Tracey Tann Parker is busy! She is a full-time nurse and a part-time, dual-degree student at Hunter College. While most students become less healthy because of their hectic schedules, Tracey had the opposite experience. Here's how she began making small changes in her life that got her feeling good and looking great.

Q: What inspired you to adopt a healthier lifestyle?

A: It all started in 2004 with a class assignment. We had to go to www.mypyramid.gov (the nutrition webpage of the United States Department of Agriculture) and enter what we had eaten during the day. The website calculates your calories and the amounts of proteins, fats and carbohydrates you eat.

Here are some important facts you should know about corn and sugar:

The most common reason why we gain weight is because we are taking in more calories than we are burning on a daily basis.  What people don't realize, is that the reason we consume so many calories is often due to what we are drinking, not what we are eating.  Drinking beverages that are high in calories (unless it is a protein s

Eating a diet that does not have enough healthy vegetables and fruits causes a lot of health problems.  And, while unhealthy foods are often cheap to buy, they can be expensive to our health over the long run.