SELF magazine and Self.com recently published a ranking of the healthiest (and unhealthiest) cities in America. The rankings were based on a number of factors, including death and disease rates, environmental indicators, community resources and lifestyle habits. Coming in at number 1 on the list of the healthiest cities was Burlington, Vermont, where SELF reports that women have low rates of diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension, smoking, and cervical and ovarian cancer deaths. The top 10 are below, but if you want to see how your area stacked up, click here.

1. Burlington, VT

2. Bethesda, MD

3. Portland, ME

4. Cambridge, MA

5. San Francisco, CA

6. Honolulu, HI

7. Stamford-Norwalk-Bridgeport, CT

8. Madison, WI

9. Santa Barbara-Santa Maria, CA

10. Fargo, ND

And now what you’ve all been waiting for, the final 2 diet myths!

Shellfish is high in cholesterol

FACT: I love shrimp, which of course is not shellfish, but it’s still tasty. Three ounces of shrimp is more than a third of your daily cholesterol. Shrimp is also low in saturated fat. Eating shellfish every week can reduce heart attack risk by 59 percent.

Last but not least the number 6 diet myth is: Women naturally gain weight after menopause

FACT: Women have heard you can gain a lot of weight after that big change of life. This isn’t quite the case, but slowing down physically is most likely the reason. Older women who exercise on a regular basis can maintain their lovely figures. So don’t mope around and blame the hormones for your weight gain. Take care of yourself and exercise to keep your figure!

If you missed the previous 4 diet myths, be sure you check them out!

Myth 1 & 2

Myth 3 & 4

Here are two more diet myths revealed that you may or may not have know.

Diet pop is worse than the real thing

FACT: I’ve always thought regular pop was worse than diet pop because there is so much sugar in them, but in the diet pops there are all those chemicals in it. In reality, both diet and regular increase heart disease risk as well as kidney disease. Both contain acids that help breakdown tooth enamel, which eventually lead to cavities. It’s healthier to drink water over any kind of pop.

Drinking a glass of water before a meal curbs your appetite

FACT: This is a tricky myth. Water helps the appetite if it’s in your food, such as a milk shake or soup. When water is incorporated with food, the digestion becomes slower. With this said, it’s easy to confuse thirst and hunger, so if you are hungry you should drink a glass of water. It might satisfy your craving more than a meal would.

If you missed last weeks myths, be sure you check it out here!

And stay tuned next week for the final two diet myths.

We all watch TV and the news and hear all these things that make us think and worry us. This week cheese is bad for you, next week sweet candy causes heart problems, the next week peanut butter is no longer edible. This world is full of so many myths that people believe in. People base their diets off these myths. Well I am here to reveal six diet myths that you may or may not have known.

The occasional fries and hamburger won’t kill you

FACT: It’s hard to say what the occasional hamburger means; everyone’s definition of occasional varies. If it means once a week, it may mean too much. If it means every other month or every few months then you’re good. Occasional eating of hamburgers and fries also depends on how healthy you are along with how healthy you eat. Many Americans are obese, which means the occasional burger and fries should probably be that later.

Potatoes and bread are fattening

FACT: Bread and potatoes are the complete opposite. Starchy whole-grain bread and vegetables are great carbs you should be eating; they help out with the brain and body. The only way eating potatoes and bread is fattening is if you load on the butter or deep fry the potatoes; doing this can load on the calories, which isn’t a good thing.

Be sure you stay tuned next week for the next 2 diet myths!

Last week, a report was released by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that said obesity rates were up in 23 states. The report, titled “F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America 2009,” says that Mississippi is the fattest state in the country with 32.5% of its adult population weighing in at obese. Childhood and teen obesity is increasing as well, according to the report, with 30% or more 10 to 17 year-olds being overweight or obese in 30 states.

There is no better time to start your diet than today. At FaveDiets we have many great healthy recipes that will help you kickstart your diet. Start with something simple like our healthy breakfast recipes and then browse our diet categories to see if there is a diet that matches your needs. Don’t forget to check out our weight loss tips, which sheds some light on common reasons that it is difficult for people to lose weight.

While family members of mine have tried Atkins and felt justified in consuming little more than steak and cottage cheese, I have cringed at the thought. Eating high-cholesterol red meat every day is just not healthy, especially when it means cutting out colorful fruits and vegetables. While I am not a vegetarian, I do go meatless around 3 times/week and eat fish at least once/week. This way, I eat plenty of vegetables and my grocery bill is MUCH lower. I am always playing around with the idea of going full meatless for environmental reasons, which is why this most recent diet caught my eye.

Recently, Professor David Jenkins from the University of Toronto, has proposed the idea of an Atkins diet for vegetarians. The Eco-Atkins diet relies on vegetable proteins, rather than animal proteins. In a study conducted by Jenkins, those on the diet lost about 1 pound/week, which is not staggering, but also showed a significant decrease in blood cholesterol. Eating vegetarian more often also has a clear-cut environmental advantage. According to a recent United Nations report, livestock production is one of the central factors in global warming, accounting for 18% of all green house gas emissions, more than all the cars and SUV’s of the world combined.

Those on Eco-Atkins primarily eat vegetable protein from soy, nuts and grains, and also eat soluble fiber such as oats and fresh fruit. Healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil and almonds are also an important part of the diet.

What do you think? Would you give it a try?

A new study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that those who eat more dairy have a lower risk of high blood pressure. In fact, studies on the DASH diet, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, reveal that increasing dairy is even more effective on decreasing blood pressure than fruits and vegetables.

Even though many are unaware they have high blood pressure, it effects over 50 million Americans and counting! Not only can this problem lead to heart failure and stroke, but it has been proven to affect memory loss as well.

The DASH diet calls for 3 daily servings of low-fat dairy and 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables. Don’t worry, because studies show your favorite high-fat dairy foods won’t cause hypertension.

There are a lot of easy ways to add low-fat dairy to your daily meals. For instance, use skim milk in your cereal for breakfast, add a yogurt-fruit smoothie for for lunch and top your baked potato with fresh, low-fat mozzarella cheese for dinner.

To find out more about the DASH diet, click here.

Do you need to lose weight but can’t seem to kick those extra pounds? Even if you exercise regularly, you might still be preventing yourself from cutting those surplus calories. A study from the Mayo Clinic reveals that normal daily activity can actually burn more calories than exercise for most people.

This daily activity is called called NEAT, or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. It is an alternative way to expend calories through ordinary tasks like walking to open a door or manually changing the channel on your TV. Sounds easy enough, right?

Modern technologies may be preventing us from staying active for one thing. We have lawnmowers, snowblowers and everything in between so we don’t have to lift a finger. Not to mention the sedentary jobs most Americans have. Studies have found that the obesity rate is actually higher for people with sedentary jobs! It looks like exercise isn’t everything. Chew on that…

Do you participate in this NEAT Diet or do you know anyone who does? Is it something you would consider doing? I’m pretty intrigued myself, and I’m even thinking about taking the stairs to work next time.

For more information about the NEAT Diet, click here.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest released a report entitled “Heart Attack Entrees and Side Orders of Stroke,” which details the sodium content of popular menu items at national chain restaurants. As you can tell from the report’s title, the results are astounding. Dietary guidelines recommend 2,300 mg of sodium per day and closer to 1,500 mg if you are trying to control your blood pressure. The CSPI looked at 17 chain restaurants and out of 102 meals, 85 had more than a day’s worth of sodium. Some even had four days worth! Here are a few of the worst offenders:

• Olive Garden’s Chicken Parmigiana with Breadstick, Garden Salad and Raspberry Lemonade – 5,735 mg of sodium
• Chili’s Buffalo Chicken Fajitas (with tortillas and condiments) and a Dr. Pepper – 6,916 mg of sodium
• Red Lobster’s Admirals Feast with Caesar Salad, Creamy Lobster Topped Mashed Potatoes, Cheddar Bay Biscuit and a Lemonade – 7,106 mg of sodium

Smaller portioned kid’s meals showed equally shocking results:

• KFC Popcorn Chicken and Macaroni and Cheese, Teddy Grahams and 2% milk – 2,005 mg of sodium
• Olive Garden Chicken Fingers, Fries and Raspberry Lemonade – 1,835 mg of sodium
• Red Lobster Chicken Fingers, Biscuit, Fries and Raspberry Lemonade – 2,430 mg of sodium

Read the full report and get the skinny on many more popular options here.

A new study funded by chewing gum manufacturer Wrigley suggests that its sugar-free gum might reduce calorie intake in some people. The study had 115 men and women participate in two sessions. In each session, they had a sandwich and then stayed for three hours to participate in surveys about hunger and energy levels. Each participant chewed Extra sugar-free gum for 15 minutes every hour for the three hours in one of the two sessions. The results show that those participants who were chewing gum reported decreased hunger and cravings for something sweet. At the end of the three-hour period, participants were offered snacks. The gum chewers consumed fewer calories than those who did not chew any gum.

The study was not large enough to convince experts that chewing gum is a healthy diet strategy. Doctors also warn that chewing too much sugar-free gum, like Extra, can have potential side effects due to the sweetener Sorbitol.