Friday's Top 5 Tips and Trends

Happy Friday, and Happy November too! Here’s what’s making headlines in the world of natural health.

1. Environmental Defence wants to know: what’s your litter solution?

The Canadian environmental and health group Environmental Defence has kicked off their Canada’s Next Green Journalist competition, open to Canadian youth aged 11 to 21. The contest involves writing an inspiring story about local environmental issues, and there are great prizes. This year, they want to know: What’s your litter solution?

To learn more, and to get involved, check out Environmental Defence’s recent blog post about the competition.

2. HDL (good cholesterol) mimic may make it onto shelves someday

If you’re a regular alive reader, chances are you know that HDL means “good cholesterol,” which has many healthy functions in the body. Now, according to a new study, researchers are attempting to harness the power of good cholesterol by figuring out how to mimic it to treat cardiovascular diseases and other health ailments.

To help improve your cholesterol levels, exercise, choose unsaturated fatty acids, avoid trans fats, and check out the alive article “The Cholesterol Story.”

3. Seniors: get off the couch for a longer life

A new study of people over the age of 60 showed that there’s no need to run marathons (or even join a gym!) to achieve physical fitness—simply avoiding being sedentary can make all the difference. Move around, walk to the store, and garden to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke by 27 percent, and the risk of death from any cause by 30 percent.

Want some ideas? Try qigoing, resistance exercise, or bowling!

4. Choose your friends wisely to make healthy restaurant choices

Your friends may influence what you choose to order at a restaurant, according to a new study from the University of Illinois. Researchers analyzed paper receipts from restaurants and found that people tend to order from the same menu categories, so if your friends are all ordering burgers and fries, there’s less of a chance you’ll be opting for the salad.

Turns out the desire to fit into a group and feel a sense of belonging trumps our healthy eating habits. But knowing these findings, maybe it’ll be easier to stick to your guns and go for what you really want to order next time.

5. Kids who eat at home are healthier

More research about how our dining environment influences our health. This new study examined the dining habits and BMIs (body mass index) of 190 parents and 148 kids. A lower (healthier) BMI was correlated with

• eating at the table
• boys having a social dining experience
• having the TV turned off during mealtime
• everyone staying at the table until they were all finished eating

Why not try implementing some of these tips during dinner tonight?