As you prepare for apples to bob, costumes to create, parties to throw, we at Southern Living World Headquarters are ready to help.

Here's a sneak peek at October's Healthy Living stories in the magazine ...

More than a million Americans are diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancer annually, most of which are caused by the sun, in abundant supply here in the South.

The good news is that most of these cancers are treatable. But a study indicates that people who have been treated for these skin cancers may have an increased chance for developing other cancers later in life.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina and Johns Hopkins, showed that people with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer have twice the chance of developing cancer than those who have not had skin cancer.

The Really? series is one of my favorite things "The New York Times" regularly does.

Every week, it takes on a widely known health rumor, such as:

• whether or not thunder storms contribute to heart attacks (it’s possible)
• if using mayonnaise in food to be consumed outside really makes the food spoil more quickly (answer: no).

This week, the Times takes on whether dark grape juice has the same cardiovascular health benefits as red wine.

What do you think? If it’s true, will you switch from a glass of red wine a day to a glass of 100 percent dark grape juice?

I interviewed this principal, who was having a stroke but thought that she was just having a bad headache. So, she popped a headache powder and had a Coke to try to take the edge off.

Headache powders must be a Southern phenomenon. They’re always touted by race car drivers, who say they work fast.

But, where did the Coke and headache powder combo come from?

I know there’s caffeine in Coke and probably tons of it in headache powders, too. But, won’t too much caffeine make the headache worse?

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Our weekly “surprise” bag filled with local goodies has come to an end. Since May, my husband and I have been the lucky recipients of fresh vegetables and fruit from Jones Valley Urban Farm’s CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).This was our first year to try it and, boy, have we enjoyed it. 

We never planned dinner for Thursdays because that was pickup day. Whatever was in the bag was later on the table.

My husband and I experienced the season through our taste buds, a real treat. And the beauty of eating local is that what we found in the bottom of those brown bags rarely makes it in most food markets: carmello tomatoes, Cajun jewel and burgundy okra, Italian heirloom and ghostbuster eggplants and more. Belonging to JVUF put a real face on our food, and it’s a face we won’t want to miss next year.

If you have a favorite CSA or food co-op, I would love to hear about it.

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• Check out this list of sites for finding your own locally grown food.
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The bad news: Many recent reports lately have focused on schools eliminating recess:

• A recent survey by a Virginia group showed that one in 10 schools doesn't offer recess, defined as 30 minutes of unstructured play.
• This Birmingham News article delves into the subject and some of the reasons why, in some places, recess has fallen out of favor.

Now for the good news: Health has released its list of "America's Healthiest Schools," including a handful in the South. Five of the Top 10 were from our region. It's encouraging to read about schools that are going the extra mile to teach kids about fitness and healthy eating.

I really wanted to get some exercise in last week, so I drove over to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, here in Alabama, and took about a 20-minute walk-around. I brought my camera, so I took some shots of the flowers there.

Here are some of favorite pictures of flowers and such from the Southern Living Garden at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, as well as some photos I took at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington.

I have no clue what most (a.k.a. All) of these plants are. If you know, please share! (Paging the Grumpy Gardener ...)

See my slide show: Allison's Botanical Gardens.

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Get out and play!

Last week, I mentioned Kaboom's efforts to build playgrounds across America (see "Child's Play: Hands-On Hurricane Recovery by Building Playgrounds"). I met Annie Lynsen, a manager at the Washington-based nonprofit, at a convention over the weekend.

One cool new feature she offered is the Playspace Finder. You can plug in your location, and find playgrounds and parks in your area. I added the two playgrounds in Louisiana I discussed as favorites. You, too, can mark your favorites and rate them and add feedback.

Of course, you might not see your playground, so you can also add more to the list, including your own photos and description at the official Web site.

But, you can try it out here ...

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Easy access to fast food and "junk food" have contributed to the higher obesity rates across the Mediterranean region. So says an article from today's New York Times.

Countries like Greece, Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy are now seeing an increase childhood obesity and it is linked to food preferences outside of the famed Mediterranean diet.

Many studies have shown the traditional Mediterranean diet as one of the best diet for humans. High in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and poly- and monounsaturated, and limited on refined sugars and animal protein, the diet has been known to reduce the likelihood of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

However, this diet is now in jeopardy in its birthplace as many of the younger generation have fallen into new and possibly destructive dietary patterns. 

Tell us what you think about these new facts and concerns about changing your own our your children's dietary habits.

Lemon Couscous recipe, on the jump ...

I have long been viscerally opposed to the wearing of scrubs in public.

Whether it’s people who are not health care workers, and therefore have no business wearing scrubs ever, or people who are health care workers and are running errands before or after work, I have long been opposed on the well-known scientific foundations of something called fashion sense. But some studies show that wearing scrubs in public might be frightening for reasons other than what I like to call the Aesthetic Shudder Effect.

In a 2004 study of 40 doctors and medical students in Queens, N.Y., researchers found that about half the clothing worn by medical personnel was a “reservoir for germs,” and that the doctors’ ties carried the bacteria that cause pneumonia and staph infection.

Apparently, many hospitals have rules that require workers to change out of their work clothes before heading out for the day, but according to the New York Times, enforcement of such rules can be “lax.” Well, that’s reassuring.

I recently went to the dentist and found out that I had two cavities. I know, right!

I religiously brush my teeth. However, I could be more diligent about flossing ... but couldn't we all? Anyway, the dentist gave me my departing goody bag of samples and inside was some cinnamon-flavored toothpaste.

I’ve never been a fan of spearmint or peppermint, cinnamon, vanilla, bubble gum, or silly flavored toothpastes. I find it really gross that the first thing you taste in the morning and last thing at night would be this minty or super sugary conglomeration.

Anyway, I, instead, favor more chemical-tasting pastes like Arm and Hammer Baking Soda Paste or the Crest Vivid White that kinda tastes like peroxide.

I think I had too many years being a Crest Kid, growing up with bubble gum and mint-flavored pastes.

One co-worker told me that paste flavors are regionally marketed ... Can anyone say “iced-tea” paste? Yuck. Another co-worker suggested Tom’s Natural paste. I might try that.

I've since gotten my cavities filled and will try to be more diligent about flossing ...

What’s your taste for paste?

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Spending the weekend in Las Vegas for a convention, I'm faced with the choices I see frequently on the road.

But bigger! Glitzier! Crazier!

I've been once before, but it's been nearly a decade. I travel more now, and I wanted to share what I ate along the way and why.

Usually, I burn quite a few calories on the road. But at this convention, it was mostly sitting around, not a good atmosphere for high calories and low activity. How did I do?

Who hasn't walked out of the grocery store lately, taken one look at the receipt and thought, "I barely bought anything — how did I spend that much?"

Confessions of a health writer: At times, I am tempted bypass the sticker shock, skip the grocery entirely, and drive through the fast-food line, but I'm not going to make the best choices there. (I know, I know, there are all sorts of great salads and fruit cups at lots of fast-food chains now, but that cheeseburger and fries looks oh-so-so good at the end of a long day.)

Divine Caroline provides 20 healthy foods for under $1, as well as serving suggestions, all in an inspiring, insightful list.

Here are some of my favorites:

Where do our cravings come from?

My dear colleague Wade recently blogged about kids and soda (see "Kids and Cola: Blame the Schools?"), and that reminded me ...

When I was little, my mom never let me drink Coca-Cola or Pepsi. She never kept sweet tea in the house. (I know, I know. I call myself a Southerner.) When I went to school I took a lunch with me and was clearly instructed to drink milk. Sometimes when we went out to eat dinner, she would let me have one soda, but then I would be bouncing off the walls for hours, so she strictly limited my intake.

And I’m really glad she did, because, now that I’m an adult, I have no urge to drink sugary drinks. I can’t stand to drink Coca-Cola (although I indulge in a Diet Coke once a week or so), and I hate sweet tea.

I mostly drink water. The empty calories from soft drinks are something I have never craved, and I think it’s largely because my parents were like, “No. You cannot have a Coke any time you want one.”

Alabama is the second fattest state in America, with more than 30 percent of its citizens obese. (Mississippi is No. 1.) Does the government have a role in protecting the health of its citizens?

Essentially, by 2010, Alabama state workers will need to undergo a health screening. If they pass, they receive a $25 a month discount on health insurance premiums. If they fail (skip the screening, at risk for conditions, or simply too fat), they pay the full price: $50 a month.

Critics are calling it a "fat tax."

Call it forward thinking. Call it government crossing the line.

But America is getting fatter, leading to chronic health problems and higher health care costs. The South has led the way for years in poor diet, higher obesity, and shorter life expectancy.

Has the time come for such drastic measures? Will this even make a dent in Alabama's obesity epidemic?

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In my ongoing quest for extravagance, I’ve found the Hermès of face products. For an even $2,000, La Prairie offers its Jeweled Skin Caviar Luxe Cream.

What you get:

• Numbered piece includes Jeweled jar, as well as a 1.7 oz Skin Caviar Luxe Cream, which can be placed inside the refillable Jeweled jar;
• Jeweled jar takes 48 hours to hand-make and includes 2,400 crystallized Swarovski Elements;
• Certificate of Authenticity

This makes my daily Ambi face wash seem pretty bland.

I just wonder where the cost factor falls in the scale of effectiveness: Are more expensive products better?

Does investing this much in a beauty product really ensure that you're making an investment in your skin? Does this face cream work any better than good ol' Noxema?

The product is pretty on the outside, but will it make your skin pretty on the outside? If they want to send me one, I’ll be more than happy to try.

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Three years ago, I started training to run a half-marathon. Several weeks into it, I found out that I was pregnant. Though I tried to keep exercising, I quickly hung up my long-distance dreams.

Since then, the only running I've done regularly involves chasing after a young child (which is a completely different kind of marathon). Doing hurdles over Legos and sprinting to reach him before he pulls on the dog's tail takes energy, but is not exactly the cardio I need.

But with cooler days ahead, I'm looking forward to putting on my running shoes. I want to get outside and recapture the great feeling that comes with running (not to mention calories burned and energy gained). And while I don't aspire to be a competitive runner or anywhere near that level, this New York Times article on running is encouraging.

Trivia quiz: What's the hometown for each of these popular soft drinks?

1. Coca-Cola
2. Pepsi
3. RC Cola

(Hint: They're all from the South. Answers on the jump. P.S. You're welcome, world.)

We bring this up because children drink more soda now than ever. It has supplanted water, milk, and juice in their daily consumption.

Unfortunately, that's a lot of empty calories for still-developing bodies. Public schools were selling them, until concerned parents and nutrition experts cried foul. But a new study suggests that banning soda vending machines has made little impact on their overall consumption.

Hurricane season 2008 has been particularly brutal to Haiti and to our own Gulf Coast. What happens during makes for compelling television. What happens after makes for real humanity.

CNN revisited the site of a playground build in Metairie, Louisiana. The cable network partnered with KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to putting playgrounds within walking distance of every child in America.

Kids who play are healthier and happier. It's that simple.

The playground, built in a single day earlier this year, survived last month's encounter with Hurricane Gustav with nary a scratch. It made me wonder about another KaBOOM! project, a playground in nearby Slidell. Back in April 2007, I led one of a dozen teams that set up a playground, a mural, and three picnic tables in eight hours.

I couldn’t live here in the sunny South without my trusty shades. Apparently, sunglasses are the new “It” item in fashion ... move over Prada bags and Louboutin shoes.

Not only are sunglasses highly stylish, but also a must when protecting your eyes and having healthy eyesight. Did you know you’re even supposed to wear them on overcast days?

So, on a recent trip, I got to the Baltimore airport and couldn’t find my shades. No panic necessary: I just stopped by the Hudson News spot and bought a pair with UV protection (because there’s really no point in wearing shades that don’t block sunrays!).

For less than $13 (before tax, a bargain at an airport!), they were perfect. And, they’ve held up perfectly. In the last couple months, they’ve traveled with me through DC, Maryland, Virginia, Texas, Mississippi, Indiana, Tennessee, and back to Birmingham.

Tell me about your favorite pair of shades.

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