Before you pop open a can of soda — as refreshing as soda might sound — think twice. While you may already know that both regular and diet drinks have been tied to obesity and high blood pressure; colas to bone loss; and full-sugar sodas to type 2 diabetes, lousy teeth (especially citrus sodas), and more, this next finding may come as a surprise. It turns out there’s something in regular soda that’s particularly bad for women. So, if you’re female, listen up.

New research shows that just two cans a day make you more likely to add inches to your waist, get into blood sugar trouble, have soaring triglycerides, and develop heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes — even if you don’t gain a pound. Throw in kidney damage, too. It’s also been tied to a soda habit. This isn’t the first evidence of these links, but it’s the first to spot how vulnerable women are. Why? That’s as clear as muddy waters. Maybe it’s because women burn fewer calories than guys, replace more healthy foods with useless fizzy stuff, or always eat sweets with soda. Or: something no one’s figured out yet.

Wondering what to drink instead? Switch to water (or caffeinated water), seltzer with fruit, hot/iced tea, or coffee, which is giving tea real competition as the world’s number one health drink. Check out this cherry-mint spritzer and tea buyer’s guide from EatingWell.

Here are six busy-night dinner options that give kids food they like and nutrition they need, minus the junk.

Here are six busy-night dinner options that give kids food they like and nutrition they need, minus the junk.

Soccer in 20 minutes? Marching band in 30? Shuttling kids between doctor appointments, play dates, and music lessons sometimes means everybody’s gotta eat on the run or not at all. That’s when your no-fast-food promise to yourself usually flies out the car window. No worries. A now-and-then fast-food meal can be had without a humongous overload of fat, sugar, sodium, and empty calories. We promise.

Related: Softie or drill sergeant: What’s your parenting style?

The trouble with most pit-stop food isn’t just the fat, salt, and calories. It’s what’s missing. Think about it. When was the last time you had a meal to go that included whole grains, fruit, and vegetables? In a recent survey of 3,000 children’s meals at chain restaurants, over 95% didn’t meet the basic nutritional guidelines for preschool and school-aged kids.

But the good stuff’s out there if you pause for a moment and order smart. One caveat: Excess sodium seems to be a fast-food given. Even in kids’ meals, sodium may amount to nearly half or more of their daily limit. So watch how much salt they are eating throughout the day, knowing they’re likely to get more than you like when eating on the run.

Related: Learn why we love salt . . . and how not to.

Here are six busy-night dinner options that give kids food they like and nutrition they need, minus the junk. They’re listed in order, starting with the healthiest.

1. Subway: Roast Beef Kids Meal; the sandwich (hold the cheese) on whole-wheat bread; apple slices; 100% juice
Calories: 335 (9 from sat fat); sodium: 515; healthy stuff: whole grains, fruit, calcium

2. Burger King: Kids macaroni and cheese, apple fries (skip the caramel sauce), fat-free milk
Calories: 285 (14 from sat fat); sodium: 490 mg; healthy stuff: calcium, fruit

3. KFC: Grilled chicken drumstick, corn on the cob, unsweetened tea, string cheese
Calories: 270 (23 from sat fat); sodium: 545 mg ; healthy stuff: vegetables, calcium

4. Sonic: Corn dog, apple slices, low-fat milk
Calories: 355 (45 from sat fat); sodium: 660 mg ; healthy stuff: fruit, calcium

5. McDonald’s: Plain hamburger, apple dippers (without the caramel sauce), low-fat milk
Calories: 385 (45 from sat fat); sodium: 645 mg ; healthy stuff: fruit, calcium

6. Panera: Kids Roast Beef Sandwich on whole grain bread (no cheese), fresh apple, reduced-fat milk
Calories: 450 (45 from sat fat); sodium: 650 mg.; healthy stuff: whole grains, fruit, calcium

Feel like your life has done a number on your fun factor? You’re not alone. Deadlines, bills, and crazy-busy schedules keep most of us from cutting loose and getting silly. All work and no play isn’t just dull. It negates something that’s hardwired into the human psyche, say “play experts.” So we’re giving you an assignment: Carve out some time for playtime. Find something that makes you feel like you’re floating free, happy, and totally absorbed in your own play land.

Here are some ways that a busy grown-up can cut loose, play, and even learn something new along the way.

Find your inner artist. Haul out your water-color set, old sewing machine, or woodworking tools. Feeling musical? Dust off your old clarinet, take a guitar class, or join a band. As long as you’re having a good time with no high-pressure expectations, it’s play. (Find other ways to look young and stay sharp.)

Flex your green thumb. Gardening doesn’t just produce beautiful flowers and produce, it can also be a relaxing way to get your daily dose of exercise in a stress-free way. Once the ground thaws, make a pact to plan and plant a plot this year. Learn other simple ways to be more active.

Turn your workout into play. Haven’t found a physical activity that you dig? Don’t give up. Be brave in your search. Consider outside-the box activities, such as roller skating, salsa, or hula hoop, or join a sports league at work or in your community. Kickball, anyone? Find out how a video game can help you get fit and have fun.

Learn a new language. The ability to chat in Thai, Greek, or Arabic is good for more than ordering coffee abroad. Learning a new language as an adult or picking up where 10th grade Spanish left off exercises your brain cells in ways that guard against memory loss and fuzzy thinking. Play one of these online games to boost your brainpower.

Tapping into your spontaneous, inner-child packs big benefits for your health, mood, mind, and job, as well as relationships. A recent study shows it eases job strain, connects you with others, and makes you laugh. So what are you waiting for? It’s fun time!

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), potassium is a very important mineral in the human body. It is involved in both electrical and cellular functions, and is necessary for healthy heart activity, proper carbohydrate metabolism, building muscle and much more. Here are some potassium-rich foods that you can easily add to your diet:

Vegetables. Healthy amounts of potassium can be found in broccoli, peas, winter squashes, potatoes (especially the skins), sweet potatoes and lima beans. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) notes that eating potassium-rich vegetables may lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and decrease bone loss.
Fruits.Not only is fruit delicious, it gives your body important doses of potassium. Try citrus fruits, bananas, prunes, kiwi and cantaloupe. Interestingly, dried apricots contain more potassium than fresh apricots, and they make great snacks at school, work or on the go.
Milk and yogurt. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) lists an eight-ounce container of plain, non-fat yogurt as having 579 mg of potassium and only 127 calories. One cup of non-fat milk has 83 calories and 382 mg of potassium. Both are what the NLM and NIH describe as “excellent sources” of potassium.
Nuts and seeds. According to the Mayo Clinic, nuts are good sources of potassium and they contain valuable magnesium, fiber, protein and healthy fats. Almonds and sunflower seeds both offer good amounts of potassium.

It’s important to note that the human body can have too much (hyperkalemia) or too little (hypokalemia) potassium. These imbalances can be caused by a variety of diseases, medications, conditions and more, so talk to your doctor before increasing your potassium levels or drastically changing your diet in any way. For more information about potassium and other nutrients, visit the USDA at www.choosemyplate.gov.

If you have high cholesterol, could your morning cup of Joe be at least partly to blame? Maybe, depending on how your coffee is brewed and how much you drink.

Most research has found that coffee drinking in general does not increase blood cholesterol or cardiovascular risk. But since the mid-1980s, studies have consistently linked unfiltered coffee to increases in cholesterol. Much of the evidence comes from Scandinavia, where coffee typically is made by boiling the grounds in hot water and is not filtered.

What’s in your cup of coffee?

Diterpene compounds in coffee beans—notably cafestol—are responsible for the cholesterol-raising effect. The longer the coffee grounds come in contact with the brewing water, and the hotter the water, the greater the amount of diterpenes released. Scandinavian-style boiled coffee has the most diterpenes, studies have shown—followed by Turkish/Greek coffee, French-press (cafetière or plunger-pot) coffee and then espresso. American-style “drip” coffee has virtually none because the paper filters trap the compounds. Percolated and instant coffees also have negligible amounts. Decaffeinating coffee does not reduce diterpenes.

Still, it takes a fair amount of unfiltered coffee to have a significant effect on cholesterol. Daily consumption of 10 milligrams of cafestol—the amount in about four 5-ounce cups of French-press coffee—has been shown to raise cholesterol by 8 to 10 percent in four weeks, mostly due to increased LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Some people are affected more than others, and the effects may be greater in those who have higher cholesterol to begin with.

The sunny side of coffee

All coffee, no matter how it’s brewed, contains a complex mix of phytochemicals, many of which are potentially beneficial. In fact, coffee is the No. 1 source of antioxidants in the U.S. diet, because we drink so much of it. Coffee has been shown to guard against oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which makes LDL less harmful. And it’s been linked to reduced risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and some other disorders. Cafestol may even have anti-cancer properties, at least in lab studies.

Bottoms up

An occasional cup of unfiltered coffee won’t raise your cholesterol significantly, if at all. But you may be consuming more unfiltered coffee than you realize because many coffee drinks—cappuccinos or lattes, for instance—are made with espresso, sometimes more than one shot. If your cholesterol is high, you might want to limit espresso to one or two a day and not go overboard with French-press coffee.

I get a monthly subscription to UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. I would like to share some quick facts that may be interesting to people regarding your health.

* Prehypertension is when your blood pressure is between 120-139/80-89. Compared with people who have normal blood pressure, those with prehypertension are 2x as likely to develop full-blown hypertension, and 3.5x more likely to suffer heart attacks. Fortunately, lifestyle measures can make a real impact on lowering blood pressure.

* Since the early 1970′s American men have increased their daily calorie intake by an average of 179 calories, and women by 199 calories. Nearly all of those added calories came from carbohydrates, according to a recent study in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition”.During this time, the obesity rate more than doubled.

* People with high HDL (“good”) cholesterol are more likely to live to age 85 and are less likely to develop colon cancer, according to 2 recent studies.

* Frequent business travelers are at higher risk for health problems, suggests a large new study from Columbia University. It found that people who travel 14 days or more a month for work were more likely to be obese and report their health as poor or fair than those who travel less often, after controlling for age, sex, race and ethnicity.

* If you can’t multitask as well as you used to, it’s not your imagination. The ability to switch between tasks decreases with age.

* Not only are smoking rates in the U.S. half what they were 45 years ago, but the remaining smokers light up much less- especially in California, according to a recent study in the “Journal of the American Medical Association”.

* Keeping blood pressure, cholesterol and other cardiovascular risk factors under control may slow memory loss.

I hope you thought these were interesting facts. If you would like to hear more updated facts in the future, please let me know. I would like to thank UCB Wellness Letter for supplying the facts for this article.