If you suffer from headaches or migraines (and the word “suffer” may be an understatement), here is some good news: There are three natural, easy treatments that excelled when put to the test of randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials.

1. Ginger.

A 2014 study with 100 patients found that 1/8th teaspoon ginger powder worked as well as the migraine drug sumatriptan for controlling migraines, without the bad side-effects. Ginger tea (store-bought or homemade with grated ginger) would be an easy way to get yours. You can read more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23657930.

2. Saffron.

A 2008 study found that taking 15mg saffron powder twice a day reduced PMS headaches, and boosted mood. You can read more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18271889

3. Lavender aromatherapy.

In a 2012 study, smelling lavender essential oil was effective for managing acute migraines in 92 out of 129 patients. You can read more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22517298

An extra perk is healthy side-effects. For example, ginger and saffron are both anti-inflammatory spices, ginger reduces nausea and menstrual cramps, saffron may help prevent Alzheimer’s and depression, and lavender aromatherapy reduces anxiety. As always, check with your doctor before taking anything new. But if you try these, we’d love to hear about your experience. We hope they help!

Watching football (i.e., hours of sedentary snacking and high adrenaline) is the optimal condition for promoting blood sugar spikes, fat storage and inflammation, if you don't watch it.

One way to reduce the risk is to do a good workout before the game, to deplete your muscles of glycogen. Another option is to choose healthier snacks to replace the chips and pizza. Here are some ideas:

• pepitas: toasted spiced pumpkin seeds
• toasted sunflower seeds
• toasted salted coconut slivers (try Dang brand, unsweetened)
• bell pepper slices dipped in toasted sesame oil and tamari
• jicama sticks dipped in guacamole
• hummus lettuce wraps
• slices of cucumber with toasted sesame seeds sprinkled on top
• celery dipped in almond butter
• kale chips (just bake kale at 350 and see how much it resembles Pringles!)
• turkey slices wrapped around asparagus spears
• hearts of romaine dipped in low-fat ranch dip
• chicken skewers
• shrimp cocktail
• toasted sunflower seeds or spiced pumpkin seeds
• walnuts or almonds (in the shell, to slow you down)

If skipping your favorite junk food bums you out, take heart: Research shows that most people mindlessly much on anything within reach during the Super Bowl, and enjoy it the same whether it's raw veggies or hard core junk food.

So make us proud Sunday! And please share your healthy snack ideas. We can never have too many.

Happy New Year!

If you are making new year's resolutions about health, here's our advice:

Make time to make them fun....or at least non-hurried and non-stressful.

If you plan to eat healthier, make time to experiment with new foods, to browse recipes, or to prepare your meals in a relaxed way, perhaps with music, or with a friend.

If you plan to exercise more, make time for it to be a relaxed or social experience, rather than a mad dash to get in, sweat, shower, and race to your next obligation.

New health initiatives can either feel like going to summer camp (new adventures!) or prison camp (oppression!), and it often comes down to whether you have made time to enjoy the process.

So pull up your schedule and block out the necessary time RIGHT NOW to make your resolutions happen without stress or hassle. If you realize you can't make enough time, then you probably need to choose different resolutions.

All my best for a wonderful 2017!

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I age, my opinion of holiday eating has evolved. The younger me used to encourage clients to eat slowly, savor, to eat the protein and veggies first to blunt any blood sugar spikes, to get up and use the restroom after the first helping to give the brain time to feel satiated...all kinds of things to minimize Thanksgiving overeating.

These are still valid tips. BUT...as I come to think of holiday times as more precious opportunities to bond socially, to make happy memories and to really enjoy life, the less I want to encourage anyone to do much of anything besides cherish their day. Being mentally present and enjoying the occasion might mean turning off the inner food cop.

So there you go -- encouragement to eat whatever you want tomorrow, if it will make your holiday more joyful.

HOWEVER (you knew there would be one...sorry!)

What matters more than what you eat on a single day is what are your day-in, day-out habits. Those daily routines are the place where only 20 excess calories can add up to 20 extra pounds of fat each decade. Whoa! So here's my advice:

Enjoy Thanksgiving however you like, but then be extra vigilant to get your habits back on track afterwards. This can be tough because:

• Appetite might Increase.
  

• Taste Buds can be Blitzed.
  

• New Cravings can be Born.
  

• Addictions can Awaken.
  

So all of this means that no matter how you choose to eat on Thursday, it's worth it to exercise your best will power on Friday, Saturday and Sunday...or be prepared to have some new bad habits to deal with.

Alright, if you've read this far, then you are part of the Diet for Health Family...even if we've never met you. We are so thankful to have you in our lives, and we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

It's a day to have fun, celebrate, and perhaps indulge in some tasty treats. But before you opt for the obvious treat--candy--consider this:

Because sugar is addictive, a big (or perhaps not-so-big) candy treat can cause cravings for days. It can alter your brain chemistry to make resisting sugar more difficult. It can make sugar taste even better the next time you eat it. Plus, research now shows that sugar depresses mood, after the brief high. All this saps willpower to resist the next sweet treat.

But don't worry! There are plenty of yummy indulgences that do not come with this hidden cost. Here are some of my favorites:

• Almond butter spread on apple slices
• Toasted pecans
• Roasted pumpkin seeds with salt and spices
• An extra good steak
• Popcorn
• Spaghetti squash with meatballs and marinara
• A Greek yogurt sundae, sweetened with fresh fruit, cinnamon, cocoa nibs, vanilla extract, slivered pecans

You get the idea...anything that isn't a sugar binge. It's an opportunity to enjoy an indulgence AND feel virtuous.

Have fun tonight!

Halloween forces the question: Is the occasional sugar indulgence a harmless tradition or a foolish assault on your health?

That may sound overly dramatic--and goodness knows many of us have survived our share of sugar binges--but the latest research on sugar is pretty damning. So here are some ways to minimize sugar's effects:

1. If you're gonna have sugar

   • favor long-lasting hard candies over soft ones that are gone in seconds
   • favor dark chocolate, which has some magnesium and antioxidants
   • enjoy it earlier in the day, when your blood sugar may be less likely to spike
   • enjoy some veggies and protein beforehand, to blunt the spike in blood sugar
   • enjoy it at a time of day when you are physically active
   • decrease the amount of starch or alcohol you eat that day
   • eat extra-nutritious foods the rest of the day, to help offset the empty calories
   • get rid of leftovers once you've had your fill

OR, better yet,

2. Replace candy with healthier edible treats, such as

   • toasted pumpkin seeds from carved pumpkins
   • pumpkin, fresh baked, with cinnamon
   • bobbing for apples

3. Consider replacing trick-or-treat candy with

   • stickers
   • coins
   • glow bracelets
   • small toys

Or, just fill your day with the non-edible delights of Halloween, such as costumes, pumpkin carving, decorating, scary movies and such. No need to have sugar-induced health problems on your list of scary, spooky frights.

If you are trying to lose weight, you might want to take off that Fitbit! ...or at least think about it differently.

Results are in from a two-years study at U Penn, where researchers randomly assigned 470 participants to undertake a weight loss program of either diet and exercise alone, or with an added fitness tracker. In both groups participants were asked to cut calories, increase exercise, and attend weekly group counseling meetings.

Those NOT using fitness trackers lost, on average, 13 pounds. Those using fitness trackers lost only 7.7 pounds on average. Doh! Isn't knowledge power?!

The study could not provide an explanation for this significant finding, but the lead researcher suggests that perhaps a fitness tracker makes wearers feel deserving of an edible reward when they meet goals.

This is reminiscent of the finding years ago that single serving snack packs led people to eat more, because they didn't feel the same guilt as when they opened an entire box of snacks. It appears that our feelings of guilt and/or entitlement to edible treats is a tricky factor in weight loss.

At any rate, this is great info for helping us avoid wasting money and effort. If you have a fitness tracker and aren't happy with your weight, you might try ditching it and/or changing your expectations of edible treats that you earn. If you want to read the original JAMA article, it's here: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2553448.

What if you had better mood, memory, metabolism, muscle, will power, discipline, energy, and weight loss with less hunger and fewer cravings?

Life would be a breeze, right?!

Most likely, you can improve all this. It just takes sleeping better on a regular basis.

We all know this, but that doesn't make it any easier to quiet the mind and calm the body come 10pm.

Below are some easy things that have been shown to improve sleep. They are taken from our free app, Sound Sleep, which explains them in more depth and helps you put your favorites into a routine. Most of these work because they either stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, reduce stress hormones or promote alpha wave activity in the brain.

In the Morning:

• Don't hit snooze.
• Get 20 minutes of morning sunlight.

During the Day:

• Limit any naps to 20 minutes.
• Exercise.
• Save up a few calories to do the "Carb Trick" at night.

In the Evening:

• Finish eating and drinking earlier.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Cool off your bedroom.
• Avoid any tv shows (or games, movies, etc.) that produce adrenaline.
• Use a screen curfew.
• Stretch your muscles.
• Sigh.
• Use the Carb Trick: eat 100 calories of high-glycemic carbohydrates by themselves, two hours after eating animal protein (see "Potatoes Not Prozac" by Kathleen des Maisons, if you don't already know it.)

At Bedtime:

• Follow a bedtime ritual.
• Spritz lavender, chamomile or ylang ylang scents.
• Write down any nagging worries or thoughts, to be dealt with tomorrow.
• Move pets off the bed.
• Keep electronics out of the bedroom.
• Put on socks and/or mittens.
• Wear a sleep mask.

Do some of these sound odd? Their explanations are in the app, and pop up when you click the "?". Click here if you'd like to download it. There is no cost and no advertising...we made it because we wanted it to exist to help us all sleep better and get better results from our healthy eating.

Have you ever wished for a nutrition app that would turn you into an effortlessly svelte, high-performing superhero with perfect willpower? Me too. This may be our best chance to get it.

A team of Silicon Valley superstars (I'm not allowed to name them) has asked us for feedback on existing nutrition/food trackers and what features we'd like to see in the future. This is our chance to dream big and challenge them to rock our world.

The survey is brief, about 3 minutes: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PP8WGP8.

Thanks for helping! We really appreciate your input.

Watching the Olympic Games is inspiring and fun, but being an avid fan can influence eating habits and health, for better or worse. Check out these fascinating findings:

For starters, the outcome of a big game can influence food intake the next day. Researchers followed two seasons of Sunday Night NFL games, and looked at sales of junk food in cities whose teams were playing. They found:

• In losing cities, sales of high-saturated fat foods rose 16% the day following a loss, compared to average Mondays.
• In winning cities, junk food sales decreased 9% the next day.
• The effect was stronger when the game was close.

Researchers believe that winning boosts fans' self-control while losing fans eat to feel better. (You can read more here: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/20/224148230/diet-of-defeat-why-football-fans-mourn-with-high-fat-food)

If that's not wild enough, get this: Avid fans appear to have higher rates of heart-related deaths after a tough loss.

Do you remember the huge upset at Super Bowl 2008? The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in the final minute. Want to guess what happened to rates of heart-related deaths in New York and Massachusetts the following week? You probably guessed it: Compared to the same week of the previous year, New York heart-related deaths stayed constant, while Massachusetts had a 20% spike. The researchers believe the heart-breaking Super Bowl loss was literally that: Heart-breaking. (You can read the study here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23979499/)

So this is one more reason to eat SUPER healthy snacks while you watch your favorite sporting events. ...and stay physically fit if you want to be an avid fan: It's literally not for the faint-of-heart.