As far as superfoods go, goji berries are one of the best. They practically define the superfood category.

Also known as wolfberries, goji berries are one of the most nutritionally dense foods you can eat. They're usually found in health food stores or Asian markets in dried form, and look a little like small red raisins. Goji berry leaves can also be found as a tea.

The berries have reportedly been used in China and Tibet for 6000 years. Herbalists have prescribed them for liver protection, to help with eye sight, to improve fertility and sexual function, to boost immune function, improve circulation and to promote longevity. In vitro studies have found goji berry extracts may prevent cancer cell growth, bring down blood glucose levels and have a positive effect on cholesterol levels.

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

It's bad for your belly, but you might want to drink up anyway -- studies show that beer is good for your bones!

Is romance dead? Well, considering that half of all men admit they've never written a love letter, it's certainly dying a slow and painful death.

Wondering if you should take the plunge and get married? Here's some advice from real women.

Want your kids to grow up healthy? Start now -- studies show that a strong family routine is what helps keep kids healthy for life.

Tickling -- heinous or hilarious? Here's the deal with this age-old form of teasing and why it's torture for some.

I consider myself to be pretty from the neck down.

The genetic lottery didn't give me anything close to one of those Brad Pitt type faces, so I work hard to try and look like I've got something of a Fight Club physique to help keep my wife happy.

There are many reasons why you should engage in weightlifting, and my next post is going to elaborate on that in detail, but for this one I wanted to address the issue of how building muscle affects metabolism.

Speaking of Brad, he was pretty ripped in Fight Club, and many believe that having extra muscle mass burns a lot of extra calories, getting you closer to that coveted six pack. The most commonly quoted numbers are that one pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day while at rest. Using that math, if you happen to build ten pounds of muscle through weight training then you would burn an extra 500 calories every single day just by having that muscle hanging around on your body.

I wish it was true, but it isn't.

What do you eat on a date? If you're a man, you'll probably going to go for whatever looks good. If you're a woman, however, you're more likely to go something light like a salad. At least, that's what a study from McMaster University has recently determined. Lead researcher Meredith Young and team studied the eating habits of 469 students and found that what we order -- and how much of it we eat -- depends on who we're dining with.

Of the participants sampled, Young and co. found that women tend to choose lower-calorie foods when they're dining with a man than they would if they were eating with a group of girlfriends. On average, women ate 540 calories when eating with a male companion. But when they were eating with women? They consumed 670 calories when eating with one woman and 750 calories when eating with a group of girls. "It seems to fit with our intuition. We always hear advice about going on a first date and only eating salad," said Young.

If you've ever lost weight in the course of a regular exercise program or playing sports, you know how much easier it becomes to run down a court or bend into downward dog or even walk to the corner store as you shed those pounds. So does that mean that the thinner you are, the fitter you can be?

For runners, it's been said that a one percent reduction in weight leads to a one percent increase in performance. But it turns out it's not so simple. Over at The New York Times, Gina Kolata tackles this topic (Slimmer Doesn't Always Mean Fitter). So how do you know when you're at the right weight for optimal fitness performance? And when does thinness start interfering with fitness?

Do you ever feel your memory isn't as sharp as it should be? You may be suffering from a magnesium deficiency. A new international study that included researchers from the University of Toronto published in the journal Neuron has found increased brain levels of magnesium improves both learning and memory.

To this end, the researchers found that supplementing the diet of both young and old rats with magnesium enhanced cognitive abilities. Interestingly, the researchers were supplementing at levels higher than what is considered normal dietary intake of magnesium (400mg is the RDA for magnesium) and found the increased intake of this important mineral has a dramatic effect on improving multiple aspects of memory and learning.

The researchers closely examined parts of the brain associated with memory and found a number of cellular changes: The number of functioning parts of the brain cells involved in sending messages actually increased, more signaling molecules were activated and processes for short and long-term memory were enhanced in the magnesium supplemented group.

For a new book, Ariel Gore decided to tackle the topic of positive psychology and whether it's possible for a woman to be smart, empowered and happy. The result? Bluebird: Women and the New Psychology of Happiness. Here, Gore fills us in on the connection between happiness and feminism, and what truly makes women happy. (Here's a hint: More sex, less vacuuming.)

Q: How did you become interested in positive psychology?

A: I heard on the radio that positive psychology was the most popular class at Harvard and that intrigued me. I thought, Harvard? Happiness can be an intellectual pursuit - for smart people? That seemed to cool to me. Especially because I'd always thought of happiness as, well, pretty uncool.

Q: Can you explain your book's connection between happiness and feminism?

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

Looking for an entertaining way to get really fit? Studies show that soccer is more effective than running and lifting weights combined -- and it's more fun too.

Make sure you don't neglect the most important food group: Superfoods! Here are a few that you should definitely be filling up on.

Hate your thighs? Stop -- here are some tips on how to embrace (and love) your body, no matter what shape and size you are.

Ever wondered what causes an itch? Here's an explanation, along with how to properly take care of it.

Sounds ridiculous, but if you want to get in shape for Valentine's Day, here's a workout for the mother of all sexy lingerie-wearing days.

Last week, while walking to Kensington Market for my weekly grocery shopping excursion, shivering and frozen to the core, I started fantasizing about this soup. If you have been reading my posts, you will know that winter is not my favourite season as I MUCH prefer the sun and the warmth. However, I can get by, if I arm myself with a bunch of core-warming and nutritious soup recipes.

Health Benefits of Squash

Did you know that butternut squash is actually a fruit? The tip off is that it contains seeds just like all members of the gourd family (cucumber, pumpkin, melon). When you cut into its pale yellow and hard skin you will discover a vibrant flesh -- a tell tale sign it is beaming with a powerhouse of nutrients know as carotenoids, which protect against heart disease. Its very high levels of beta-carotene (which your body converts to vitamin A) has been studied extensively for the effects in reducing breast cancer and macular degeneration (protecting your peepers).

Dietary fibre is another reason to love this fruit. Fibre is extremely important for keeping cholesterol in check and your digestive tract detoxifying efficiently (fibre, along with bile, remove toxins from the body). Squash is also a source of potassium, vitamin B6 and folate, and it reduces inflammation because of its high antioxidant content, which is important for reducing arthritis and a whole host of inflammatory related disorders.

Recipe after the jump...

Some wonderfully, healthy eating trends are picking up speed with the mainstream population, which makes nutritionists like myself very joyous. Both raw food and gluten-free diets are becoming popular while the low-fat trend of the 80s and 90s is on the way out. This is good news as the latter did nothing good for us other than make our muffin tops and love handles grow at an obscene rate due to the over consumption of carbohydrates and processed foods.

These newest food trends are here to stay because they are all about promoting health. When you subscribe to the notion of eating nutrient-dense, low-allergen foods as the path to wellness, your gut and life will change for the better.

Eating raw is not something I personally do 100 percent of the time. I love cooked foods, especially soups and certain vegetables, which are easier to digest and simply taste better when cooked, including cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower. However, as Dr. Brian Clement, a raw foodie and co-director of the Hippocrates Health Institute says, "Food is not only for pleasure; it has the potential to aid in reducing disease and prolonging life." I couldn't agree more and truly believe that eating more raw food is critical to a joyous healthy life.

Top three reasons to go raw and cookie recipe after the jump