Restless legs syndrome (RLS) can affect anyone at any age. In fact, around one in ten people are liable to suffer from this unpleasant disorder at some point in their lives. With symptoms ranging from mild to severe, sufferers experience an uncontrollable urge to move their legs to try and relieve the unpleasant tingling or aching sensations in their limbs. And while this in itself is not harmful, the knock-on effect of disrupted sleep can lead to excessive tiredness. Though there is no known cure for restless legs syndrome, certain foods are linked to the severity of symptoms and dietary changes can make a difference.

Food borne illnesses affect millions of people each year with an estimated 76 million cases in the US alone. They are generally caused by consumption of contaminated food and cause stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. Some food borne illnesses are more prevalent than others and as such, it pays to be well informed regarding the most common food borne diseases, how they are contracted and how we can best prevent and control any outbreaks.

With ever increasing levels of obesity in the western world, the calorie count of our food is of paramount importance and something we should all pay heed to. After all, it’s the number of calories we consume that determines our weight. So how can you go about finding the amount of calories in foods?

Cooking for a low fat diet doesn’t have to mean the end of tasty meals. Indeed, once you’ve become accustomed to cooking the low fat way, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start earlier. The health benefits of eating a low fat diet are immense but if you’re not used to cooking this way, you may find a few low fat cooking tips will help make your transition a little smoother.

Are you having problems sleeping? If so, you’re not alone. Over a quarter of the adult population finds it difficult achieving a decent night’s sleep. With hectic lifestyles and the need to squeeze more into each day, sleep often falls down the list of our priorities. Too many of us have fallen into bad habits that are affecting our sleep. And the longer they continue, the harder they are to break.

What’s going on? You’re practically force feeding yourself healthy food in attempts at losing weight, but the pounds won’t budge. Unfortunately, healthy doesn’t necessarily mean low calorie and it’s those calories that are the all important key to losing weight.

It’s unfortunate that many of the higher calorie healthy foods are those we’d quite happily munch on throughout our diet. But these healthy foods often contain either high levels of sugar or fat and therefore are more likely to hinder than help your diet. So if you’re wondering why your weight loss isn’t as fast as you expected, maybe it’s down to eating too many of the healthy, high calorie foods shown here.

Every school had a fat kid. He was the one puffing along in last place at the school sports day or standing out like a sore thumb in the playground. But not any more. Nowadays he blends in as the norm.
Childhood obesity is a rising epidemic on a scale not seen in previous generations. Children are the future and if we don’t tackle the causes of obesity soon, today’s younger generation run the risk of dying before their parents. What illnesses can your child expect to suffer if you allow them to become obese? This article details how we endanger our childrens' lives if we allow them to become overweight.

Sticking to a diet is tough and one of the hardest challenges we face is when the dreaded hunger pangs strike. Being hungry all the time is one of the main reasons why diets fail. Too often despite our best intentions, we give in to our rumbling stomachs, eat the wrong foods and give up the diet. The good news is you don't ever need to be hungry while on a diet, nor do you have to spend a fortune buying special diet products. There are so many ways of filling yourself up with healthy and nutritious food that's easy to prepare and won't prevent you losing weight. Try some of the following suggestions and make your diet work.

We’re all wising up to the hidden dangers associated with eating a high fat diet. Not only does it lead to obesity, it can dramatically increase our cholesterol levels. Left unchecked, a high cholesterol level means we’re more than twice as likely to suffer from heart disease.

If healthy food tasted great we’d all be whippet thin and the word diet wouldn’t exist! Unfortunately, in the real world the healthiest foods seem to have the nastiest taste. In our attempts at disguising the worst offenders we smother them with sauces, fats and syrups. But all we’re doing is turning a healthy food into an unhealthy one. However, it is possible with a few simple ingredients, to turn healthy foods into gourmet delights while still retaining their ‘healthy’ status. It's not that hard and you'll feel so much better for it. Read here to find how to do it.

Are preparations during the holiday season leaving you stressed and unable to sleep properly? Sleep is essential for vital functions such as tissue growth and repair, as well as restoring energy levels. The optimum amount of sleep for healthy adults is between seven to eight hours per night. However it's quality, not quantity that counts. Six hours uninterrupted sleep will leave you more refreshed than nine hours with frequent waking.

So if stress or worry is keeping you awake, the following proven sleep remedies may help restore normal sleep patterns, allowing you to enjoy your holidays.

BEDROOM PREPARATION:

Turn off the Gadgets

Your bedroom should be a tranquil and inviting place for sleep, not abuzz with televisions, cell phones or computers. Don't watch TV or work on a laptop in bed as these activities will prevent your brain from winding down in preparation for sleep.

Temperature

If possible, leave a window open for ventilation as fresh air encourages sleep. The ideal room temperature is around 64 degrees.

Bed

How long is it since you changed your mattress? With the average person spending 25 years in their bed, investing in a quality mattress should be a priority. Use cotton or linen bed sheets as they absorb more moisture than the synthetic kind.

Minimize Light

Ideally, your bedroom should be completely dark for optimum sleep. Darkness triggers production of the hormone melatonin, which in turn induces sleep. Curtains should be as thick as possible or use a blackout blind which virtually eliminates light.

BEDTIME PREPARATION:

Nightwear

Although they may seem old fashioned, wearing bedsocks helps stimulate healthy blood flow to your brain which is necessary for restful sleep.

Lavender

Lavender is an age old sleep remedy and one that's been shown to improve sleep quality by up to 20%. Placing a lavender scented sachet under your pillow case or spraying lavender oil around your room works well.

Bath

A warm bath before bed helps relax and soothe aching muscles. Try adding some lavender scented bath oil for further sleep inducing properties.

Ear Plugs

If noises easily waken you, it might be worthwhile purchasing ear plugs. These help by partially blocking the ear canal and dimming out noise. Wax ear plugs are particularly effective.

Food and Drink

Consuming a large meal late at night can cause indigestion whereas a light snack of dairy and carbohydrates is more helpful for promoting sleep.

Avoid coffee and alcohol close to bedtime. Caffeine acts as a stimulant, increasing the activity in your nervous system. Alcohol may send you to sleep readily enough, but sleep is more likely to be disrupted. A warm drink of milk is useful as it contains tryptophan, an amino acid that's converted into melatonin.

De-Cluttering

Keep a notebook and pen next to your bed. If you're still wakeful in the small hours, write down any thoughts circling your mind. Writing down thoughts can help de-clutter your mind, leaving you more readily able to embrace sleep.

Finally, always stick to the same bedtime routine, no matter how little you've slept. Trying to catch up on sleep at weekends doesn't help in the long run. Going to bed and rising at regular times each day is more likely to help re-establish good sleep patterns.

No-one enjoys dieting. When it comes to losing weight, we just want to get it over with in the shortest possible time. But choosing the right food to help us on our way isn't always straightforward. Fat-free or low-calorie both sound like good options, but which is best for weight loss? Read on to make sure you don't get caught out.

‘Two for one’, ‘buy one get one free’, ‘all you can eat buffet’. These phrases are part of our everyday lives and they’re all designed to make us buy more. We all love a bargain but when it means we’re eating twice as much food as we should, our health suffers, with obesity the major problem.  We’re literally killing ourselves with overeating. So what’s happening and how are we getting it so wrong when it comes to our portion sizes.

According to nutritionists, dietitians, doctors and food gurus, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Why is this? Quite simply, it’s what we need to refuel our bodies with energy after our overnight fast. Without breakfast, we lack the energy necessary to keep us going until lunch. But with today’s hectic lifestyles, too often we end up rushing out of the door with little more to sustain us than a cup of coffee. What sort of food can you grab and eat when you're in a hurry?

 Generally we all eat too much fat. Overloading on unhealthy fats can lead to weight and heart problems, so what should we do? Eat less fat is the obvious answer. Unfortunately, reducing our fat intake is often easier said than done. Not only do hidden fats lurk in much of our food, our taste buds are accustomed to prefer richer foods. Butter or oil is often used to improve the taste and texture of food, but there are alternative methods we can use without compromising on taste. Read here to find out how to get by with less fat.

Healthy Fats

Cosmetic dentistry has come a long way from being the exclusive domain of Hollywood celebrities or the very rich. With the increasing ranges of new and affordable options for fixing a host of tooth shortcomings, it's never been easier to achieve a healthy and attractive smile. Whether it's teeth whitening, implants, crowns or veneers, there's bound to be something suitable for you. So what are the latest options for cosmetic dentistry?

With the wide range of body fat monitors available, it can be a minefield knowing which type is best suited to your needs. So what exactly is a body fat monitor and how can it help you? Typically, a body fat monitor combines an electronic weighing scale with a body fat scale. Or, for a more detailed body composition analysis, a body fat analyzer provides your weight, body fat percentage, muscle mass, visceral fat, basal metabolic rate and total water percentage.

An advantage over a body mass index calculator or BMI chart is the ability to distinguish between fat and muscle, thereby offering a clearer picture of your overall fitness levels. Additionally, they provide greater accuracy than traditional methods such as a fat caliper or an online body fat calculator. How else can body fat monitors help you?

Body Fat Monitor

Embarking on a weight loss regime is a daunting prospect for many people. All too often the first meal to go by the wayside is breakfast. It's a pattern that's repeated time and again by both "first-timers" and "experienced" dieters alike. Monday morning arrives and so begins a new diet. With the best of intentions you skip breakfast, believing this will give you a head start at eliminating unwanted pounds.

Shoe Assortment

Choosing the right footwear for your feet is crucial for avoiding foot problems in the future. Our feet can spend twelve hours or more each day squashed into ill-fitting shoes, so it's no surprise many of us end up with blisters, corns and bunions.

Feet tend to be one of the most neglected areas of the body with priority given to style or price rather than comfort or fit when buying shoes. However, choosing the right footwear doesn't have to mean sacrificing your sense of fashion if you want to look after your feet.

The BMI (Body Mass Index) is used internationally for checking whether your weight is within the healthy range for your height. Although suitable for most adults, the BMI shouldn't be used for children, pregnant women, the elderly or ill. Other exceptions are weight trainers or athletes with highly developed muscles, who may find their BMI rating places them in the obesity category. This is due to the fact that fat is lighter by volume than muscle mass and the BMI doesn't take into account the difference between fat and muscle. If your BMI is somewhat larger than it should be read the rest of this article for some sensible guidelines to help get your body mass index out of the danger zone.