Each morning, we dish out a few links we love.

Here's a scary statistic -- Apparently, 54 percent of women would rather be hit by a truck than be fat.

Are energy drinks the right way to fuel your workout? The National Post looks into the impact they can have on your exercise routine.

Can you taste the fat in your food? Research shows that people who are overweight have taste buds that are desensitized to fatty foods.

Got grand culinary ambitions? Here are must-have kitchen gadgets and staples to make your cooking space a chef's haven.

Don't be so quick to assume that it's healthy -- studies have shown that eating too much sugary fruit can actually pad your waistline.

Dear Sarah,

As the weather slowly gets nicer, it's dawned on me that I can't hide my little bit of winter weight gain under my warm, cozy sweaters too much longer. I work out four to five times per week and this usually consists of three step aerobics classes and two weight sessions. Can you suggest some ways to boost my workouts and get my body ready for less bulky clothing?

Amanda

Dear Amanda,

It is great to hear that you have a regular workout schedule, but your body can become accustomed to a workout routine and thus it constantly requires a boost to keep your metabolic engine burning (rate at which you burn calories).

Here are three things you can easily incorporate into your existing routine to give you the boost you need to shed the winter weight.

Source

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A new study published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal has found that a fatty acid found in fish oil has anti-cancer effects. The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which is present in fish was found to cause a certain type of cancer cell, called neuroblastoma, to die. Neuroblastoma, a tumor of the sympathetic nervous system is the most common form of cancer in infants and the most common solid cancer found outside the brain in children.

The researchers exposed the cancer cells to DHA and then observed the byproducts as it was metabolized into the cell and examined the growth of the cancer cell overall. What they found was that while the DHA killed the cell, metabolic derivatives of the DHA were even more effective in destroying the cancer.

The best part is that DHA is not harmful to healthy cells. While the cancer cells were unable to deactivate the DHA's building toxic derivatives, non-cancer cells have a natural protective system that neutralizes the toxic DHA byproducts as they are produced. Cancer cells become overwhelmed and die, while normal cells are unaffected.

Worried about that few extra pounds you've gained in the last little while? Don't be -- your curves are sexy and there's scientific evidence to prove it.

Recent research out of the States has found that a curvy figure can have the same effect on a man's brain as alcohol and drugs, with the classic hourglass shape being the most exciting for guys.

To figure this out, Dr. Steve Platek and colleagues ran brain scans on 14 men with an average age of 25 as they looked at before and after photos of women who had undergone plastic surgery to enhance their hips. The results showed that looking at the after photos activated parts of the brain associated with rewards, the same areas activated by drugs and alcohol.

But Dr. Platek isn't surprised by the findings; "Hugh Hefner could have told us that by showing us how many zeroes are in his bank account. The Caucasian, westernized female has somehow been duped into thinking men like very skinny, waify, Kate Moss-type girls. Curviness is the trump card. It's worth it's reproductive weight in gold," he said to Live Science.

And reproduction is thought to be the culprit behind these findings. "Curvy looks in a woman mean that she is good at reproduction, and so the man gets the message that this is someone they could procreate with," psychotherapist Karol Ward told the New York Daily News. "The attraction has a lot to do with fertility." Curves are also a sign of good health.

Don't get down on yourself if you don't fit into a size two -- when you picture your ideal size, think more Christina Hendricks than Nicole Richie.

Even when things are going great, do you find that you get bogged down by the imperfections of life? Turns out you're not alone. Lots of women have a tough time ignoring that nagging voice that tells them they need to fix every little problem before they can be happy. In a new book, The Nine Rooms of Happiness: Loving Yourself, Finding Your Purpose, and Getting Over Life's Little Imperfections, Lucy Danziger and Dr. Catherine Birndorf use the metaphor of a house with nine rooms that each represent an area of a woman's emotional life. Here, Dr. Birndorf explains how even trivial negative self-talk can hold you back and how to start to turn things around.

Q: Why did you use the metaphor of a house?

Each morning, we dish out a few links we love.

Sushi is a favourite meal choice for people everywhere. Yes, it's low in fat and full of healthy nutrients, but it's also associated with health risks -- so is it healthy or not?

Want to trim off a few pounds? Apparently, an egg a day might just be what it takes to keep the numbers on the scale tipping in the right direction.

While you're at it, want some more easy tips for slimming down? Here are a few simple changes that can make an impact on your dress size.

Well, this just isn't fair -- surveys show that men have an extra hour and a half leisure time per day that women are missing out on.

According to experts, there should be a tax on things like pizza, soda and other bad-for-you items. Do you agree?

Last weekend I taught a gluten-free cooking class and by far the easiest and most delicious item I made (other than the kale chips of course) was my sunflower seed spread. Say goodbye to ho-hum hummus and try this recipe that will keep your metabolism running efficiently and kick those sugar cravings to the curb.

The slightly crunchy, mildly nutty flavour of sunflower seeds, coupled with a little curry spice is a match made in heaven, just spread it on a cucumber slice or brown rice cracker. The good fat in sunflower seeds is what I love most about this recipe.

If you are a regular reader of That's Fit.ca, then you are most likely well aware of the benefits of snacking. If you want to prevent your metabolism from slowing down to a snail's pace, then snacking is a good strategy to stay energized and balanced throughout the day. It also prevents you from hitting junk food at midday, which we both know isn't going to get your booty in bikini shape for poolside lounging in July.

Health benefits of sunflowers and recipe after the jump

Big, industrialized agriculture is hardly a new target. We've heard a lot over the past few years about how we're losing food taste and quality, how we're being poisoned by hormones and antibiotics, and how food is being genetically modified to become virtually unrecognizable - and how it's all driven by the demands for bigger and bigger profits. But a recent film, Food Fight, directed by Chris Taylor, describes a short history of how politics and business converged in the United States (where so much of our food comes from) to create the current situation of barely edible food and an increasingly problematic obesity epidemic.