Nutrition labels…how the heck do you read them? I’d like to think that I’m a fairly educated person, but ask me to read the nutrition label on a box of popcorn, and my brain is reduced to the mental equivalent of garbanzo beans.

You’ve seen her shows, read her books, and some of you have probably visited her restaurants too. And if you’re at all familiar with the food that celebrity chef Paula Deen cooks, it probably didn’t surprise you when she told the world this week that she has type II diabetes. After all, isn’t that what happens when you promote a truly “southern style” of cooking with copious amounts of butter, sugar, cream, salt, and everything in between? Ok, maybe not, but the proof is in the proverbial pudding.

A recent study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that college students generally purchased fewer sugar-filled, high-calorie items when at least a 25% tax was added to the price. And this resulted in many of them consuming 100 to 300 calories less, depending on the specific tax. The added cost didn’t affect every student though. Those that were already paying attention to their diets, and were given calorie information for the foods, made their decisions regardless of the tax imposed.

If you check out various fitness websites, or even look on a standard piece of cardio equipment at your local club, you might think it's better to exercise at lower intensities in order to optimize fat loss. Well...think again!