Posted September 26th, 2011 by John C. Oconnor 
A healthy lifestyle is an ideal that we all strive for. Eat right, exercise regularly, get enough sleep. It seems pretty simple, right? But, we all know that it’s much more complicated than a few simple words. While you might be successful in one area, like meeting your diet goals during the week, you can easily fall short in another by not exercising regularly. If you’re still in “diet” mode, temporarily changing your habits just until you reach your goal, then one of these dieting dilemmas could be preventing your from reaching your goals – and achieving a permanent, healthy lifestyle. Your diet might be making (or keeping) you fat if… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted September 21st, 2011 by John C. Oconnor This expansive graph by Online Education tells you all you need to know about bottled water, as you scroll from top to bottom. Now excuse me while I try to hide my bottle of water. Won’t happen again, promise.
Posted September 20th, 2011 by John C. Oconnor 
Eggs, yogurt and honey are, at first glance, all components of a tasty breakfast — but they also happen to be hair treatment ingredients, and affordable, all-natural ones at that. And they’re not the only ones. Did you know, for instance, that the oils in avocados more closely resemble our own skin’s oils than any product in the beauty aisle does? Or that the mild acidity in lemon is an effective — and gentler — alternative to chemical-laden products? Next time your locks need a lift, save money by using one of these kitchen fixes. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted September 12th, 2011 by John C. Oconnor 
In my quest to strike a middle ground between eating out and eating sprouts, I’ve done GOOP’s liquid harvest (yay!) and I’ve gone gluten free (boo!). GOOP’s veggie-heavy eating made me a ball of energy who came thisclose to grabbing people on the L train and telling them, “TRY THIS! IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!” Conversely, for someone who’s spent 30+ years pretending Yellow #7 is an ingredient, a gluten-free diet proved too extreme against bad, but solid, habits.
But I ain’t no quitter – and thankfully, I’ve got help. This week’s diet try comes from reader Donna (smooches, Donna!): a 7-day detox created by Juliette Kellow, a registered dietician who cooked up a week-long eating plan aimed to restart, refresh and recharge your system. For one week, it’s beans, lentils, veggies, fruit, fish, tofu, potatoes, rice, nuts, and honey. The no-no list includes meat, dairy, coffee, alcohol, wheat, and, unfortunately, my favorite category: condiments. Ketchup! Vinegar! Don’t cry! I’ll only be gone a week!
For those without a lot of kitchen savoir-faire, Juliette outlines an easy plan with options. There’s no same-thing-for-breakfast, lunch, and dinner going on here. And unlike some diets, preparation here is easy. I’ll mostly be eating produce, so I go straight to the source and hit up my local farmer’s market. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted December 30th, 2010 by John C. Oconnor
Hangovers are the worst. That nasty combo of headache, nausea and gut-pain can be cost you precious hours of your life. While there are certainly preventative measures you can take to reduce the likelihood of a hangover (headache medication, food, lots of water before bed, etc.), inevitably you’re going to get stuck with a dirty hangover that you need to crush before it kills your day. Here are 11 awesome hangover cures that you can turn to when you need to ease the pain.
11. Ginger
Ginger is an all-purpose digestive aid. You can eat it with sushi, drink some ginger tea or mix ginger juice with water for a nausea-reducing elixir that’ll balance your gastric fluids and calm your system. This powerful antioxidant and anticoagulant can work wonders, but don’t consume fresh ginger on an empty stomach. Mix it up with something else. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted December 27th, 2010 by John C. Oconnor 
I absolutely love coming across household tips. I will read, study, and memorize them. Plus, I try to use them whenever I can! It’s always neat to find new ways to use an item differently or try something new all together. We can definitely benefit from keeping food fresher longer or using kitchen gadgets for purposes other than originally made. So, here’s a compiled list from an Unknown Author. Say it isn’t so? Yep, it is! Sadly, no one to give credit to. I couldn’t believe it either. I know some of these tips have been around for ages, but there were a few I hadn’t seen before! Read the rest of this entry »
