1. My juice diet made my belly bulge.
2. Ugh! I’m eating right, but still can’t lose.
3. Could potato chips really cause cancer?

My juice diet made my belly bulge. Recently I started a fruit-and-veggie juice diet to lose about 25 pounds fast. But I had to stop after just three days—I had the worst headaches and was so constipated and bloated. Then I got on the scale and saw that I was 2 pounds heavier! What did I do wrong?

A simple tweak to your juice diet can get you results without the side effects: Add more fiber to your blends. Juices are low in roughage (the insoluble fiber left behind in the juicer), so a juice-only diet doesn’t create the bulk that speeds colonic contents out of the body. This can cause constipation that ups the number on the scale. Plus, stagnant waste is packed with toxins that can trigger headaches, bloat, mood swings and other unpleasantries. To bulk up your juices, stir 2 Tbs. of ground chia seeds into every glass. (The consistency will be similar to ground flax.) This provides 8 grams of fiber per drink, plus omega-3 fatty acids (which help the liver burn body fat) and all the essential amino acids (which stabilize blood sugar for faster fat loss). You can find chia seeds ($6 per pound) at amazon.com and health-food stores.

Ugh! I’m eating right, but still can’t lose. For months I’ve been stressed—and I’ll admit it, depressed—about money. I soothed myself with food and gained 11 pounds. After my clothes got way too tight I started counting calories and carbs. But in two weeks, I haven’t lost an ounce. Why not?

You may be suffering from hypothalamic inflammation. New research in the journal Cell reveals that prolonged periods of stress-induced overeating turn on NP-kappa B, the master switch of inflammation in the brain. This causes cellular damage in the hypothalamus, the brain region that regulates appetite and blood sugar. The result: intense cravings that make it hard to shed weight. To restore your waistline, drink grape juice. Its proanthocyanidins turn off NF-kappa B, reducing hypothalamic inflammation. Two daily 8 oz. cups of equal parts grape juice and water (to cut sugar) will control inflammation in two weeks. Expect to lose two to three pounds every week.

Could potato chips really cause cancer? Now that my teens make their own money from after-school jobs, they’re buying their own junk food, like potato chips. With this stuff around, we’re all eating more of it. But I just heard that the acrylamide in potato chips is still high enough to cause cancer and heart disease. Should I put a ban on them?

While there is evidence that you should limit chips, you don’t need to avoid the snack completely. Research in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirmed that even though levels of acrylamide in fried and baked potato chips have been reduced to about 150 mcg per 4 oz., they still harbor enough of the toxin to increase internal oxidative stress. And this can lead to weight gain, heart disease and cancer risk. So try to get everyone to stick to less than 4 oz. per week, which is considered safe. And for added assurance, have everyone drink two 8 oz. cups of warm or iced green tea daily. Its antioxidants are proven to reduce the effects of acrylamide by protecting cells from oxidative stress.