Blueberries add flavorful flair to salads

A colorful side salad can round out a meal. A bountiful salad can be the meal! Any time of year, salads are a great way to get your fruits and vegetables and, with a little creativity, you can make great-tasting salads your family will enjoy every day.

10 reasons to fall in love with potatoes

Want to do something good for your heart? Find new ways to increase your intake of potassium. This nutrient may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure and promote heart health. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that diets containing foods that are a good source of potassium and that are low in sodium may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

A veterinarian's top 10 tips for keeping pets healthy in winter

Jack Frost is nipping at your pet's nose. Winter is here again, and cold weather can be uncomfortable and dangerous to your pet.

Make sure your indoor air is healthy this spring

As soon as the temperatures warm up, you open up the doors and windows and let the "fresh" air in. You want to get rid of winter's stale, indoor air and replace it with the clean, outdoor air. You also go on a cleaning spree, vacuuming, dusting and getting rid of all the dust bunnies hiding under furniture. With a fresh, clean house, you assume you'll be breathing much easier. Think again. Air pollution is a very serious concern indoors.

Is it a cold or the flu? Here's how to tell

"My body aches and my head is throbbing. Do I have the flu or is it just because I'm stressed or tired? Do I need a flu shot? Do I need the H1N1 vaccine, too?" Millions of Americans will be asking themselves these and more questions this winter as news reports and health care providers continue to warn about seasonal influenza and novel H1N1 influenza, otherwise known as swine flu.

You say you want a resolution . . . here's one for healthier food habits

All the gravy has been ladled. The cookies have crumbled. The red and green candies are on the clearance rack. That can only mean one thing: people all over the country are resolving to eat better, if not less often. The start of the New Year - and with it, a new decade - means that consumers are focusing on their resolutions to live a healthier lifestyle for themselves, their loved ones, and, for that matter, the planet.

Americans earn failing grade on diabetes

It's a disease so common it strikes every 20 seconds, yet Americans earn a failing grade when it comes to basic knowledge about diabetes, according to a recent Harris Interactive survey conducted on behalf of the American Diabetes Association.

Tips to manage the silent emotional and physical stress of caring for a loved one

More than 34 million people are caring for an aging parent in the United States today. It is estimated one in two of these caregivers are baby boomers, adults in the "sandwich generation," caught between caring for their aging parents while raising families of their own.

Good health keeps your pet smiling pretty

Our pets tend to eat the same way we do, which means - unfortunately - more cats and dogs suffer from unbalanced diets, obesity, food allergies and other health problems related to nutrition. You can keep your playful dog in excellent shape and your cute and cuddly kitty lean and trim with some helpful nutrition tips.

Help available for people living with diabetes

It's a long drive out to the rural diabetes clinic where she makes her educational presentations, but Janie Burmester knows that the work she's doing can have a huge impact on people's lives. Burmester is one of about 15,000 Certified Diabetes Educators in the United States. CDEs are health professionals, certified by the National Certification Board of Diabetes Educators, who teach self-management techniques to patients diagnosed with diabetes.

Spring break for grownups

Remember when your spring break was a hedonistic ritual that focused on excesses of sun, wild parties and alcohol? Now that you've outgrown that, you don't have to give up the spring ritual of getting away from it all. Whether you are able to travel to a warm, sunny location for a vacation, or simply need a stay-at-home break to escape from work, school or daily stress, there's a physically and mentally healthy alternative.