Is there anything better than a contagious giggle that you absolutely can’t control? (Ok, maybe not so good in school or church.) Laughter works wonderfully well in the moment, but it also has some surprising long-term health benefits. In the book A Better Brain at Any Age: The Holistic Way to Improve Your Memory, Reduce Stress, and Sharpen Your Wits (Conari Press, 2009), author Sondra Kornblatt explores how laughter can truly make you feel better.

She writes that the new field of gelotology is exploring the benefits of laughter. It was brought to the public’s awareness in Norman Cousins’ memoir Anatomy of an Illness. Cousins found that comedies, like those of the Marx Brothers, helped him feel better and get some pain-free sleep. That’s because laughter helps the pituitary gland release its own pain-suppressing opiates.

What can laughter do?:

• Lower blood pressure
• Increase vascular blood flow and oxygenation of the blood
• Give a workout to the diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles
• Reduce certain stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline
• Increase the response of tumor- and disease-killing cells such as Gamma-interferon and T-cells
• Defend against respiratory infections–even reducing the frequency of colds–by immunoglobulon in saliva.
• Increase memory and learning; in a study at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, humor during instruction led to increased test scores

• Improve alertness, creativity, and memory

Humor and creativity work in similar ways, says humor guru William Fry, M.D., of Stanford University–by creating relationships between two disconnected items, you engage the whole brain.

Humor works quickly. Less than a half-second after exposure to something funny, and electrical wave moves through the higher brain functions of the cerebral cortex. The left hemisphere analyzes the words and structures of the joke; the right hemisphere “gets” the joke; the visual sensory area of the occipital lobe creates images; the limbic (emotional) system makes you happier; and the motor sections make you smile or laugh.

So let’s laugh. What makes you laugh? Tell us your favorite funny movie, or how about a good joke?

To learn more about Personal Chef To Go, please visit our website, find us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

Common knowledge tells us that organic food is good food. It is tasty to eat, good for the environment, and safer for the farmers and workers who produce it. Since agriculture is responsible for much of the pollution of the waterways, choosing organic is the eco-choice for those who want to live a more sustainable life.

Eating organic may be one of best ways to keep your body healthy and the world’s ecosystems strong. Which organic fruits and vegetables to buy with your hard earned cash can be confusing. Some produce has less pesticides, while others are laden with chemical residues. Some are obvious, because of their thick skin (bananas), while others are penetrable (berries).

Is buying organic worth the extra cost? The jury is still out. It seems that the research has yet to prove an adverse health effect from consuming the low levels of pesticides that are commonly found in U.S. food. This may be inconclusive, but as Time magazine points out, “Even if conventional foods don’t turn out to be as dangerous as organic advocates claim, several recent studies have suggested that organic foods contain higher levels of vitamins than their conventionally grown counterparts.” Also, for the most vulnerable groups, such as children and pregnant women, as well as for those who are interested in sustainable growing practices (and their health), buying organic makes sense. Especially, the fruits and vegetables that carry the heaviest pesticide load. Here are 15 reasons to buy organic food.

Want to get the most bang for your organic buck? Check out Heidi Kenney’s free downloadable Dirty Dozen Cheat Sheet. When you are food shopping and need to make that quick decision on whether to spend a little more for organic, the Cheat Sheet makes that decision simple. The convenient, credit card-sized guide separates 27 common fruits and veggies into two categories, those that generally have a low pesticide content and those that don’t. Cool Hunting claims it is the, “world’s cutest pocket guide to buying organic.” The guide is based on the Environmental Working Group’s comprehensive list of the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15. If you’ve got an iPhone you can download the Shoppers Guide to Pesticides.

Do you buy organic? If so, what do you think are the most important fruits and vegetables to purchase?

Image credit: http://www.mypapercrane.com/blog/?p=2135#comments

Ronnie Citron-Fink is a writer and educator. Ronnie regularly writes about sustainable living for online sites and magazines. Along with being the creator of www.econesting.com, Ronnie has contributed to numerous books about green home design, DIY, children, and humor. Ronnie lives the Hudson Valley of New York with her family.

Debbie Mandel, Intent.com

Spring is almost here and many people are worrying about allergy season. However, nature can actually make you healthier with fewer doctor’s visits. Human nature is enmeshed with nature. Learn to get along with nature’s rhythms to reset your own biorhythms from technology overload — focus on the benefits. So, the next time it is hot and humid, don’t beat the heat — make peace with it.

Here is what nature can do for you:

* Silent communication. Overscheduled and endless demands, you need to detoxify your senses with solitude, setting aside quiet time to reflect. You can hear a bird, smell a flower and feel the wind on your skin. Learn to pay attention to feel alive and alert — less likely to fall and get injured.

* Slow you down. Being crazy busy sets you up for chronic stress. Nature reduces the inflammatory response of stress which is damaging to all your bodily processes and sets you up for unhappiness.

* The sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D as transmitted by sunlight to your skin and helps to release serotonin to improve your mood. Exposure to sunlight stimulates the pineal gland to produce melatonin which plays a role in quality sleep, so that you wake up refreshed to start your day — without irritability. Vitamin D boosts the immune system and helps prevent certain cancers like breast and colon.

* Nutrients. Eating local, organically grown pesticide-free fruits and vegetables provides superior nutrition because they go directly from harvest to table. Better yet grow fruits, herbs and vegetables in your own garden or a community garden. Did you know that gardeners don’t tend to get osteoporosis and get a great workout that many gym members envy?

* Natural self-expression. Nature reminds you to be your authentic self — embrace your body and run with wolves — metaphorically speaking. Silence, suppression, pretense — take their toll on your mood and cardiovascular system.

* Movement outdoors. Take your workout outdoors because man was designed to walk and run outside. One hour at the gym is not enough. Look for opportunities to move all day instead of sitting in front of the TV or a computer.

* The power of the pack. Nature teaches us to flock together for safety and close relationships. Isolation breeds depression, illness and cognitive impairment.

* The power of green. The fewer chemicals the better, as everyone has a tipping point for illness. Chemicals stress the body. Also, the color green helps to promote healing. Nature has many shades of green.

Intent.com provides content and community for who you aspire to be--personally, socially and globally.

To me, healthy eating simply means removing, or limiting the foods in your diet that could be harming you and eating enough of the foods that contain the nutrients essential to your health. It is always preferable to get your nutrients from food itself rather than supplements, although replenishing nutrients using supplements is necessary, too. Most importantly, eating should be a pleasurable experience. If you are not enjoying your meals because you feel deprived or bored, your diet is not right for you. There is no one right diet, or way to eat, different people thrive on different foods.

1. Try doing some of your shopping at local farmers markets if possible. Here is a great link to find one near you.

2. Never go shopping when you are feeling hungry. This will help prevent impulse buying – usually something junky – to satisfy your hunger.

3. Most of your shopping should be in the outer aisles – the produce, the meats, fish, eggs. The inner aisles are usually full of processed foods (which you want to avoid) – the ones full of sugar, trans fats and other preservatives that extends their shelf life. Processed foods also tend to have a lot of the healthy protective micronutrients missing and are high in sodium and low in fiber.

4. Buy fresh food whenever possible – the fresher the food, the more nutritious.

5. Buy organic fruits and vegetables whenever you can and if possible, locally grown. Locally grown fruits and vegetables are less likely to have been sprayed with pesticides and chemicals. It’s also a great way to support local farmers.

6. Choose the most colorful fruits and vegetables, the more varied the colors, the better. This way you will get as many different phytonutrients as possible.

7. Choose simple whole foods – those closest to mother-nature. The more refined or processed, the less the nutritional value.

8. As a general rule, if there are ingredients that you cannot recognize, pronounce or spell, you should not be putting those into your body. And no cartoon characters either.

9. Become a label reader – though most of the foods you should be eating do not require labels. If you do buy packaged or boxed foods, know what is in them.

10. Be wary of “all natural” labels. Although I recommend an all natural way of eating, “all natural” on a label is often meaningless and deceptive and a guise for hidden sugars.

11. Look for sugars in all its different forms on the label. A variety of different versions of refined sugars are often used to trick you into thinking that there is not much sugar in the product. Here are some of the different versions of refined sugar – cane sugar, brown sugar, beet sugar, date sugar, grape sugar, glucose, sucrose, maltose, maltodextrin, dextran, dextrose, sorbitol, corn syrup, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, corn sugar, fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, barley malt, caramel, carob syrup and sorghum syrup.

12. Look for the number of grams of sugar on a label – 4 grams is equivalent to 1 teaspoon. If possible buy foods that contain 3 grams or less.

13. Try to buy grass feds meats and free range chickens. Organic meats and poultry without hormones would be next best and if you cannot find them, then chose lean cuts of meats and remove the skin from chicken as this is where toxins are stored.

14. Limit buying fish with a high mercury content. Choosing ocean caught fish is generally better than farm raised fish which are usually full of PCB’s.

15. Lastly, bring your own shopping bags with you to the supermarket.

Follow Dr. Frank Lipman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lipmo .

Frank Lipman MD, is the founder and director of the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in NYC a center whose emphasis is on preventive health care and patient education. His personal blend of Western and Eastern Medicine combined with the many other complimentary modalities he has studied has helped thousands of people recover their energy and zest for life. He is the author of the recent Revive: Stop Feeling Spent and Start Living Again (2009) and Total Renewal; 7 key steps to Resilience, Vitality and Long-Term Health (2003).

 Extra virgin coconut oil. It’s perfect for cooking any meat or poultry. It's at the foundation of many traditional recipes and is readily available both on and offline. It's an exceptional value for the money, and has been proven to elevate metabolism, boost both short and long-term energy, and strengthen the immune system.

1. Coconut oil is good fat at it’s best. It’s 92% saturated fat but not the scary stuff. In it’s pure organic state the saturated fat in coconut oil is made up of medium-chain-fatty-acids which are shuttled directly to your liver.
2. What happens to this fat in your liver? It becomes an instant source of increased energy and quick and lasting metabolism boost.
3. It is also great for those who can’t tolerate other fats and you can even lose weight on it as it is easily digested and increases the metabolism, giving more energy. It also lowers cholesterol and stabilizes blood sugar.
4. Coconut oil contains lauric acid (one of the major components of breast milk), so it is wonderful for boosting the immune system. It also improves thyroid function.
5. Due to it’s anti-inflammatory properties coconut oil will help protect you against common flu’s and colds and may even assist in fighting more serious ailments. It is also anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal.
6. Coconut oil is fantastic for your skin when you eat it but it also works straight out of the bottle. It can be used as a hair repair treatment by leaving some in the ends of dry hair. It absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave a greasy feel so it's a great skin moisturizer and conditioner.
7. Coconut oil is one of the most stable oils you can cook with and it won’t go rancid even at extremely high temperatures.
8. Adding a teaspoon of coconut oil to each meal can help you stay fuller for longer and avoid sweet cravings later on.
9. The energy and metabolism boost you’ll get from coconut oil is one of the simplest and inexpensive ways to naturally improve your performance both at work and play - and has even been shown to lift a lagging libido!
10. Eating good fats such as coconut oil is a sure way to encourage a healthy hormonal system,  to increase your capacity to manage and over come stress, to efficiently digest and utilize food, and to get off the sugar-rollercoaster that comes about with every too-low-fat-diet.

If you can't wait to pick some up right away you can purchase extra virgin coconut oil from any organic store and even from most health foods stores. Be sure it's made from fresh coconuts, not from old Copra ( the dried meat of the coconut from which oil is extracted). It’s around $7 for a jar. You can buy it refined (no flavor) or unrefined (coconut flavour, strange huh?!) These are a great start but some people have found  online versions to be better quality and clarity. Try Tropical Traditions for a start or visit Niulife.