(Thinkstock/Stockbyte) Holiday weight gain is a funny thing. Once Halloween hits, the health media is full of alarming reports on the calories, sugar and fat we’re all going to consume this holiday season — and the dreaded pounds they’ll turn into. Many of these reports say most people will gain 8, 10 or even 15 pounds in one holiday season. But there’s not a lot of scientific evidence to back that up, Jaimie Cooper, Ph.D., an assistant professor in nutrition...

((Thinkstock/Digital Vision)) Pregnant women, infants and children who drink raw milk are at particularly high risk of developing serious, life-threatening illnesses, said a leading U.S. group of pediatricians. People should consume only pasteurized milk, the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a new policy statement, reaffirming its position on the issue. (MORE: Is Organic Milk Healthier?) Pregnant women who drink raw milk may face a fivefold increase in risk of the parasite infection toxoplasmosis, the doctors' group said; and infection...

((Thinkstock/Altrendo Images)) This past weekend, Winter Storm Electra provided headaches to many in the Midwest and Northeast, and some might have been unrelated to digging a car out of the snow. Stormy weather and cold temperatures can cause migraine headaches. (MORE: Can Weather Trigger a Migraine?) Now, people living with migraines could be in luck the next time their symptoms flare up — the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first device to relieve migraine headache pain, the...

Added sugar is everywhere, padding your waistline and upping your risk for a host of diseases. In the following photos, each cube of cane sugar equals one teaspoon, meaning that each time you eat the listed serving size of these foods, you’re consuming that many teaspoons of sugar. (Edecio Martinez and Camille Mann/Weather.com) Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be difficult during the winter months. Holiday meals, boxes of cookies from Secret Santa and cold weather make it easy to slip...

Thanks to climate change, rates of mosquito-borne diseases are expected to increase around the world. One recent example of this phenomenon: A new outbreak of chikungunya disease — a mosquito-borne infection — that has sickened a suspected20 individuals in the Caribbean isle of St. Martin, according to the World Health Organization. There's evidence that the virus could spread beyond the island, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (ABOVE: Deadly Diseases from Mosquitos, Ticks and More) In...

The CDC has records of the deadliest foodborne illness outbreaks since the early 1970s, and five of the top ten outbreaks have occurred since 2000. Click through to see history's deadliest outbreaks. (Thinkstock/Jupiterimages) Foodborne illness outbreaks are more likely during the summer — but two recent outbreaks serve as a reminder that foodborne illness is, in reality, a year-round problem. Because of this, there's reason to believe that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection program cannot properly...

Simple Steps to Shake Stress (Thinkstock/Photodisc) All December long, trees need trimming, cookies need baking, presents need wrapping and parties need attending, with the perfect hostess gift in hand. Exhausted yet? Sure, the holiday season can be fun, but it can also be draining. More than two-thirds of people (68 percent) report feeling extra stressed this time of year, according to a survey from the American Psychological Association. Sixty-one percent report seasonal fatigue. Women are more likely than men to...

’Tis the season for family. For Ben Nunery, 34, the holidays of 2013 have been a powerful reminder of the love he feels for his family and the home they share. His wife, Ali, died two years ago from a rare form of lung cancer. As Ben and the couple’s daughter, Olivia, 3, prepared to move out of the Cincinnati home Ben and Ali purchased just before their wedding, he decided to recreate their nuptial shots with Olivia. Both photo...

The Year's Top Stories A man takes a shower amid rubble in an area badly affected by Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban, central Philippines, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) With the end of the year approaching, it’s time to look back at the legacy 2013 will leave behind. Many of the most notable events of the past year stem from the issue that matters most to our daily life: our health. The past year featured numerous groundbreaking discoveries and...

Eating fruits and vegetables — like winter favorites carrots and grapefruits — can reduce your risk for one of America’s number one killers. Researchers have found that a small increase in the daily consumption of fiber can lead to a lower risk of heart disease, according to a study from the University of Leeds published in the journal BMJ. (ABOVE: Which State is the Worst for Your Heart?) The study reviewed 26 previous studies that looked at dietary fiber intake...

(Thinkstock/Stockbyte) Pregnant women shouldn’t fear that eating nuts will trigger allergies in their child, researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital report in JAMA Pediatrics. In fact, when women ate nuts more than five times a month during pregnancy, their children had a lower risk of nut allergies compared to kids whose mothers avoided the food, researchers found. This debunks previous fears that the ingestion of nuts or peanuts can bring on allergies, researchers added. (MORE: The Worst Cities for Allergies) But...

Chilly fall temperatures mark the beginning of the flu season, which officially runs from October to April. What do you need to know about this year's flu? Click through to find out. (Thinkstock/Digital Vision) H1N1, the deadly swine flu that caused a pandemic in 2009, has returned this year, killing at least five people in Texas, according to CBS News. (ABOVE: Flu Season 2013-2014: 11 Essential Facts) Last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services issued an influenza health...