Look no further than your own dinner plate to battle the flu. New research shows that nutrients such as vitamin A -- found in yams, pumpkins, carrots and dark orange fruits and dark leafy greens -- and zinc -- found in seafood, nuts and whole grains -- play various roles in helping your immune system fight off the flu. Pile these foods on your plate to help build up your immunity.

Starting in January, employees of Whole Foods Markets can opt into a voluntary program where they receive 20 to 30% discounts based on changes in their blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and smoking habits. The more positive healthy changes they make, the bigger the discount. Whole Foods is not known as the cheapest place to shop, but they carry many healthier products that are tough to find. The discount can come in handy to employees trying to eat healthier.

A new study released in the Journal of the American Medical Associations look more closely at the rates for high cholesterol. From 2005 to 2006, researchers checked on high-risk individuals, namely those with a history of heart disease, chest pain, heart attack, stroke or diabetes, and found that more than a third hadn’t been screened for high cholesterol in the past five years and nearly 40% either went untreated or didn’t receive adequate treatment. The take-home message: If you haven’t checked yourself out in the past five years, make an appointment today!