great late night snack.  Cereal is a great carb option as long as you eat the good stuff and avoid the sugary cereals.

Microwaveable popcorn. Mmmm.  What college student wouldn’t want a little popcorn with that movie they are watching instead of studying?   Popcorn, as long as you don’t slather it in butter, can be a healthy and satisfying treat.   Most brands even sell 100 calorie packs so you can limit the snacking.

Sugar free pudding cups. Instead of snacking on unhealthy desserts, college student can keep tasty  sugar free snacks like pudding around.  It tastes good and doesn’t pack a lot of calories.  It’s a staple of many dieters who have a sweet tooth.  It’s easily fits inside a mini fridge or can be kept at room temperature for a still delicious snack.

These are just four suggestions for healthy snacks for dorm rooms.  There are tons of other options for college students who want to stay healthy and lose weight.  They just need to look past the pizza and beer.