How healthy are you? Getting married could help

How healthy are you? The latest issue of Maclean’s magazine takes a look at that question in a five-part series that investigates how much sleep you need, the two things vegetarians need to watch out for in their diet, a new heart-saving device, why married men are healthier – and why breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

Click to take the Maclean’s quiz  How healthy are you? (Symptom profiler)

For men, there’s one quick way to improve your health: Get married, preferably to a woman. Researchers found that married men tend to be healthier than single or divorced men – but the same benefit doesn’t apply to married women.

In what’s being called “health work,” women tend to cook the meals and encourage exercise in their partners. They’ll also discourage bad habits like drinking and smoking, and will even make doctor’s appointments for a headstrong spouse.

If you’re trying to lose weight, one factor you may be overlooking is the amount of sleep you get each night. Dr. Charles Samuels, a Calgary researcher, found “lack of sleep actually increases appetite and drives people to binge on unhealthy ‘comfort foods.’”

Click here to find out the other benefits of a good night’s rest.

And if you’re considering a vegetarian diet, watch out for cheese and carbohydrates. Vegetarians tend to rely heavily on these two items, Maclean’s warns, and their overall diet may be lean on fats and fatty acids, creating risk factors for heart disease.

To view the five-part series click here.