At some point or another, it happens to everyone: You can't sleep. When you finally drop off, the alarm buzzes a microsecond later. Then, you can't get up. And then, it gets worse: When you finally drag yourself out of bed, you look like you-know-what.

Can't imagine why the sleep gods had it in for you? Think about what you ate the night before, says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of The Food & Mood Cookbook. Any of the following -- much less a combo platter -- can leave your body on uneasy street for hours:

• Spicy foods: Garlic, chilies, cayenne, and other intense spices are yummy going down, but they can keep you up with heartburn or indigestion. Avoid MSG, too, as it can trigger dreams that are a bit too vivid.

• A big dinner: An overtaxed digestive system takes hours to settle down, and there's nothing restful about that. When sleep's critical, make lunch your largest meal, and enjoy a light 500-calorie dinner early in the evening.

• Raucous veggies: Eat those good-for-you-but-gassy foods -- beans, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts -- in the middle of the day. A tankful of gas can keep anyone up at night.

• Speed eating: Relax and enjoy meals to avoid swallowing air, another common cause of midnight tummy trouble.

• Nightcaps: Alcohol may make you drowsy at first, but later on it disturbs sleep patterns and leads to awakenings and restlessness. A 4-ounce glass of wine with dinner won't hurt, as long as it's not within 2 hours of bedtime.

• Coffee after breakfast: Caffeine can linger in your body for as long as 12 hours. So if you're often wide-eyed at bedtime, make sure you're caffeine-clean for at least 12 hours. (Skip tea, chocolate, cola, or other caffeine culprits, too.) Still watching the clock at 2 a.m.? Wean yourself off even morning java, then stay caffeine-free for 2 weeks. If you definitely sleep better, you have your answer: Caffeine is not your friend. If the results are mixed, "Try adding back a cup or two of coffee or tea in the morning and watch what happens," says Somer. "But if sleeplessness comes back, cut it out."

Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night doesn't just make your eyes bright, your skin happy, and your mind sharp, it can also make your RealAge as much as 3 years younger.

Enough of the do-not’s -- here’s what you should eat to fall asleep!

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So . . . how much leftover Halloween candy do you polish off every year?!? And who doesn't feel a little spooky about giving out fistfuls of sugar-covered fat? Fright Night, indeed. On the other hand, guilt-free handouts -- baggies of trail mix, mini boxes of raisins, tangerines -- are no treat if all you hear are disappointed sighs from princesses and superheroes. Solution? Do your sweet shopping at health-food stores, where finding these eight treats isn't tricky. Classroom and office friends will love them -- and so will their bodies!

1. Let's Do . . . Organic Jelly Gummi Bears
These fat-free organic treats come in 80-calorie packages, so no one overdoes it. Though a little less gummy than traditional “bears,” the natural fruit flavors, like elderberry and apricot, are yummy.

2. Tiny Trapeze Caramels
Love Rolos? Try these chewy caramels. They have less than half the fat and calories of Rolos, and they're made with organic cocoa powder and cane juice. Everyone will scarf them up.

3. Figamajig’s Chocolate-Covered Almond Bar
Kids will think this is a rich raisin-filled candy bar. Adults will love the chewy goodness of figs wrapped in delicious dark chocolate. And guess what? It’s low-fat (only 1.5 grams saturated fat), high fiber (4 grams) and covered with heart-healthy almonds.

4. Reed's Ginger Candy Chews
These bite-size candies deliver a mouthful of sweet, spicy flavor for just 25 calories a pop. Ginger's a natural tummy soother, too, which may offset the side effects of treat overload.

5. Florida's Natural Pocket Fruit-to-Go Stiks 
Like fruit roll-ups, but healthier, these organic, no-gluten, fat-free chew sticks are bursting with natural flavors and have only 8 grams of sugar, half of it from juice. Available in small 40-calorie packs.

6. Angel Mints
While there's nothing that devilish about LifeSavers mints, Angels have less sugar, fewer calories, and no artificial flavors: The tingly taste comes from pure peppermint oil. Stash a few for those days when you're brain-drained -- peppermint perks up mental alertness.

7. Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Edamame
Think chocolate-covered peanuts. But instead you -- uh, your friends -- get dry-roasted edamame covered in semisweet chocolate. For about the same amount of calories, greedy goblins are also getting fiber (5 grams), protein (7 grams), and only half the sugar of M&M's.
8. CocoaVia Blueberry and Almond Chocolate Bars
Finally! A real heart-healthy candy bar: flavanoid-rich dark chocolate, almonds high in healthy fat, blueberries bursting with protective antioxidants and some B vitamins. At only 100 calories, 3 grams of saturated fat, and 9 grams of sugar, it's okay to be slightly wicked on Halloween.


Is it really worth going out of your way for healthier treats? You bet. Bad fats can send weight and RealAge soaring. Now that's scary!  

Here’s one Halloween delight you can indulge in all year long.  

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Whether you're walking around with a box of tissues or curled up in bed with aches and the shivers, what you feed your cold or flu can speed your recovery. Here's how to maximize your body's virus-busting powers. 

1. Trust Your Body
If you instinctively sip cup after cup of tea with honey and lemon when you're under the weather, your body knows exactly what it's doing. While any hot liquid will help loosen clogged nasal passages and soothe sore throats, hot tea also doses you with virus-fighting, inflammation-relieving antioxidants. (In fact, people who drank 5 cups of black tea a day for 2 weeks produced 10 times more interferon -- proteins that fight viruses -- than those who drank instant coffee. For tea lovers, 5 cups is equal to about 3 full mugs -- not that much.)

As for the honey (the darker, the better), it's also thick with protective antioxidants. And a big squeeze of lemon in every mugful adds a little extra vitamin C to your virus-fighting kit; plus, the tartness stimulates saliva, which makes swallowing easier.    

2. Trust Your Grandma
Researchers keep trying to figure out why chicken soup does a sick body good. One finding: cysteine, an amino acid that's released by cooked chicken. It's chemically similar to acetylcysteine, a bronchitis drug, and it works with other soup ingredients to reduce inflammation. Salty broth also helps thin mucus.  

Chicken soup helps even more if you rev it up with spices: garlic, which has a well-earned reputation for squelching infection, and hot red pepper, which contains capsaicin, a powerful decongestant that intensifies the soup's sinus-clearing effects. Try this tried-and-true recipe.

3. Trust Your Tummy
Smooth, healthy, comforting -- no wonder lots of sickies crave hot cereal or cool yogurt. Again, your body knows what it's doing. Oatmeal (like other whole-grain cereals) delivers three nutrients known to support your immune system: selenium, zinc, and beta-glucan. Yogurt with active cultures (aka probiotics or live healthy bacteria) helps fend off colds in the first place. One, Lactobacillus reuteri (found in Stonyfield Farm yogurt), seems to be especially protective.

Top your oatmeal or yogurt with strawberries, nuts, and seeds. You'll get a vitamin C boost from the berries and immunity-enhancement from the vitamin E, zinc, and selenium in the nuts and seeds. Extra selenium may be extra important if you have the flu, since it seems to ward off lung inflammation. 

Alternatively, stir lots of cinnamon into oatmeal or yogurt -- it smells and tastes wonderful, and it can help reduce fever, relieve pain, and kill germs. If nausea is adding to your misery, add a little ginger, fresh or powdered. It's a proven tummy tamer and may take antibacterial action against any bad bugs in your respiratory tract.

Once your cold or flu is over (whew), try keeping up some of these habits, especially drinking plenty of antioxidant-packed tea. Not only could it help prevent another bout, but getting the right amount of antioxidants through diet or supplements can make your RealAge 6 years younger, too.

And keep cold and flu bugs from coming back with these simple tactics.

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The irresistible aroma and pungent flavor of ginger perks up everything from carrot soup to stir-fries. But with fresh ginger, spicy-great taste is only the beginning. While it's best known for quelling queasy motion sickness, fresh ginger has also been shown to soothe a sour stomach, calm achy joints, reduce cholesterol (one great way to lower your RealAge), thwart artery-clogging clots, kill ovarian cancer cells, quash inflammation, and -- maybe most impressive of all -- fend off the common cold! Ample reason to try these quick and tasty recipes.

Fizzy Refresher
Try your hand at some homemade ginger ale -- you'll never buy the canned stuff again. This recipe from Ellen Michaud's The Healing Kitchen makes it so easy:

Homemade Ginger Ale (serves 4)

4 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
4 teaspoons honey, or more to taste
2 cups seltzer water
Lemon slices
Ice

1. Finely chop or shred ginger in a food processor or with a hand grater. Boil 2 cups water and add the ginger. Cover and steep for 10 minutes. Strain.

2. Add honey.

3. Let cool to room temperature. Pour 1/2 cup into a glass. Add seltzer, a lemon slice, and ice. Stir and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Per serving: 23 calories, 6 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fat (0 grams sat.), 0 grams  fiber; 0 milligrams cholesterol, 25 milligrams sodium


The Best Digestive
Sipping fresh ginger tea after a hearty meal helps food go down easier. And it tastes great! "The most effective -- and least expensive -- way to brew a cup of ginger tea is to grate two teaspoons of fresh ginger into a cup of just-boiled water," writes Michaud. Steep for 10 minutes, strain, and serve.


Not Just for Christmas
Don't wait for the holidays to bake this sweet favorite. This low-fat treat from EatingWell makes a healthy desert or snack any time of the year:

Old-Fashioned Ginger Bread (serves 12)

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger or 4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup molasses
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat an 8x11-1/2-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

2. Whisk both flours, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Place egg, sugar, and oil in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until thick and creamy. Reduce speed to low and beat in molasses and applesauce.

4. With a rubber spatula, gently mix reserved dry ingredients and buttermilk into egg mixture, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 additions of buttermilk. (Do not overmix.)

5. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack. Serve warm.

Per serving: 243 calories, 47 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams fat (1 grams sat.), 18 milligrams cholesterol,  3 grams protein, 2 grams fiber, 128 milligrams sodium

Find five other tasty ways to spice up your health.

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If you love breakfast sausages but hate fat and calories, you know the pseudosausage world is rough. Veggie, soy, chicken, turkey, whatever -- most are bland, spongy, and generally icky. We know: We taste-tested a dozen different kinds and wouldn't buy most again. Ever. But three made the cut! Very tasty, and way healthier than the real deal, which averages about 8 grams of fat (3 saturated) per ounce. Not per patty or link, per ounce! Ouch. Which makes these three winners even more tempting. Happy brunch!

Grand Prize: Jimmy Dean D-Lights Turkey Sausage
Tester talk: "Each bite was satisfying. I wanted this one to never end."

This baby comes already assembled, breakfast-sandwich style, complete with a whole-grain muffin, egg white, and cheese. It tastes so good, and even though the patty is small, the sandwich is plenty filling. Plus, the bread cooks up nice and fluffy in the microwave. Admittedly, it has more sodium and saturated fat than we'd like, but it's a major improvement over a Sausage & Egg McMuffin, which is just 0.7 ounces bigger but has almost four times the fat -- 27 grams (10 saturated) -- plus 920 milligrams of sodium and 450 calories. Whew.

The nutrition stats for a 5-ounce sandwich: 260 calories, 7 grams fat (3.5 grams sat.), 840 milligrams sodium, 18 grams protein


Runner-Up: Trader Joe's Sweet Bell Pepper & Onion Chicken Sausage
Tester talk: "Hearty enough for lunch, too. Try it on a bun with mustard."

TJ's chicken sausage mixture tastes different from pork sausage -- but good different -- because it's full of flavor, not grease. One hefty all-natural link is enough to satisfy anyone with a good-sized appetite on Sunday morning. Boiled, broiled, or lightly sauteed in a nonstick skillet and plopped on a bun or sliced into pasta sauce, it makes a great lunch or dinner, too.

The nutrition stats for a 3.2-ounce sausage: 160 calories, 8 grams fat (2 grams sat.), 600 milligrams sodium, 19 grams protein


3rd Place: MorningStar Farms Sausage Links
Tester talk: "Got a craving for scrambled eggs and sausage? Definitely consider this!"

These veggie links are too crumbly to mistake for real sausage, but they have a mildly spicy flavor with a hint of sweetness that's yummy -- and flavor is what it's all about. Your taste buds won't remotely realize that the links are made mainly of textured vegetable protein, egg whites, and corn oil.

The nutrition stats for a two-link serving (1.6 ounces): 80 calories, 3 grams fat (0.5 g rams sat.), 300 milligrams sodium, 9 grams protein

What's the payoff for walking right past the "real" sausage? Avoiding saturated fats (the kind pork sausage is packed with) and trans fats can make your RealAge more than 4 years younger.

Breakfast on the run? Here’s what to do when fast food is the only option.

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