You can eat as much as you want, as often as you want -- as long as what you eat is low-calorie, a new study reports. People who eat a diet heavy in vegetables and fruits, low-cal dairy, whole grains and lean meats. Those who consume more low-calorie foods also dramatically increase their intake of nutrients.

Low-calorie density foods are those that contain less calories ounce for ounce while still retaining their mass. Good examples are fruits and vegetables full of fiber and water -- there's still bulk to chew, without the extra weight gain. Calorie dense foods are those full of flour, fat and sugar -- which pack on the pounds even if eaten only in small portions. These include processed snack foods -- especially anything with high oil content like potato chips -- as well as sugary treats and fatty meats. Men who consumed the low-calorie diet consumed 425 less calories, and women consumed 250 less -- though all participants on the diet consumed considerably more food by weight. If you like to eat, eat light.

Many heart disease risk factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure could be treated early on, thus preventing various future types of heart disease from developing -- if only uninsured Americans had access to health care. Democratic Mass. Senator John Kerry proposed recently that by 2012, all Americans be required to have health insurance -- and that anyone who can't get themselves covered be aided by the government to make sure that they are.

An estimated 46 million Americans have no health insurance. For many low-income Americans, that means no access to health care due to the high cost. A potential 2008 presidential candidate, Kerry plans to give Americans access to the same quality of care available to members of Congress, lower employer costs and cover every child in this country. Where will the funds to provide national health care come from, you ask? There will be more than enough, Kerry proposes, by repealing President Bush's tax cuts for people earning more than $200,000 a year.

The psychological effects of poverty and low social stature, in addition to an increased prevalence of obesity and smoking in poor populations contribute greatly to health and mortality rates. A new British study finds the country's poorest are 10 times more likely to die in their 50's than the wealthy population-- even given equal access and quality of health care.

The poor are much more likely to suffer from an array of 17 chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure-- both of which lead to heart disease. Living alone is more common among the poor, the study found, and that twice as many poor people felt isolated compared to wealthy people. Feelings of isolation can lead to depression, which recent studies have explicitly linked to heart disease.

Magnesium is an important yet overlooked mineral integral to a healthy heart. The average American diet only provides about half of the recommended daily allowance, which is 400 mg. Magnesium helps keep the heart beating smoothly, aides in maintaining healthy blood pressure, and relaxes arterial muscle tissue.

Deficiency of magnesium in heart and arterial tissues can result in a muscular spasm that causes an oxygen-supplying artery to clamp shut, resulting in sudden death. This incidence is known as ischemic heart disease, or a suffocation of the heart.  Hardened arteries, which lead to heart attacks, can also be caused by a lack of magnesium-- without which the body cannot properly assimilate calcium.

Excellent sources of dietary magnesium include dark chocolate, nuts, avocados, milk, spinach and other leafy green vegetables, lentils, wheat germ, bran, and some meat. Dietary supplements, including combo calcium-magnesium capsules, can be found in most health food stores.