Harvard Medical School Says:

Don’t take aspirin just because you’ve heard it can help prevent a heart attack or stroke. It can, but it can also do some damage. 

There’s no exact tipping point at which it makes sense to start taking an aspirin a day. If you are healthy, haven’t been diagnosed with heart disease or other cardiovascular disease, and don’t have risk factors for them, aspirin probably isn’t for you. You’ll reap little benefit while exposing yourself to side effects you’d rather stay away from. The less healthy your heart and arteries, the more likely the advantages of taking aspirin will outweigh any risks.It isn’t the easiest decision to make. 

*If you are in the gray zone, talking with your doctor could make it more black and white.

*My doc advised me not to take an aspirin a day. I've heard Doctors Oz and Roizen state emphatically to take the aspirin. In fact, they tell you to purchase the cheapest aspirin you can find (Wal*Mart) and drink it with warm water - it helps dissolve the aspirin before it can do damage to the stomach. Ah, confusion reigns.

My metaphor is the Food House. These are the components that are important for diet and lifestyle changes. They are explained in detail in my book: Feed Your Head.

It's a fascinating story . . . and it's true.

Without a doubt, in regard to diet, proper eating, and lifestyle, one of the biggest problems we face is portion sizes.

The picture below demonstrates: The colorful plate (The Portion Plate) is the proper size of a plate. It is sitting on top of a plate that most of us have in our homes today. The portion plate is about 10 inches in diameter. The white plate is about 12 inches in diameter. 

Studies have been done: The larger the plate, the larger the portion and yes, we eat it all. And, that means we pack on a lot more calories than we should. Next time you're at a restaurant, pay close attention to the portion sizes. They are enormous.

You might want to check out the Portion Plate site.

It's a whopper. This Jack in the Box meal comes in at 1,720 calories. Basically, that's the daily allowance for the entire day. 

If you'd like to see many of the fast foods that we consume, here are snapshots from TV commercials. While not the sole reason for our obesity dilemma in the U.S., it certainly is a contributing factor.

Purchase Feed Your Head (free shipping).

The survey says:

"On average, children reach for cookies, chips and other treats about three times a day, consuming nearly 600 daily calories from snacks. That’s an increase of 168 snack calories compared with what children ate in the late 1970s."

Here's the rest of the article from the New York Times.

While checking out of my local sporting goods store, this is a quick snapshot that I took . . . candyland! By the way, you see the Skittles in the picture? It weighs in at 680 calories and 31 teaspoons of sugar.

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It’s much easier to do prevention than treatment. - Dr. Michael Roizen

Purchase Feed Your Head (free shipping).