Forbes has compiled a list of America’s hardest drinking cities with Austin, TX winning the honor. 61.5% of Austin’s residents had at least one drink in the last 30 days with 8.8% of men having more than two drinks per day, and 8.8% of women having one drink per day. 20.6% of respondents admitted to binge drinking, or having five or more drinks on one occasion.

Known as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” Austin may have won the title due to its high concentration …

In a never-ending quest to improve my tea experience I came across a very interesting tea gadget for my fellow tea nerds. Resembling a one-hitter that James Bond might carry, this clever little tea maker is named the Tea Stick.

Made from stainless-steel and spring-loaded the gadget will make one perfect cup of tea. Just insert your favorite loose tea and steep. A very cool conversation piece indeed. You can order yours here.

[via slipperybrick]

I eat in restaurants only about once a week and I never eat fast food. When I go to a restaurant it is mainly for a social purpose like meeting with friends for celebrating something special. The main reason I avoid restaurants is that I like to cook, but I also like to control what goes into the foods I eat.

Restaurants are pretty good about hiding the nutritional information found in their foods and it’s easy to add a lot of calories, fat, or sodium just …

It seems kind of silly to get excited about something like a cutting board but I am currently experiencing at least some form of mild elation with my new Epicurean cutting board.

I picked up a Epicurean pizza peel recently while on vacation and I’ve waited to write about it until I got a chance to use it a few times. Yes, I can cut and prepare foods on it. Big deal right? Well, I’ve destroyed my fair share of plastic boards during my many …

Starbucks customers have been asking for healthier drink alternatives and the company has responded with a new line of smoothies dubbed Vivanno Nourishing Blends.

The smoothies will contain one whole banana, 16 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber from a proprietary whey protein and fiber powder. The 16 ounce drinks contain 270 calories and are available in Orange-Mango-Banana and Banana-Chocolate flavors. The drinks also contain no artificial colors, artificial sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup.

According to the Starbucks website the drinks …

Recently, I’ve started taking large chunks off my weekly grocery bill by using coupons for all of my favorite organic companies. My coupon folder is bulging with several piles of mostly $1 off coupons for several healthy products and I’ve saved well over $100, over the last two months. You might be wondering where I’m finding them, since coupons for Organic and natural items aren’t something that are easily found in the Sunday paper’s coupon section.

I recently discovered that Ebay is an incredible resource for …

Farm-raised tilapia is bad for you? Please say it isn’t so.

New research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine reports that farm-raised tilapia has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. According to an article at the Environmental News Network:

They say their research revealed that farm-raised tilapia, as well as farmed catfish, “have several fatty acid characteristics that would generally be considered by the scientific community as detrimental.” Tilapia has higher levels of potentially detrimental long-chain …

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Last week, I was busy running errands all afternoon. I was feeling cranky, hot, tired and thirsty- a bad combination. I had several more stores to go to, so decided to pick up a healthy snack and a cold drink from Whole Foods. My eyes quickly scanned their refrigerated drink section and a bottle of Organic Peach Mate Tea, made by Bombilla & Gourd Inc. caught my attention, so I decided to give it a try. The tea tasted mild and refreshingly fruity. I …

The New York Times did an article on the 11 best foods titled “The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating” and it made be smile. As I looked over the list I noticed that I’ve eaten 9 of the 11 items some time within the last month (most of them within a week) and nearly all of these items are regularly on my grocery list.

The list was created by nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden, the author of “The …

I must admit that I hate putting sunscreen on. I think it’s messy and smells funny but I’ve NEVER been sorry I put in on after a long day in the sun. I usually buy SPF 30+ and I prefer the spray sunscreens as they are easier to apply. Other than looking at the SPF rating I’ve never given much thought into what I was buying - until now.

A new study of sunscreens by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) reports that 4 out of 5 sunscreens …