Top 3 Dining-Out Tips

From Jillian Michaels

Updated Jan. 30, 2008

If you want to stick to your diet when dining out, get comfortable with asking your server to help you meet your needs. There are several ways to modify dishes when eating out. Here are my top three dining-out tactics:

Educate yourself. Don't be afraid to ask your server lots of questions about the restaurant's food so that you can make healthy choices. Ask what's used in the preparation, how large the portion is, what comes on the side — these are all things you want to know now that you are eating right.

Make substitutions. I'm always ordering chicken fajitas, but instead of the Mexican rice and refried beans, I ask for a salad on the side. Ask for grilled vegetables instead of a baked potato or french fries, sliced tomatoes instead of hash browns. You get the idea — this stuff will take a little extra thought at first, but in no time it will become second nature.

Make modifications. If you have scoured the menu and there are no healthy options, you can usually create your own by requesting a few modifications to the preparation of your food. Ask if you can have your fish grilled instead of breaded; ask if you can have Dijon mustard sauce on the chicken instead of cream sauce; request salad dressing on the side; have your omelet made with egg whites if possible; ask for the chef to use just a small amount of olive oil.

No Shame!
Don't be embarrassed or afraid to stick to your diet when eating out, even if it means bringing your own condiments along so that you are never stuck with what's available. Let go of the guilt you've been conditioned to feel if you leave food on your plate. Stop eating if you are full. And, since restaurant portions are often twice what they should be, ask the server to bring a to-go container along with your dish, so you can immediately remove half your entrée from the plate.

Jillian Michaels

Acne Treatments

Quick 'n EZ Plan of Attack
By Brook Phelps
Special to eDiets

In order to understand how to prevent and treat acne, it is important to know how our skin works and why acne occurs in some people. During puberty, specific hormones (called androgens) stimulate and enlarge sebaceous glands, which produce sebum. Sebum keeps our skin healthy and naturally hydrated.

When hair follicles become blocked, sebum and bacteria are trapped underneath the surface. As a result, the area becomes reddened and inflamed, which appears as acne. This blockage is also the cause of whiteheads and blackheads.

As you can see, acne is primarily related to androgens, which is why it usually occurs at puberty, and for many women during the menstrual cycle and/or pregnancy. Although there is no cure for acne, there are a few ways to minimize or prevent breakouts and keep the skin healthy.

SKINCARE
A common misconception is that acne is caused by dirty skin. As a result, many people believe you can clear up acne if you scrub the skin with harsh, abrasive cleansers. This is simply not true and many further irritate the skin. Remember, sebum is naturally produced by our sebaceous glands, and you don’t want to rid the skin of it completely.

The best way to keep skin clean is to wash the face morning and night with a cleanser that contains glycolic acid or salicylic acid. This will remove excess sebum and slough off dead skin cells. Products containing benzoyl peroxide will have an antiseptic property and help to fight the bacteria that contributes to acne. If you are particularly oily, follow up with a toner to balance out the pH of the skin. Everyone needs to use a moisturizer, regardless of how oily you are. Sebum will help to maintain moisture in the skin, but lack of hydration will actually cause more sebum to be produced.

MAKEUP
Use makeup, particularly foundations and powders, that are non-comedogenic, which won’t clog pores. This will prevent any further inflammation. Makeup and cosmetics that are oil-free are also a good choice for acne-prone skin. When shopping for a foundation, look for one that is water based which helps the skin to breathe.

If you are experiencing a major breakout, less is more. You might be tempted to pile on the makeup, but you want the skin to heal, so avoid heavy cosmetics. Also, remember to wash your makeup brushes frequently. A great tip is to mist a light layer of alcohol after washing your brushes to prevent bacteria growth and keep your tools clean. Also, if you use a powder during the day to touch up, don’t forget to replace that powder puff.

For the occasional breakout, use an oil-free, matte finish concealer. Apply the cover-up after your foundation and set the area with loose or pressed powder. If the area is very red, you might want to try a green-based corrective concealer to neutralize the redness.

BLACKHEADS & WHITEHEADS
Blackheads are dark, flattened spots on the skin’s surface caused by a partial blockage of the follicle. Sebum and dead skin cells oxidize and cause the dark color. Pore strips work very well to clear the blockage, however they don’t prevent blackheads. Whiteheads are the same as blackheads, except the follicle is fully blocked.

Since air can not reach the pore, there is no oxidation and the color remains white. A skincare routine that includes products containing salicylic acid will help to minimize the appearance of both blackheads and whiteheads.

5 Resolutions to Win the Diet Game

Choose To Lose In 2008!

By Joanne Eglash
Get help losing weight with eDiets

Have you devoted an embarrassing percentage of your life to trying to lose weight? I certainly have done my share (all right, I'll be honest: MUCH more than my share!) of counting calories, carbohydrates and/or fat grams; reading the latest fad diet book (remember the gruesome grapefruit and hard-boiled egg regime?!), and alternating between starving and inhaling everything in the refrigerator (yes, I've even experienced the "there's nothing else to eat in the house but maple syrup and diet bread, so break open the syrup bottle!" diet blues).

If you're tired of "trying" to be a loser, how about resolving to make 2008 the year you become a winner? If that sounds good, here's my deceptively simple tip: Focus on eating right to stay energized and healthy. Here are suggestions for five New Year's nutrition resolutions that aren't as hard to keep as you may think.

Resolution 1: Eat a good breakfast! It doesn't have to be elaborate, and it doesn't have to be enormous either. Low-carb dieting makes it easy, from a hard-boiled egg and a slice of cheese when you're on the go, to a blenderized low-carb smoothie that goes down easy and tastes great. All the research reports reveal that you eat less and lose more if you start off the day on the right nutritional foot. Remove the temptation to indulge in a mid-morning doughnut break by sticking to this resolution.

Resolution 2: Eat the veggies. Regardless of which low-carb diet you're following, the majority allow some amount of measured vegetables from a select list. Many low-carb dieters, however, think they'll lose "faster" if they skip the vegetables. Oops. Big mistake. Vegetables fill you up, not out -- and they add variety to your low-carb diet. So go for the green with gusto!

Resolution 3: Take a snack pack with you when you're on the go at work, school or away from home. Whether you enjoy crunching on baked chicken legs or dipping into a low-carb carton of yogurt, make sure to take the time each morning before you leave to fix your "go-to" snack pack!

Resolution 4: Put on your chef's hat! Each week, try a new recipe that is permitted on your diet. Try your local library for hints, ask friends, do an online search or head straight to eDiets.com and look through the many recipes offered on the site.

Resolution 5: Slow down and eat more mindfully. Pay attention to your meal, and don't multi-task by reading, watching TV or paying bills in between bites. Then after you eat, celebrate with a visit to your support team at eDiets

Congratulations: you win the diet game!

Joanne Eglash is a writer and an editor specializing in health, weight control and fitness. She's written for a variety of publications and websites, ranging from Energy for Women magazine to KidsHealth.org.