I didn't understand the importance of BMI until last year around this time. It was getting cold and I couldn't fit into any of my jeans. I figured I had gained a couple of pounds, but when I got on the scale, it turned out I gained over 20 in less than a year. I was surprised by the number, but I couldn't bring myself to care. That is, until the day I decided to check my BMI with a BMI calculator.

This weekend, the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveils MyPyramid for Preschoolers, part of an effort by the USDA to reach parents and caregivers who prepare children's meals.

Last week I posted about Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and this past Wednesday, I participated in a very informative phone conference on bio-technology, cancer research, and cancer prevention. The conference focused on breast and ovarian cancer.

Australian nutritionist Kathryn Elliott counsels people individually on diet and health for a living. She's serious about helping others develop healthful eating habits, and during the month of August she posted a new tip about improving your diet every day on her blog Limes and Lycopene.

When they say that real beauty comes from within, I'm quite sure they don't mean from within an 8 fl. oz. ready-to-drink bottle. Which is why I performed an Olympic-caliber eye roll when I saw Nestle's entry into the beauty marketplace: Glowelle Beauty Drink, which invites you to "drink in pretty?" Really?I may be a confirmed beauty addict, and I'm also a health food nut - but a sucker I am not.

The Corn Refiners Association currently has two TV commercials abut the consumption of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).  In this commercial we view a backyard party where two moms get to talking.

Happy to report...I am feeling much better, and ready to talk about the ban on trans fats in California. This is a trend I would definitely like to see continue. Nothing good can come from the consumption of trans fats. So, if foods we love to eat, can be prepared, and taste just as good without it, then I say...take it out! Take the trans out of our fats!

We've all read the news reports and heard what the experts have to say -- eating together as a family makes kids healthier and happier and less likely to use drugs.

What do you think of when someone mentions school lunches? The first word that comes to my mind is...Yuck.

Another great new study. It turns out that, treating fat people, is less expensive than treating healthy people. What? Yes, it's true. Those darn healthy people end up living longer, and costing more money. Here is what is being reported by the Associated Press on this new study...

My family - my parents, sister and her fiance - was gathered around our dining room table on New Year's Day, facing approximately 700 pounds of Chinese takeout, when my father was distracted by several significantly overweight people on the television who were running up a very steep hill in pairs. Actually, some were crawling at various points, others were crying, a soap opera star was involved, and in general the whole scene was fairly disturbing.

You can't go five minutes these days without tripping over a story about the "obesity epidemic" or how today's kids don't get enough exercise or how the average family eats fast food however many times per week. Or something like that. I don't really know; generally I'm too busy chain-smoking and telling the kids to at least have some potato chips before they sit down with their video games to really notice.