(ARA) – How to Make that Good Dietary Advice Work for You – Dietary advice is plentiful and easy to come by – from the importance of consuming omega-3 and antioxidants, to the dangers of trans fats.

For anyone interested in eating food that tastes great but doesn’t create a serious caloric imbalance, Chef Carmen Bazile serves up the following five tips:
1. Flax it up. – Flax seeds are a rich source of ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid shown to support cardiovascular health. Also an excellent source of fiber, flax can make you feel fuller faster and help in weight maintenance. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the soluble fiber in flax may help lower your cholesterol and regulate your blood sugar.
2. When it comes to salt, less is more. – Sodium is a necessary part of our diets, but it doesn’t take much to meet our daily requirement of just 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons. Salt intake can affect blood pressure and overall health. To curb your salt intake, replace canned fruits or vegetables, which are notoriously high in salt, with fresh products. Limit the amount of pre-packaged foods you eat, and avoid salty seasonings like seasoned salt, bouillon cubes and soy sauce.
3. A colorful plate is a healthy plate. – The more colors on your plate the better. Green broccoli and bell peppers, red tomatoes and strawberries, purple grapes and orange carrots all have nutrients that fight disease. Follow the rainbow. Red foods contain cancer-fighting lycopene. The beta carotene in orange foods lowers heart disease risks and in green foods can help reduce the risk of colon cancer. Lutein in yellow foods promotes vision health. Blue fruits provide anti-inflammatory chemicals and are high in antioxidants.
4. Go nuts. – Rich in fiber and anti-oxidants, nuts are one of the best sources of plant protein. Replace foods high in saturated fats with nuts that have been shown to help lower cholesterol. The FDA considers almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios and hazelnuts to be beneficial to health. Instead of candy, give kids mixed nuts or trail mix as a health snack, or add pureed nuts or some flax to your favorite shake.
5. Size matters. – Portion control is a great way to prevent overeating. By eating less you consume fewer calories, putting you on the path to controlling your weight. Eat small meals or healthful snacks throughout the day to control hunger. Try adding a supplement like flax seeds to your diet. Because they are high in fiber, you will feel fuller faster and tend to eat less. Avoid getting too hungry; you’ll be more likely to overeat if you’re very hungry when you sit down for a meal.t.

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(ARA) – You’ve turned the calendar and it’s back to business as usual, but after you’ve packed away the decorations you may realize you’ve packed on a few pounds and you’re already breaking your goals for the year.

Dr. Andrew Weil, a renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine says if you keep only one goal for this year, the one you must stick to is improving your eating habits. According to Weil, one of the simplest changes you can make is just being aware of what’s in the beverages you consume – the “think before you drink” rule.

Sugary soft-drinks, cocktails, and those tasty lattes from your favorite cafe are often loaded with empty calories. Weil suggests opting for beverages that have fewer calories and less sugar. “If you’re looking for a healthy alternative, try incorporating green tea into your diet. It’s a sugar-free, calorie-free beverage that tastes great and comes in many different varieties, so you won’t feel deprived.”

Incorporating green tea into your diet can also result in health benefits in addition to losing inches around your waistline. Green tea contains catechins, a type of polyphenol that’s effective in neutralizing free radicals and prevents bacteria from adhering to cell walls and damaging them.

In addition to its revitalizing effects, green tea has been shown to help prevent drowsiness, create a general sense of well being and aid in digestion. Numerous scientific studies also link green tea to the following health benefits:

* Boosting the immune system
* Maintaining healthy cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels already within a normal range
* Promoting cardiovascular health
* Helping to prevent certain types of cancer including: colorectal, bladder, breast and ovarian cancers

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"Men who for truth and honor's sake
Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly... They build a nation's pillars deep
And lift them to the sky."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dear Flabby,
I love massage and i want some deep pushy massage, what about "rolfing"?

Bertry T. - Biloxi

Dear B,
I also love a good rubdown. In fact daily would be nice. The deeper and more painful the better (afterwards). Rolfing I've heard is pretty painful but good for some people. It seems similar to deep tissue massage but with some key differences, according to wikipedia: "Practitioners of Rolfing believe it to enhance vitality and well-being, and claim that after sessions, many clients stand up straighter, gain in height, and that soft-tissue bodily asymmetries tend to disappear. Rolfing is in some ways similar to deep tissue massage (see especially Myofascial Release), however, practitioners stress that Rolfing's attention to the balance of the body in gravity sets the practice apart"

( send your question to Dear Flabby: info@prosnack.com )

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