I take most health-related tidbits I hear with a grain of salt. After all, everything seems to be linked to anything these days, and it's hard to weed through what you should be avoiding. I choose instead to trust that if I live my life as healthfully as I can stand, I'll have done the best I can.

Here's a bit of information that you can either ignore or live by -- Laundry Detergents can be toxic to you and your family. Chemicals in laundry detergent are thought to be toxic to the human, specifically:

• Petroleum Distillates -- which linked to cancer
• Phenols
  
• Artificial fragrances
• Phosphates
• Optical brighteners

I don't know how true this is, but if you're concerned, a switch to a more natural detergent certainly won't harm you. For some suggestions, check out this article from That's Fit.

When I make a salad or anything that needs oil, I always reach for the olive oil. It is regarded as a healthful dietary oil because of its high content of monounsaturated fat (mainly oleic acid) and polyphenols.

In a study to be published in the January 2007 issue of The FASEB Journal, scientists from five European countries describe how the anti-cancer effects of olive oil may account for the significant difference in cancer rates among Northern and Southern Europeans.

The researchers examined urine samples of subjects consuming a little less than a quarter cup of olive oil for three weeks. They were looking for specific compounds known to be waste by-products of oxidative damage to cells, a precursor to cancer. At the beginning of the trial the presence of these waste by-products was much higher in the Northern European subjects than their Southern European counterparts. By the end of three weeks of consuming the olive oil the presence of this compound in Northern European subjects was substantially reduced.

They also found that phenols in olive oil are not the only compounds that reduced oxidative damage. Phenols are a known antioxidant that is present in a wide range of foods, such as dark chocolate, red wine, tea, fruits and vegetables. Even if the level of phenols in the olive oil was reduced the study's subjects still received the same health benefits.

When you are cooking this holiday season, pick up some olive oil. I also use the spray olive oil which is great for getting those muffins out of the tray!