Eating Out, Mexican Style:

With the fast pace and competitiveness of American society, dining out is a way of life for many people. Americans eat out an average of three to four meals a week. Unfortunately, in many cases, restaurant food often contains a lot of fat, sugar and sodium for taste and preservative value. It is possible, however, to eat healthy and choose wisely if you're skilled at special ordering and knowledgeable about food preparation for different cuisines.

Tips:

Hold or limit guacamole and sour cream. Two tablespoons of guacamole has about 50 calories and four grams of fat (72 percent fat) and two tablespoons of sour cream have 45 calories and five grams of fat (100 percent fat).

Hold or limit the chips. A typical basket of chips contains 1,040 calories and 43 percent fat.

Hold the cheese or get it on the side. A one-inch cube of cheese has about 100 calories and eight grams of fat (75-percent fat).

Skip or limit the chile con queso dip. One cup has about 529 calories and 31 grams of fat (53 percent fat).

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Atkins Bankrupt

Over the past few weeks, ever since Atkins went belly up our company has been bombarded with questions about the possible harmful effects that their ‘Atkins days’ might have caused.

It seems like everyone tried that system at one time or another.

Well to help alleviate some of the fear that’s out there, let me answer just a few of the basic questions here:

Q: “Could I have caused permanent damage by following a high protein diet?”
A: If you haven’t yet experienced any major health problems, then it’s not too late to reverse many, if not all of the negative side effects that usually follow a program like that.

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5 Fun Ways to Get In Shape

The market is saturated with low-fat, low-carb and sugar-free foods. But despite the popular diets, "magical" pills and the latest, greatest fitness machines that all promise to melt away the pounds, more than half of American adults are overweight.

For true weight-loss success, health experts stress the importance of changing your lifestyle for the long term and exercising regularly. Here are some creative ways to make fitness fun again and help you win the battle of the bulge once and for all.

* Take "healthy" vacations. Make fitness part of your travels. Head to a spa where, along with a little pampering, you can enjoy hiking, rock climbing, kickboxing, aqua aerobics and yoga.

* Walk or run for a good cause. Training for a 5K charity walk, for example, may be all the motivation you need to get started on a regular fitness routine. Best of all, you'll be helping your favorite charity accomplish its goals.

* Dance. Join a ballroom or hip-hop dancing class. It's a great way to shed the pounds, learn how to dance and have fun.

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