The amounts of food many of us eat are out of control. When people learn that they should be eating 5 to 7 servings of vegetables a day many people are shocked. They claim they could never eat that much food. It's quite true that one couldn't eat 7 servings of vegetables a day if their serving size duplicated the portions in many restaurants. The FDA says that the standard serving of pasta, for example, is one cup. In most restaurants, pasta portions typically measure about three cups. That's about three servings! We'd be eating vegetables out of buckets if we extrapolated from restaurant portion sizes. I believe that many people have been discouraged from following very good dietary guidelines because they've come to believe that a serving is a huge super size amount. They believe that if they really ate that much, they'd gain a tremendous amount of weight.

You've probably heard of the French Paradox. It refers to the seeming contradiction discovered in regions of France where, despite a high intake of dairy fat, the people had low incidences of cardiovascular disease. At first it was believed that the alcohol in the wine was the factor that helped reduce their risk. As time went on, it was discovered that the paradox is only partly explained by the ability of alcohol to increase HDL or "good" cholesterol. Recent research has concentrated on the ability of the flavonoids in wine to play an active role in reducing the risk of coronary artery disease. The extremely high level of polyphenols in red wine, which is about twenty to fifty times higher than white wine, is due to the incorporation of the grape skins in the fermenting process. The polyphenols in grape skins are known to prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, a critical event in the process of the development of coronary artery disease. As James Joseph at Tufts who did the original blueberry research says, "What's good for your heart is good for your brain." Researchers have also noted a decreased risk of age-related macular degeneration with the consumption of limited amounts of red wine.

From controversy about Teflon to confusion about how to use nonstick surfaces, cooking without using too much oil can be perplexing. Read on to find out how to use and how to choose when it comes to nonstick.