1. Are Trans Fats Reallly That Terrible?
2. Help! My Breakfast Is Making Me Fat!
3. Is Too Much Tal Bad For You?

Are Trans Fats Reallly That Terrible?  With my new job and outrageous busy schedule, dinner is usually from my favorite chain restaurant.  I know these foods contain trans fats, but I figure as long as I stay under a certain calorie count, I won’t gain weight.  Is this true?   

While counting calories is a smart way to control weight, now evidence reveals that trans fats can negate the effects of limiting calories.  Researchers discovered that when two groups ate an equal number of calories, those who consumed trans fats gained 5.4 percent more body weight (all of which went to the abdominal area) than those who consumed healthy fats.  Even more disturbing: Stored fat from elsewhere in the body migrates to the abdomen, increasing belly fat in the trans-fat group by 30 percent.  You already know that restaurants often make fried foods and pastry dishes with partially hydrogenated oils that contain trans fats.  So when dining out, order items prepared with olive oil whenever possible.  And when purchasing packaged foods, scan the ingredient list on the label for partially hydrogenated oil to further limit your trans-fat intake. 

Help!  My Breakfast Is Making Me Fat!  I recently began eating breakfast because I read that a morning meal speeds weight loss.  But despite a bowl of oatmeal and a midmorning snack of fruit, I’m ravenous by lunchtime.  I end up scarfing everything in sight all afternoon.  It’s no wonder I’ve gained 12 pounds this month!  Should I stop eating breakfast?  

A morning meal stabilizes blood sugar and helps women eat about 100 fewer calories daily, so keep enjoying breakfast.  The fact that you’re starving by lunchtime suggest that your internal body clock need a little rewiring.  Brain levels of cholecystokinin (CCK) and glucagons, hormones that signal satiation, plunge before noon, triggering an urge to overeat.  But you can outsmart this body clock snafu by adding a handful of nuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter to your morning meal.  UCLA scientists discovered that nut proteins pump up levels of CCK and glucagons in as little as 20 minutes and keep them elevated for hours.  The result: no more between-meal hunger, plus you’ll need less food to feel satiated when it is time to eat. 

Is Too Much Tal Bad For You?  I enjoy three cups of tea day, which I thought was a healthy habit because of tea’s antioxidants.  But now I’m hearing reports that tea can be dangerous for women of childbearing age.  That sounds so scary!  Should I stop drinking it?  

There’s no need to give up tea.  Some of the reports that it can be bad for women are overblown.  They’re based on the fact that tea contains compounds called phytates, which bind to iron and reduce absorption of the mineral by 70 percent.  And low iron can lead to fatigue and weakened immunity.  But there’s no need to worry as long as you set a limit of four 8 oz. cups daily.  And to make doubly sure you’re getting ample iron, consume a vitamin C-rich food such as strawberries with your tea.  Vitamin C blocks tea’s iron-binding compounds, so more of the mineral is absorbed.