Interest in nutrition and diet have never been so hot. It's easy to get caught in the swell of enthusiasm, jumping on every diet trend bandwagon. Some of the current trends are good, and some are a waste of time. Elizabeth Somer, registered dietitian and author of “10 Habits That Mess Up a Woman's Diet,” sifts the fact from fiction and give a thumbs up or down to the latest trends.

1. Carbs are back, but only if they are whole grains
The low-carb, no-carb, net-carb fad is over, while whole grains are on a roll. In 2005, the government's dietary guidelines advised Americans to eat whole grains for half your daily grain servings, or to eat at least three ounces of whole grains per day. You might feel like a ping pong ball when it comes to grains, first hearing they are good for you, then that they're bad.

But there is good reason to focus on whole grains. The main paradox in the controversy over grains is that refined grains cause the same diseases that whole grains help to prevent. Fiber-rich whole grains lower our risks for everything from heart disease and cancer to diabetes and hypertension, and they fill us up without filling us out, so they help keep us svelte. In short, making sure at least half the grains you eat every day are whole grains — along with loading your plate with vegetables and fruit — is one of the smartest things you can do for your health and waistline.

Start easy. Make the switch from refined to whole on those items that are easy, such as switching to 100 percent whole wheat bread, using instant brown rice instead of white rice, and tossing the sugar-coated breakfast cereals in favor of 100 percent whole grain cereals, such as Shredded Wheat, GrapeNuts, NutriGrain, and Kashi. There are even some half-and-half pastas on the market now, that are half whole grain, to ease into the habit of eating whole grain noodles.

On the other hand, don't be fooled by labels and claims. The term “whole grain” is popping up on labels of foods that don't deliver the goods. Loose regulations are allowing companies to make up their own whole grain claims. Adding whole grains to Lucky Charms and Cocoa Puffs or sugary bars such as Post Honey Bunches of Oats does not make them a healthy food! Also, adding the word “wheat” to a product, such as DiGiorno Harvest Wheat pizza, does not mean it is made with whole wheat! If you see the word “made with” assume it is made with very little whole grain, such as Kellogg's Eggo NutriGrain Pancakes. Look for words like 100 percent whole grain.

Bottom line: Thumbs up.

2. Portion control
Portions have ballooned up to 10-fold in the past few years. The bigger the portion, the more we eat and the more calories we consume, which explains why bigger portions are now considered one of the main reasons for America's bulging waistlines. To meet this need, more and more companies are offering single-serve packages.

For example, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Singles (approx. 230 calories) help avoid downing a whole pint in one sitting. They even come with their own little plastic spoon. Teddy Grahams Graham Snacks (150-160 calories) are a 1.25-ounce version of the boxed grahams. Earthbound Farm Organic Apple Slices (30 calories) and mini-bags of baby carrots are great ways to conveniently grab-and-go your fruits and vegetables. Laughing Cow Mini Babybel Light Cheese (50 calories) is a Swiss-like, semi-soft cheese round that provides 20 percent of your calcium and six grams of protein in a hold-in-your-palm sized container.

Common sense says the more plain fruits and vegetables you eat the better, but if you're going to eat ice cream anyway, then smaller versions of these less-than-healthy foods make it easier to practice safer snacking. Of course, these foods tend to be more expensive. A cheaper version would be to make your own 100-calorie packs by plunking a few cookies or crackers into zip-lock bags ... just make sure you don't go back for more!

Bottom line: Thumbs up.

3. Trans fats are out
Trans fats in processed and fast foods increase inflammatory processes associated with diabetes and heart disease. These modified fats, which are found in hydrogenated vegetable oils and all processed foods made with those fats, also raise total cholesterol and lower HDLs (the good cholesterol), thus serving as a one-two punch for heart disease. So it is no surprise that a report from Harvard School of Public Health, in summarizing the cardiovascular effects of trans fats, concludes that the link between trans fat intake and heart disease risk is linear and “... corresponds to tens of thousands of premature deaths in the U.S. alone.”

As of January 2006, all packaged foods are required to include the trans fat content on the label, and with all that bad press, many companies are turning to no-trans options. You still need to be careful and read labels. If a product has eliminated the trans fats but has more than one gram of saturated fat for every 100 calories, has added palm oil or coconut oil, or if sugar or high-fructose corn syrup is one of the top three ingredients, then it's traded one bad fat for another or loaded up on sugar to make up for the loss of fat.

Bottom line: Thumbs up, but still read labels.

4. Reduced or sugar-free or reduced or fat-free foods are in
Never before in the history of the planet has anyone ever eaten as much added sugar as Americans are eating today. According to the USDA, we average about 100 pounds a year for every man, woman, and child, which is about 25 percent of our calories and teh equivalent of 30 teaspoons a day! So, in theory, switching from regular to reduced sugar items should be a bonus, right? In some cases that's true. Some fruit drinks contain 130 calories, with much of those calories coming from high-fructose corn syrup, compared to the same “diet” fruit drink which contains the fruits, but has only 10 calories per cup.

In general, real food that has been “lightened,” such as fat-free cream cheese or sour cream, fat-free half and half, fat-free refried beans and sugar-free yogurt are great ideas! Tropicana's Essentials Light 'n Healthy Juice Beverage is one of many products that has cut calories without sacrificing nutrition by adding a bit of Splenda, the artificial sweetener. In other cases, when we're talking about processed foods, you can't assume just because a label says “reduced sugar” or “reduced fat” that the product has fewer calories. For example, three regular Milanos have three teaspoons of sugar and 180 calories, while three Sugar-Free Milanos have 170 calories.

Bottom line: Thumbs up for real items and thumbs down for processed foods.

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