Halloween is just another excuse to quit the diet for a few days and binge on leftover chocolate and goodies. Sorry! Not true. Halloween is a time to indulge but there’s no need to go overboard.

Tomorrow is Halloween and you’re probably carving at least one pumpkin for this spooky day whether you like it or not. This time around don’t throw out the meat and seeds!

Pumpkin is an excellent source of vitamins A and C and potassium, and the seeds are high in fiber, vitamin B12 and polyunsaturated fatty acids, one of the so-called good fats. The flesh of pumpkin and the seeds are abundant in many essential nutrients. Pumpkins are low in fat, calories and are loaded with vitamins.

Eating two or more servings of vegetables a day may slow a person's mental decline by about 40 per cent, compared with a person who consumes few vegetables, according to a six-year study of nearly 4,000 Chicago residents age 65 or older.

So what the heck does "Empty Calories" mean? Well it’s just another name for describing junk food, really.

Empty Calories = High Calories but Low Nutrition

Blow bubbles or go under the knife? Now you may have options. A Japanese company has created the world’s first chewing gum that will increase the size of your breasts. The main ingredient in the “B2UP Body Make-Up Gum” is a wild plant extract called pueraria mirifica which, according to tests carried out at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University, was able to enhance breast size by up to 80 percent.

A new study has shed light on the question “do cell phones affect male reproduction?” 364 men have undergone tests in Cleveland to determine sperm quantity and quality, and the link to cell phone habits.

George Johnson, considered California’s oldest living person at 112 and the state’s last surviving World War I veteran, died last week of pneumonia. The irony is that he was well-known to food experts for his bad-eating habits which did not seem to contribute to his death.

No, you don’t need caffeine or an energy drink to get yourself through the day, or even a power nap to re-energize. When you start to feel a slump coming on all you need to do is follow these quick tips to instantly shake the fatigue.

With the Fall sports in full swing, you may want to watch the health of the men in your family. They’re bad enough at getting to the doctor the rest of the year but this hockey or football season it seems there may be more reason to worry. Some men may take their sports too seriously, delaying trips to hospital emergency rooms during major sports events.

"It is bad for your blood pressure, knocks years off your life and is a strain on your heart. Now scientists have discovered that gaining weight lowers your intelligence," writes Nina Goswami in The Sunday Telegraph. Nina was commenting on a new French study in this month's Neurology journal which claims to have found a link between obesity and the decline in a person's cognitive function.

You’re not feeling well, you go to your doctor or you tell a friend, and they almost immediately ask you if you are under any extreme stress. Maybe there’s tension between you and the nagging boss or that school exam has you all tied in a knot. So how does a seemingly psychological problem end up affecting you in such physical ways…why does stress make you sick?

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrates World Food Day each year on 16 October, the day on which the Organization was founded in 1945. The World Food Day theme for 2006 is "investing in agriculture for food security."

Did you know that most herbal teas on the market place are not tea at all? Regular teas are actually made with leaves from an evergreen tree known as Camellia sinensis. Herbal teas, more properly known as tisane, are only infusions made with herbs, flowers, roots, spices or other parts of plants and consequently are all caffeine-free.

Since herbal tea does not contain tea leaves and tea leaves are the only ingredient containing polyphenols (an antioxidant), drinking herbal tea does not have similar health-promoting properties. Herbal tea does promote other various health qualities such as relaxation and calming effects.

Organic foods, reduced trans fat, upscale gourmet, fortified and functional foods – these are buzzwords leading the way in food trends today. The needs of the ever-changing consumer challenge the food industry and they try to meet those needs with new and interesting products. It’s a tall order! People want less trans fat, fewer calories, and more flavor, and they want it to be easy and fast.

Influences on food trends can be attributed to the growing population of baby boomers, who have more time to cook, and are paying more attention to foods' health effects while demanding upscale foods.

There is a growing body of evidence that probiotics or foods that contain live bacteria are good for the health. Let’s examine this using the ever-popular yogurt.

Yogurt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Not all yogurt contains active bacterial culture. L bulgaricus, S thermophilus and L acidophilus are the most common bacterial strains added in yogurt.