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A group of retired military leaders issued a report recently called " Too Fat to Fight: Retired Military Leaders Want Junk Food Out of America’s Schools ." The report cited Department of Defense data showing that 75 percent of Americans 17 to 24 years old are ineligible to join the military. "Being overweight or obese turns out to be the leading medical reason why applicants fail to qualify for military service." Healthcare experts say the obesity crisis is now so bad that it threatens national security . The report's recommendation focuses on removing junk food from schools. That's a great recommendation, but it doesn't go far enough. It a nutshell, we're growing so soft and weak as a nation that we may soon be incapable of defending ourselves. Most people don't know this, but ancient Sparta faced a comparable crisis. In Ancient Greece, wars were fought mainly by aristocrats -- wealthy land-owners who could afford helmets, shields, spears and sw...

A new study found that foods cooked at high temperatures may harm your metabolism , increasing the likelihood of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Researchers, who published their results in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, fed two groups the same foods cooked differently -- one with low temperatures and another at high heats. Researchers found that "one month of consuming the high-heat-treated diet induced significantly lower insulin sensitivity and plasma concentrations of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins C and E." In other words, foods cooked at high temperatures are probably bad for your health. Another recent study by researchers at the University of Texas found that well-done meat and fried, grilled and barbecued meat can increase your likelihood of bladder cancer . University of Minnesota School of Public Health scientists found last year that charred meat can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer . Another phenomenon ...

A newspaper called the St. Petersburg Times commissioned testing of apple juice from major brands, and found arsenic in more than one-quarter of the samples that surpasses the Food and Drug Administration's "level of concern" for toxic heavy metals in juice . The most likely culprit is arsenic-based pesticides used to grow the apples. According to an article in the paper, more than 60 percent of the apple juice from concentrate sold in U.S. stores comes from China, and most of the rest is grown in Chile, Argentina, Turkey and other countries. A recent University of Arizona study found similar results with both apple juice and grape juice, according to the story. Two years ago, the FDA discovered high levels of arsenic in pear juice from fruit grown in China. The consumption of arsenic over time has been linked to cancer, diabetes, organ damage, hormonal problems and brain development issues. That it's found in juice is particularly troubling because many children dri...

Have you ever noticed that eating too much movie theater popcorn can make you feel a little sick ? That's because it probably is making you a little sick. Popcorn may seem like the one snack available in a movie theater that's potentially healthy enough to make the Spartan Diet cut. After all, popcorn is just corn, a whole grain. If you ask for it without butter, it's healthy Spartan Diet-worthy, right? Well, no. Not even close. As you probably know, some theaters buy pre-popped popcorn, which is warmed up using lights in the theater. Pre-popped popcorn is typically cooked in unhealthy trans fat oils, and flavored and colored with artificial ingredients, often including MSG. And because this kind of popcorn is popped first, then stored for an unknown amount of time, it has preservatives added. A bag of popcorn popped in the theater typically contains four individual concession stand supply products, including the popping corn, cooking oil, "butter" and seasoning s...

Mercury is a toxic metal. Very small quantities are harmless, and it's eliminated in about a year. However, if too much mercury enters your bloodstream before previously ingested mercury is eliminated, your health can be affected. Coal-fired power plants emit mercury into the air, which settles to the ground. Rain washes the mercury into creeks and rivers and eventually into oceans. Once in water, the mercury is transformed into methylmercury. Tiny sea creatures ingest the methylmercury. Then larger fish eat those animals, and ever larger ones eat those, right up the food chain. Nearly all seafood contains methylmercury. However, some accumulate very high quantities, and others do not, depending on their diets. You should never eat the high-methylmercury fish like king mackerel, shark, swordfish or tilefish. Always choose low- methylmercury seafoods, which include catfish, salmon and shrimp. The best commonly available fish to eat is fresh, wild salmon, because it is low in methylm...

A new study reports that some types of beer contain a lot of silicon, which may counter some age-related bone degeneration. The study, carried out by the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California, resulted in the kind of simplistic " beer is good for you " headlines and lazy reporting we've all come to expect. The truth is more complex -- and interesting. Beer is an ancient beverage, dating back at least 9,000 years. By definition, beer is a drink made primarily from water and grass seeds (otherwise known as grains). Alcoholic beverages always need a source of sugar. In the case of beer, that sugar is normally supplied by the grain, which has starch that's converted into sugar during the brewing process. Most beers are made with malted barley. The malting process is little more than taking whole barley grains, and sprouting them -- starting the growing process, called germination -- then drying the grains in an oven once the sprouts ...

A new, nine-year study by the Mayo Clinic found that even relatively thin people can suffer the ill effects of obesity. They even came up with a name for it: " normal weight obesity ." Researchers believe as many as 30 million Americans may fall into that category. The problem stems from a body-mass index out of whack. When people have low muscle mass, and some fat, their muscle-to-fat ratio can mirror someone with much more muscle mass and a lot more body fat. And the health effects can be similar, including increased risk of metabolic syndrome, which is a collection of familiar lifestyle diseases including high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and so on, as well as an increased risk of heart disease. The Mayo researchers pointed out that dieting to lose weight can make you lose both fat and muscle, and leave your muscle-to-fat ratio largely unchanged. That's why the Spartan Diet is so perfect for anyone who wants total health. It's not a fad weight loss diet. In...