A growing body of exciting new research supports the old adage, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper, especially the “dinner like a pauper” part. It seems that human physiology works best when we consume most of our calories early in the day and have a light meal at night. And if you’re trying to lose weight, two studies have shown that when the number of calories consumed, energy spent and sleeping times were kept constant, dieters who ate a big breakfast or lunch lost considerably more weight than those who saved their calories for a big dinner. A Spanish study recruited 420 overweight/obese men and women to follow a 1,400 calorie per day diet for 5 months. However half of the group ate their main meal before 3:00 p.m., while the other half ate theirs after 3:00 p.m.. Those eating early lost an average of 22 pounds; the late eaters lost an average of 17. In a second study, 93 overweight/obese women with metabolic syndrome (a constellation…

In honor of Heart Health Month, here are 10 fairly easy things you can do today to support your heart’s health. EAT A RIPE PEACH A study done at Texas A&M found that phenolic compounds in stone fruits (peaches, plums and nectarines) have anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties (diabetes is a risk factor for heart disease) and may also reduce the oxidation of LDL (the “bad” cholesterol). These compounds are also antioxidants. Fruits with the deepest colors, at peak ripeness, have the most antioxidants. EAT AN OUNCE OR TWO OF NUTS An analysis of data from almost 120,000 men and women followed up to 30 years found that those who ate the most nuts had the least risk of dying from several diseases, including heart disease. DRIZZLE SOME BALSAMIC VINEGAR ON YOUR SALAD Acetic acid in vinegar has been shown to normalize blood pressure in rats and to inhibit oxidation of cholesterol in humans. EAT BREAKFAST In various studie…