As half the universe and tribal folk in the desert have heard by now, actress/healthy living guru Gwyneth Paltrow has written a cook book.

And while its release last week had critics everywhere laying into poor Gwyn, calling her a “wannabe,” “copy-cat,” and even an “anorexic chef,” her book, My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes, is actually quite good. So stop the hating, haters.

Of course I went out and purchased this cookbook the day it hit Barnes & Noble, making it one of two cookbooks I own. I mostly bought it to read the forward, where Gwyneth talks about her own current diet, her dabblings in the macrobiotic sphere, her belief that food can be used to cure disease and illness, and a little section on “Why I Don’t Eat Red Meat.”

The recipes themselves don’t particularly interest me—which isn’t to say they aren’t good. While I love to cook, and do so often, I’m not inclined to follow recipes and spend the time it takes to make many of the dishes in this book. But, for a devoted kitchen-dweller, or those looking to spice up their usual repertoire come family meal time, My Father’s Daughter is a pretty useful resource.

There are recipes for pancakes and muffins, pasta sauce, fish dishes, sandwiches, salads, desserts and more. And despite Gwyneth’s glamorous aura, her recipes are mostly traditional comfort foods geared toward families and busy individuals with kids.

Best of all, Gwyneth and her book are all about whole, unprocessed REAL food, and advocates supporting local farmers and going organic when possible.

Really, there’s not much to hate about this cook book. It’s filled with recipes for good, mostly healthy food that real people can make. What more could the average person want?

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…And y’all better listen!

Pop superstar Beyonce Knowles has teamed up with First Lady Michelle Obama in the fight against childhood obesity.

The First Lady has enlisted the help of Beyonce for her “Let’s Move!” initiative, which is directed toward children, particularly middle-school students, as this is the life stage where becoming and staying overweight seems to occur and stick most often.

Here are the five goals of “Let’s Move:”

To reach these goals, Beyonce and Ms. Obama have partnered with the National Middle School Association, the National School Boards Association and the American Association of School Administrators to host a “Let’s Move” dance-off on Tuesday, May 3rd, at 1:42 pm. This will be a choreographed dance that all affiliated middle schools are encouraged to participate in.

The soundtrack to the dance will be a remix of Beyonce’s hit, “Get Me Bodied.”

Sounds interesting. Personally, I can’t picture my middle school allowing us to leave class at 1:42 on a Tuesday to groove to the beats of “Get Me Bodied.” But hey!…If it gets kids moving and conveys the importance of exercise and healthy living, GO FOR IT, B +M!

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“Health is spelled w.o.r.k.”: I came across this witty little epitaph while reading an interview with Canadian personal trainer and fitness personality Sylvain Cyr.

And honestly, how true it is.

In the world we currently inhabit, being healthy and fit is increasingly harder than it has been in the past. Despite concerted efforts by the government and special interest groups to improve our population’s health, we are constantly presented with opportunities to eat poorly, move less, and pollute our bodies with substances like tobacco, alcohol, drugs and OTC meds.

So, to truly have “health” these days, we really have to WORK for it.

Achieving health means going out of your way to move more during daily routines, like walking to work or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It means hitting the gym or the pavement at least 3 times a week to maintain and improve cardiovascular fitness. It means choosing the salmon salad over the burger and fries, and passing on sugary dessert more often than not. It also means remaining in a state of “homeostasis” 95% or more of the time—i.e. saying no to that 3rd glass of wine, nixing your nicotine habit, and, quite obviously, refraining from the hardcore stuff.

As you can see, following the above healthy living protocol isn’t always easy. Sadly, being healthy today just isn’t very easy; most of us sit at desks all day, move too little and eat too much. But instead of surrendering to the latter unhealthy “norm,” perhaps we should instead surrender to the reality that, for people living in today’s world, health truly is spelled W.O.R.K.

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In an effort to make healthy snacking “sexier” and more satisfyingly indulgent, Bolthouse Farms, one of the largest U.S. producers of baby carrots, has teamed up with marketing behemoth Crispin Porter + Bogusky to create an all-natural carrot snack packaged as junk food.

Several high school districts across the country have even begun stocking these snacks in their vending machines, along-side traditional staples like Doritos, Sun Chips and Snickers bars.

According to Bolthouse Farms and Crispin Porter, the baby carrot business rakes in $1 billion a year, indicating that, indeed, this is a healthy snack the American population enjoys and is willing to embrace.

I truly love this idea, and the fact that snack companies and schools are working together to offer kids healthy food options. However, for this “carrots as junk food” concept to work, kids a) need to have acquired a taste for healthy foods like vegetables, and b) understand WHY choosing carrots over processed foods is a wise decision that will affect the body in a positive way.

Unless kids grow up in an environment where healthy foods are available and promoted, I can’t see them choosing a bag of plain baby carrots over a fatty, synthetically tasty snack.

So while introducing today’s generation to vending machines stocked with carrots may sound a bit far-fetched, I can certainly see such healthy snacking practices adopted and even becoming standard 10 to 15 years from now. A step in the right direction.

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In today’s society, where we’re more health-conscious and disease-aware than ever, smoking cigarettes has become as much of a faux pas as eating poorly, not exercising, and wearing black with navy (in that non-fashionable way).

But if smoking is taboo amongst us mere mortals, it’s even more of a no-no for celebrities. Not only do celebs have to look their best at all times (which smoking will definitely hinder), but they;realso held on a pedestal for the world to see: role-models, trend-setters, celebrated individuals.

Despite the pressure to be “perfect,” more celebrities than you’d think are secretly (or so they think) puffing away on the regular.

Over the past few months I’ve browsed several paparazzi sites where myriad A-list stars have been caught sneaking a cig.

Here’s a short-list (some surprising, some not so much ) of secret celebrity smokers, as determined by candid photos, interviews, and general knowledge:

And there you have it—even “perfect people” have a tough time quitting the habit. It’s hard, but so obviously worth it— for your health, your looks….you don’t need a lecture.

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If you’ve read the Health, Lifestyle & Wellness section of any newspaper or online blog lately, you’ve likely encountered a feature or two on “The Dukan Diet,” the latest “miracle weight-loss” eating plan.

In fact, the diet is supposedly SO tremendous that princess-of-England-to-be, Kate Middleton, is following the plan to shape up for her upcoming nuptuals to Prince William.

Developed by French physician Pierre Dukan, the diet is similar to Atkins in that it centers around protein. However, unlike Atkins, the Dukan Diet allows only lean proteins, such as fish, chicken breast, eggs, etc., and insists that participants ingest copious amounts of oat bran.

There are 4 phases to the diet, summarized below (excerpt from WebMD):

I wouldn’t necessarily call this diet a restrictive one, as it does allow various proteins, dairy, whole grains, fruits and veggies—all of the major, good-for-you food groups. However, one must have a taste for meat, no doubt, making this diet impossible for a vegetarian or vegan.

Moreover, I don’t like how the Dukan Diet advocates eating vegetables every OTHER day. That way of eating is nutritionally impropper, for sure. Vegetables and fruits should be heartily consumed every day, as they are the essential nutrients our body craves to give us energy, vitamins and minerals, and a glowing complexion and cheery disposition. I’m ALL about protein for keeping the appetite satiated and metabolism revved, but never at the expense of plant-based, natural foods that come from the earth.

Should you try this diet, you’ll most likely lose weight, as a typical day would be 2-3 cups of oat bran, lots of chicken breast, a couple tuna fillets and tons of water. The thermic effect of all the protein you’re consuming (the calories you’re body expends just to break down the protein) will definitely create metabolic burn. However, this is also a bit of a boring diet, and definitely should not be followed long-term.

I know it’s trite, but the best diet truly is a BALANCED one made up of foods derrived from the EARTH. As I like to say, “if you can’t kill it or pick it, don’t eat it.”

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I had been wondering for the past several months when some media outlet was going to blow the whistle at country pop star LeAnn Rimes for losing quite a bit a weight as of late.

So, it comes as little surprise that, late last week, the holy grail of celebrity mags, US Weekly, ran a story titled, “See How LeAnn Rimes Has Become Scary Skinny Since Last Year.” Since then, CBS News, The Toronto Sun and countless other magazines and blogs have run similar features, calling Rimes “anorexic” and “weight-obsessed.”

I’d first noticed Rimes’ thinner body this past November, as my favorite celeb blog, JustJared.com, posted various paparazzi photos of her leaving the gym or heading to events with fiance, Eddie Cibrian. Oh, and in case you’re thinking, “um, is LeAnn Rimes even famous anymore?”, the answer is yes—everywhere except the East Coast, I’d imagine.

Anyway, LeAnn has denied reports regardingany weight and eating issues, taking to her Twitter page to shoot down negative press and let her fans know that she follows a healthy diet and exercise regiment, and does not have a problem. Last week Rimes even Tweeted: “Poached eggs, whole wheat toast and Italian ham w/ berries” for breakfast. That’s a pretty healthy, hearty start to the day, in my opinion.

Regardless, there’s no denying that LeAnn has definitely lost a significant amount of weight. Her clavicle, sternum and ribs are showing in nearly every photo of her wearing a low-cut shirt, and her legs are pencil-thin.

However, her body transformation from curvy to skinny doesn’t mean she’s unhealthy. Honestly, I’d predict that LeAnn exercises A LOT (probably doing more cardio than she needs to) and eats a very clean, careful diet. These two components together will produce the body pictured in the above right photo.

What do you think of LeAnn’s new look?

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For all you chocolate fiends out there forced to curb your habit in an effort to eat healthier, Rawtella may be the product for you.

Like its cult-favorite predecessor, Nutella (which has such a following that a Facebook group exists in its honor), Rawtella has the same rich, chocolaty-hazelnut flavor, but without any of the saturated fat and artificial ingredients found in the former version.

Rawtella is a 100% raw, organic and vegan chocolate spread that contains fresh soaked/dehydrated hazelnuts, organic raw cacao nibs, and raw coconut sugar. Nothing else.

Each 2-tablespoon serving will still set you back 190 calories and 17 grams of fat, so it’s by no means a “diet” or “health food.” However, if you’re going to indulge and have a craving for something decadent, chocolaty and sweet, why not pick the lesser of two evils and go for something all-natural that won’t pollute your body?

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Finally, late-night talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel reveals how today’s hottest stars maintain their super-sleak physiques: by working out with him, obviously.

Okay, not really. But this spoof is pretty amazing, and features a bevy of leading ladies as they faux “work it out” in the gym. The vid includes appearances by Lindsay Lohan, Kelly Rippa, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, Minka Kelly, Eva Longoria, Jessica Alba, Sofia Vergara, and Emily Blunt.

The only thing real about this video is the actually-amazing bodies each of these women has. Check it out, above.

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Everyone’s favorite fitness-fiend and leading lady of the ‘cleanserati,’ Gwyneth Paltrow, has gifted us with another installment of her Goop Newsletter. In this month’s edition, she once again praises her long-time trainer (and business partner), Tracy Anderson, crediting her for the amazing physique we’ve become accustomed to seeing on Gwyn.

And now, each and every one of us can have Tracy as our personal trainer, and, with some hard work and a little luck, perhaps even look like Ms. Paltrow herself.

Behold Metamorphosis by Tracy, a 90-day, customized weight-loss program that helps you lose weight by identifying your body type, thereafter following an exercise regiment and diet plan based on that type. There are 4 categories under which you should fall: Abscentric (you gain weight in your midsection); Hipcentric (weight goes to your hips); Glutcentric (weight goes to your butt); and Omnicentric (weight distributes evenly everywhere).

Once you identify your type, Tracy will send you a series of DVDs that provide a new exercise and diet program every 10 days. Therefore, you’re not getting the whole 90-day program upfront when you sign up for Metamorphosis, which I find pretty unique, as I can’t think of any other “mass market” program that operates quite this way. I’m assuming the 10-day breakdown makes the program seem more one-on-one, helps participants avoid plateaus by constantly switching up their fitness routine, and, most importantly, prevents one from feeling initially overwhelmed when confronted by a full-on 3-month program. Bite-sized chunks, if you will.

I’m not usually a proponent of exercise DVDs and “virtual trainer” weight-loss programs, since most people will either perform the exercises wrong or not do them at all, but because these were created by Tracy Anderson, I’m slightly intrigued. This woman has literally trained every A-List body in Hollywood—no exaggeration. Maybe there truly is merit to her method.

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