Just tasting an energy drink and feeling the saccharine sweet, stick-to-your-tongue flavor slide over your palate and seeing the eerie anti-freeze glow it emits is enough to know that it's probably not great for you. But it's skyrocketing popularity in the last decade says otherwise. People are guzzling drinks spiked with taurine, sugar and enough caffeine to kill a horse by the bucketful, and the dangerous health effects are starting to show. According to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the number of energy drink-related emergency room visits increased exponentially between 2005 and 2009. In 2005, there were 1,128 incidents while in 2009, that number jumped to 13,114. The majority of these visits were people between the age of 18 to 39. The report excludes alcoholic energy drinks like Sparks and the infamous Four Loko, which was reputedly responsible for numerous emergency room visits in early 2011 and was subsequently banned. However, the report does state that approximately 44 percent of non-alcoholic energy drink-related hospital visits happened when people combined alcohol and/or drugs with energy drinks. Read More

If you're still holding onto the notion that eight cups of water a day is sufficient (I bet you also still believe that you need to wait 30 minutes after eating to go for a swim), you're not working at your body's peak performance level."Water makes up about 60-70 percent of our body and plays a role in virtually every function in the body — from keeping our blood flowing, our skin healthy and right down to our ability to blink our eyes," Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, RD and author of The SuperFoodsRx Diet says. "Water is our most important nutrient."Sure, hydration is important to survival, but if you are healthy and have access to clean water, death by dehydration probably isn't a major fear. So why should you be concerned with hydration? Even mild dehydration can begin to compromise your health and stifle the effectiveness of your workout. Here are the top four reasons to make sure you stay hydrated at all times. Read More

We get it, super foods are great, spinach can do no wrong—and when in doubt, choose blueberries. But when nutrition consultant Karen Ansel, MS, RD, CDN talked about the health boosting benefits of beer—we took notice. Not like we needed a reason to pick up a 6-pack, but Ansel rounds up five ways beer does the body good—in moderation of course. Consider this round on us. Sneak in Some Fiber Beer contains the soluble fiber, beta-glucans, which is linked to lowering cholesterol levels and boosting heart health. For an extra fiber boost, go dark—darker beers pack about 1.3 grams per 12 ounces. Keep the Heart Happy Guys love beer, beer loves guys. Drinking 1-2 brewskis helps decrease the chances of blood clots by increasing HDL cholesterol (the “good” kind) while lowering the “bad” LDL levels. Protect Your Bones Drinking 1-2 beers a day can help improve bone strength (conversely heavy drinking can weaken them)—the silicon found in beer has been linked to strengthening the skeletal system. Break the Seal Beer drinkers have been shown to have a lowered risk of kidney stones compared to their hard liquor loving friends because of beer’s high water content and diuretic effect. Read More

Chugging a couple of beers isn't so bad—as long as you don't overdo it and you stick with the light stuff whenever possible. But with so many brands out there, how do you separate the swill from the swell? To help you out, we recently tried many of the light beers on the market (it wasn't exactly our hardest day on the job). Check out the results to see how your favorite light brew did.THUMB'S UPMGD 64 Calories: 64 Total carbs: 2.4 g Alcohol content: 2.8%Of the bottles we tried, MGD 64 has one of the lowest carb counts and is tied for the least amount of calories. The light, crisp taste is a safe bet when you're having a get-together with friends and family.Beck's Premier Light Calories: 64 Total carbs: 3.2 g Alcohol content: 2.3%Beck's Light delivers a mere 64 calories and the crisp taste you would expect from a premier brand. As for the taste, it's light and refreshing, with a brisk, natural flavor. Perfect for a hot summer day. Read More