Ah, Birth Control. What a topic.
Let me first point out:
I dont involve myself into the whole abortion topic. If you REALLY have to know, im against it, but instead of fighting over if the baby gets killed or not after conception, heres a bright idea, stop conception before it even happens so we don't have this problem. Education on Birth Control should be spread more.
Okay, here are some methods:
1. Scheduling Sex.
-Ovulation happens twelve to sixteen days before a period, So if you were to schedule sex just right, you'd reduce your chance of pregnancy, but if thats the only thing your doing, your going in deep waters, it does not matter what time it is, even if your currently ON your period, theres always a chance, little or big, that you will get pregnant.This is definitely NOT a sure fire or 100% effective way to make sure you wont be carrying a young one.
2. Withdrawal
-or, the "pulling out" method. This is, once again, not at in any way a great way to prevent pregnancy. More and more people are now realizing the fact that without a condom, pre-ejaculation can contain sperm, and make its way to fertilize a egg. The Climax of a man is not necessary to conceive a zygote (fertilized baby cell bunch). This is just another small thing you can do to help with a condom.
3. IUD's


This is an IUD (intrauterine device). That little bugger is inserted by your gynecologist into the Uterine and lasts anywhere from 3-12 years. "An IUD prevents pregnancy by stopping sperm from reaching an egg that your ovaries have released. It does this by not letting sperm go into the egg. An IUD also changes the lining of the uterus so an egg does not implant in the lining if it has been fertilized. Therefore, the egg has no place to grow."_________ These are good in the way that you do not have to worry about taking these pills and doing that and doing this right then and etc etc, but, they have their downside, of course. They can cause heavy menustral flow, cramping, you must check it after every period, and does not protect against STD's.
4. Injections
There are injectable hormones available for birth control reasons. You receive these about every three months on the arm or booty. Though it varies from different hormone to different hormone. These work by subduing Ovulation and damaging the Uterine lining so the egg has a less chance of attaching. These have side effects as with any injection, including headaches, cramping, etc etc.
5. The Patch
"The birth control patch is a thin, beige, plastic patch that sticks to the skin. It is used to prevent pregnancy. A new patch is placed on the skin once a week for three weeks in a row, followed by a patch-free week.The birth control patch is commonly called Ortho Evra, its brand name." plannedparenthood.org couldnt have explained it any better. Thats what it is. And this patch simply releases hormones via the skin into the blood stream. BUT, the more you weigh, the less this is effective, and, many people who use the patch dont use it as directed all the time.
6. The Pill (oral contraceptives)
This is probably the most common of all birth control, besides condoms. There are many brands and different types of "the pill". Though most are either estrogen or progesterone. These suppress ovulation, and usually thickens cervical mucus, making it even harder for conception. Though it is VERY important these are taken every day on a specified time area, or the effectiveness just wont be good. Alot of Women have success stories with the pill, and also horror and stories of woe about it. You just need to talk to your doctor and see whats right for you.
A list of birth control pills is here:
http://www.birthcontrol.com/search.aspx?prodcategory_id=19&group_id=1
7. Condoms
Condoms are really the way to go, every time you engage in intercourse. No matter what  your other birth control methods are. Of course many people take the risk or think because they're on the pill or patch that they can, but just to be safe, get some condoms. Plus these help protect against Sexually transmitted diseases. It'd be wise to make sure that you have the right fit, right lubrication (some come with lubrication, and make sure NOT to use oil based lubrication on condoms as these can deteriorate them), store them properly, and make sure they're not too old either.

All of these are not 100% guaranteed form of preventing pregnancy, but some are pretty close. Make sure to talk to a Gynecologist, or visit your local planned parenthood place to gather more information if needed about Birth control.

REFERENCES:
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/iud-4245.htm
http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/iud.html
http://www.essortment.com/all/typesofcontrac_rris.htm
http://www.womenshealthchannel.com/contraception/hormonal.shtml
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/birth-control-patch-ortho-evra-4240.htm
http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp021.cfm
http://www.birth-control-comparison.info/thepill.htm

All around us media, the internet, and even our health freak friends are just really hammering down the idea of leading a healthy lifestyle. Though I'll put it in a nutshell of all the different information people keep throwing at us.

I'd like to start off with fruits and vegetables. Professionals like to drill down the idea of massive consumption of fruits and vegetables. The food pyramid has amped up the amount of F&V you should be eating daily. Now while I just do NOT want to be eating 9 servings of vegetables a day like any other sane person, if your reaching for 3-4 (depending on certain factors like age) then you probably should be okay.Plus, servings are smaller then you think. On Kidshealth.org (http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/pyramid.html) you can how many cups of F&V you should eat. Though those are for children and teens 13 and under. Though for basic serving sizes, here is a chart. (Credit webmd.com)

SERVING SIZES
Food/amount	Serving/exchange	The size of
1 cup cooked rice or pasta	2 starch	tennis ball
1 slice bread	1 starch	compact disc case
1 cup raw vegetables or fruit	1 fruit or vegetable	baseball
1/2 cup cooked vegetables or fruit	1 fruit or vegetable	fist
1 ounce cheese	1 high-fat protein	pair of dice
1 teaspoon olive oil	1 fat**	half dollar
3 ounces cooked meat	3 protein	deck of cards or cassette tape
3 ounces tofu	1 protein	deck of cards or cassette tape
** Remember to count fat servings that may be added to food while cooking, such as oil, butter or shortening.

16 ounces= 1 pound           1 cup=8 ounces
See? not as horrible as you thought, right?

Now, heres the extra fun nutrient: Fat! There are a lot of myths that need to be dispelled right now.
For cholesterol:
Total blood cholesterol should be <200mg/dl
LDL (low density Lipoproteins) should be <135 mg/dl
HDL (high density Lipoproteins) should be >35 mg/dl
PLEASE know that saturated fats increase your total blood cholesterol levels more than consuming cholesterol directly. To decrease high amounts of cholesterol, decrease your intake of saturated fats and follow up with a healthy diet and exercise regimen.

Heres also something that I bet you did not know and that I did not until I recently discovered through my Professor.
Proteins: Enter the bloodstream as amino acids
Carbohydrates: enter the blood as monosaccharides
Fats: enter the lymphatic vessels as chylomicrons and later into the bloodstream.

amino acids are the simpliest form of a protein. Protein doesnt enter the bloodstrema as Protein, it enters as amino acids and are assembled inside the cells to be used. Monosaccharides are the simpliest forms of Carbs (mono=one, I wont get into the chemistry of it) Fats are broken down into (mostly triclycerides) chylomicrons and enter the lymph vessels (AKA the lacteals) and then later into the blood stream.

HDL's, LDL's  are produced by the liver, Chylomicrons come from our diets (mostly triclycerides).

Now When people are trying to lose weight or just live a healthy life, you cant get TOO crazy about fats. Yes, they are bad and elevated levels of cholesterol and/or fats will result in health problems, but you shouldnt try to completely eliminate it from your diet hoping for a dramatic weight loss or instantly better health. Cholesterol is needed to stabalize cell walls, needed to make estrogen, testosterone, and other hormones, the adrenal glands use it alot, etc. Thats why you hear of people losing their periods or becoming sterile when they are not eating right or annorexics/bulimic.

As for Protein, there are other ways to get it just from Da Steak, okay?
Of course Lean chicken, lean pork, low percentage fat beef, and fish are good "meaty" protein choices there are dairy products like Eggs and milk, Tofu, Soy protein, and beans/lentils have good sources of protein choices. (but if you are pregnant or breast feeding DO NOT eat any sort of fish or seafood)

 "Protein has a critical physiological function. Protein is primarily used in the body to build, maintain, and repair body tissues. In the event that protein intake is greater than that required by the body for this primary function, excessive protein is converted to energy for immediate use or stored in the body as fat. Protein energy will be used only after other energy sources (carbohydrate and fat) are exhausted or unavailable."
                        (credit: http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_191.pdf
                                            review this PDF for more information on protein)

Carbohydrates // Sugars
Carbohydrates are necessary to keep blood sugar up. (A tip for all those mommy's to be or already mothers out there, little kids need frequent snacks to keep their blood sugar up) I'd like to review the two hormones that regulate glucose (sugar) levels:

Insulin: pancreatic hormone that lowers the level of glucose in blood by causing cells to take up glucose (sugar); also promotes the synthesis of fat and protein to glucose.

Glucagon: hormone that stimulates conversion of glycogen and amino acids to glucose; secreted by alpha cells of the pancreas when the flow of glucose decreases

When something goes wrong with one of these two hormones or something else related to it, you get diabetes. Eating too much sugar can really mess these up and cause diabetes. You've heard it, but lay off the candies and:
instead of regular fruit juice, buy 100% fruit juice juice
instead of white bread, buy whole grain
instead of white rice, use brown rice
instead of flour tortillas, use whole wheat tortillas
the list goes on.

Lastly, make sure you add variety to your diet! Do not eat the same type of food over and over again, watch yourself to make sure your not doing that. Exercise is a vital component to being healthy. Its good for your heart, your brain, and even for your beauty. (gets the blood flowing) make sure you drink a lot of water too (especially since summer is coming up) but not too much as this will cause minerals and vitamins to be washed out, and if you drink too too too much your cells will burst (lyse, in fancy terms) and you will die. Too much or too little of anything is bad for you in a diet.

For further reading, I have some recommended links.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/default.htm---Webmd.com is a great website that has resources for everything and anything health related.
http://kraftfoods.com/kf---Kraft foods recipe site has great ideas and recipes for healthy eating/lifestyle
http://www.mypyramid.gov/---you might of heard of this one, but its a government owned site where you can track your meals, and customize the food pyramid to your age, gender, etc.