I've been reading the new book, Gluten Is My Bitch: Rants, Recipes, and Ridiculousness for the Gluten-Free by April Peveteaux (a former Stir contributor!). Even for the totally gluten-friendly, the book is informative and an unexpected kness-slapper. You wouldn't think there's anything funny about celiac, but there is. Oh yes, there is. Anyway, I'm actually learning a few things I didn't know about gluten before. Like -- all of the things in the world that have gluten in them. And they're not even all food! Gluten is so not just about bread and pasta. Here are several places April says gluten hides.

It's been said that bacon makes everything better, but 105-year-old Pearl Cantrell  of Richland Springs, Texas, goes one step further. She says bacon is the key to a long, happy life.

Yep, she's serious. She recently told KRBC when asked about the secret to her longevity, "I love bacon, I eat it every day. I don't feel as old as I am, that's all I can say. I want other people to eat bacon, I tell them too. My kids all eat it." 

Well, if it's gotten her to 105, that's good enough for us, right my fellow cured meat lovers?

Well mom -- you did tell us. You said, "One day you will thank me!" You told us that again and again and again. Little did you know, while you thought we were ignoring you, we heard each and every bit of guidance you dished out. We just weren't ready to accept that you might be right -- about any of it. We know now that all of the nagging heartfelt advice really did mean something. We can see that now. And yes, while it is slightly annoying -- we are learning to appreciate your wisdom. See for yourself ...

Now that wedding season is in full swing, advice for brides is unavoidable. Of course one of the most common topics -- apart from DIY decor and etiquette dos and don'ts -- is the pre-Big Day slimdown. How should brides be getting fit to walk down the aisle? Because, after all, as fitness and lifestyle expert Amanda Russell tells Us News & World Report, "The big moment of the whole day is ... they open those doors," and ... well, there's a reason the song is called "Here Comes the Bride." You know, no pressure or anything!

Okay, sure, you want to look your best. But now that my own Big Day has come and gone, I can confidently say I'm proud of how I maximized my fitness over the last six months to look and feel my best (and be four sizes smaller than when I started!) when "those doors" opened. Here, five significant steps I took to get fit to wed that could work for anyone, whether you're about to tie the knot or not ...

When it comes to eating healthy, we all have different motivating factors. Sometimes it's because we wanna drop a few pounds, sometimes it's because vegetables make us feel less gross than a dinner of French fries and chicken fingers. For Gwyneth Paltrow, she changed her diet for medical reasons. The actress told Glamour UK that years ago, blood tests revealed she had several serious problems, and was told the best way to heal them was to eat better.

I've always known that Gwynny was a hardcore health freak, but I didn't know that it was because she had so many medical problems. The actress revealed that she had a benign tumor on her ovary that had to be removed, an anemia, hormonal imbalances, thyroid issues, her liver was congested, and she was vitamin-D deficient.

Um, whoa.

When we're talking amazing women's bodies, we almost always talk about Jennifer Aniston. At 44, the woman is so flawless that even super models are in awe of her.

Heck, Jen and Michelle Obama are credited with inspiring a 4,000 percent increase in upper arm plastic surgery. So there's no question her bod is smokin'. The burning question, however, is: How does she get it?

She recently told People that in addition to yoga and a generally healthy lifestyle and diet, she does have one delicious secret that we can all borrow -- cheat days.

Everyone told me weight would just magically fall off as I got closer to my wedding day, because when you're stressed, "that's just what happens." Um, not so much. It's more like the reverse for me, thanks to hormones, so I've just been hoping my hard workouts provide stress relief (sounds pretty counterintuitive, huh?). But for many women, stress and difficult emotions often lead to involuntary weight loss. Even if they're going through the roughest times of their lives, they might look thinner than ever, and then we commend them. Ridic!

Eva Longoria spoke with Dr. Oz about the months following her divorce from Tony Parker, and she said it was "the time I got the most compliments, because I was so skinny. I was not eating. I was depressed. I was sad. My diet was coffee." Grrrreat.

There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your hard work pay off. Since his stint on Dancing With the Stars, Chaz Bono had continued his weight loss journey and recently showed off his 60-pound weight loss at the GLAAD Media Awards Saturday. The 44-year-old told People that he's still dancing, but attributes his slimmer figure to what he's eating.

"Diets don't work," Bono said. "Meats and vegetables and fruits are my diet. I make them all different ways to keep it interesting."

Now THIS is my kinda guy. Sure, people lose pounds on diets all of the time. But if you want to live your life -- you're gonna have to make your "diet" your lifestyle. Not a temporary fix.