Today people are eating 900 times more broccoli than they did 25 years ago!! Could it be because this 'crown jewel of nutrition' is one of the healthiest foods you can buy? Ounce for ounce broccoli has twice the vitamin C as an orange. It's also a great source of folate, vitamin A, potassium, and calcium. Not to mention several photochemicals, that are also disease preventers.  Several benefits from this member of the cabbage family are: 

- Helps build better bones 

 - Helps keep vision keen 

- Helps improve heart health 

- Helps lower lung cancer risk 

 - Helps prevent colon cancer

A Motivational Thought for Today Remember the only one responsible for your true success is you.

There are tricks to food labels that are worth knowing. Here are the food labeling specifications developed by your very own USDA. Here is what it means when they use the terms fat free, low fat, reduced fat, light/lite, lean, or extra lean.

Cayenne Pepper can raise your metabolic rate by as much as 20 percent. It not only stimulates your metabolism but it also cleans fat from your arteries.

Salsa being one of America's number one condiments, this natural thermogenic food can raise your metabolic rate by as much as 15 percent.

Chili sauce and Hot Peppers these hotties have an excellent thermogenic effect on your body, they can raise your metabolism by up to 35 percent for up to three hours after eaten.

Celery It actually takes more energy from your body to absorb and digest than the calories it provides. Did you know that celery can also calm your nerves and helps flush fat out of your system? Try a piece before bed to help aid in a good nights sleep.

Ice Water water helps reduce fat deposits and rids your body of toxins. Drinking just 8-12 oz glasses of water a day cooled to 40 degrees Fahrenheit will burn as much as 200 calories, that's the equivalent of jogging 3 miles!  It does this by taking energy to heat the water up to your body temperature. Add a lemon to the mix to help keep your blood sugars in balance. 

These crunchy critters are a great source of dietary fiber, minerals, protein, phytochemicals, magnesium, copper, and antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin E and folic acid. The healthy fat found in nuts may be the big factor on why they are so heart healthy. Nuts do not contain any saturated fat, which is the real threat to your arteries, the fats contained in nuts such as cashews, almonds, and peanuts are monounsaturated fat (the good fat).

Eating nuts can help lower the risk of a heart attack by as much as 30 percent. The fiber found in our crunchy critters also helps lower LDL (bad cholesterol) while raising HDL (good cholesterol).

So go ahead, be nutz for nuts, a handful between meals is a great snack that will help keep your ticker happy.

This wonderful fruit is not only chocked-full of monounsaturated fat (that's the good fat) but its also packed with 10 grams of fiber, loads of vitamin C and E, has two and a half times more potassium than a banana and more folate per ounce than any other fruit.  That's a whopping punch from a little fruit that can help: 
- Crush Cholesterol 
- Bash High Blood Pressure 
- Strike out Stroke 
- Hammer Heart Disease 
- Defend against Diabetes 
- Curb Cancer

When watching your weight, dining out can be a challenge! Many of us dine out more than we ever have in the past and there are more restaurants than ever available to us. With all of the different options to choose from, two things seem generally consistent: portions are large and meals are loaded with starches and fat, which are high in calories. However, since there are so many people following diets or healthy lifestyles, restaurants are becoming more accommodating to your health needs than ever before.