1. Help! My kids’ food is making me fat
2. How can I curb these bread cravings?
3. Yikes! My hair is suddenly falling out

Help!  My kids’ food is making me fat.  Three months ago I switched to a work-from-home job so I could be with my kids more.  The downside: I’ve gained 23 pounds grazing on all their leftovers.  I don’t have time to cook separate meals, so how can I please my picky eaters (one eats only mac n’ cheese and another lives on hot dogs) without gaining any more weight? 

You can shed those extra pounds by serving convenient yet healthy foods that you and the kids will enjoy.  Start by avoiding “the fat-packing three”—trans fats (hydrogenated oil of any type), artificial sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame and saccharin) and high-fructose corn syrup.  Then sneak a little ground flaxseed into smoothies, oatmeal, macaroni-and-cheese, baked treats and even ketchup.  This will add a slightly nutty taste that doesn’t overpower.  The payoff: The omega-3 fatty acids in flax will enhance satiety so you’ll naturally eat less, plus help the liver burn body fat for energy.  Omega-3s also nourish the brain, brightening moods during dreary weather.  (Note: To keep the healthy oils intact, purchase whole flaxseeds and grind as needed with a mini grinder).

How can I curb these bread cravings?  Bread has been my absolute favorite food since I was a kid.  Problem is, now I’m on the verge of hitting the 200-pound mark, and I just know that if I give up bread I’ll start losing.  But even a nutritionist hasn’t been able to help me avoid the cravings.  What can I do? 

New research has unearthed a strategy that will help you beat your bread cravings: Venezuelan scientists found that the “addiction” is not to the food itself but to the surge of feel-good serotonin that comes from eating it.  After a few bites of bread, the body gets a happy rush and calls for more, thus creating a powerful addictive cycle.  The antidote: Enjoy a slice of bread first thing in the morning, which is when serotonin levels are naturally at their highest.  The researchers found that this produced no subsequent rush (since serotonin was already high), blunting cravings for the rest of the day.  If that doesn’t help within a week, you may have a sensitivity to wheat.  (Paradoxically, people often crave foods they are sensitive or allergic to.)  In that case, try switching to a nonallergenic bread like Food for Life Brown Rice Bread ($7, at grocery stores).

Yikes!  My hair is suddenly falling out.  I’m only 35, but my hair is visibly thinning.  As if I’m not stressed enough at work, now I worry about what customers think of my appearance.  My doctor recommended a prescription, but I’d prefer something natural.  Can you recommend a food cure? 

It sounds like you’re suffering from a deficiency in B vitamins, which tend to run low during high-stress times and are essential for healthy hair growth.  To get more B daily, consume rich sources such as wheat germ, brown rice, nuts, beans and leafy greens like spinach and collard.  And since your hair loss is so evident, I also advise taking a hair, skin and nail supplement.  One I like: Natrol BioSil ($28 for 60 capsules, at VitaminShoppe.com), which is well absorbed by the body and proven to deliver key proteins like keratin and collagen directly to the hair roots to increase growth and thickness.