Cynthia Sass, registered dietitian and co-author of Flat Belly Diet! has compiled a new annual list of belly-flattening foods that are full of fat-blasting nutrients like heart-healthy MUFAs (monosaturated fatty acids) and whole grains. These top 27 foods flat-belly foods are her favorite low calorie, non-processed snacks that will help you keep your summer weight-loss promises. Everything on the list is worthy of a try but I've narrowed down my top five favorite snacks:


My favorite from the list:

• DeBoles Organic Ancient Grain Penne. Regular pasta semonlina flour may be tasty but it's calorie content isn't. Each serving of DeBoles provides 7 g of protein, which helps control blood sugar levels and regulates energy to keep hunger away.
• Naked Juice Probiotic Tropical Mango 100% Juice Smoothie. This yummy juice is made from 100 percent all-natural fruits and contains healthy bacteria that boosts immunity and promotes digestive health. Each bottle has 180-calories but gives you a day's worth of vitamin C and 60% of your daily intake of vitamin A. Plus it counts as two servings of fruit.
  
• Kraft LiveActive Mozzarella Cheese Sticks. This little cheese snack is perfect when you're on-the-go. Plus it contains 8 grams of protein and will only cost you 80 calories.
  
• Garden of Eatin' Baked Blue Corn Tortilla Chips. I love these organic blue corn chips. Not only are they tasty but each serving contains 3 grams of fiber and protein, 300 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and only has three grams of fat per ounce, which is half of what fried chips have.
  
• World of Grains Blueberry Snacks. These crunchy little blueberry treats are made from nutritious whole grains and contain real blueberries and each serving gives you 12 percent of your daily fiber intake.

What are your favorites from the list?

Summer is a time for outside grilling, barbecues and summer cocktails, which usually means you'll be consuming a lot more calories. You'll be shocked by the amount of calories in some of our favorite summertime foods -- like corn. Try boiling your corn as opposed to grilling it, this will save you about 10 grams of fat and 30 to 100 calories per ear.

If you enjoy slathering your corn in a little butter, don't worry about the added calories because summer is also a great time to get outside, enjoy the weather and get active. You can burn off 60 calories in one cob with a fun 15-minute walk. The best summer workouts are those that allow you to strike the best balance between calories in and calories out.

What do you guys do to burn off those extra summer calories?

Summer is just around the corner and if you'd like to shed a few pounds before baring it all in your bikini check out AOL Body's new Summer Quick Fix and our 4- Week Diet Plan. Depending on your target weight and calorie goal, the plan allows you to have: 300 calories for Breakfast, a 160 calorie snack, lunch that averages 375 calories and a 475 calorie dinner.

If you have trouble Finding Your Motivation, remember to set goals within your reach and make a successful summer change thats right for you and your body.

Do you guys and gals have any Belly Flattening tips for summer?


info provided by Prevention

As a person who wears contacts and eye glasses, I've always considered getting Lasik eye surgery because of the convenience of being able to wake up and see clearly, without having to put on my glasses or contacts. An estimated six million Americans have undergone Lasik surgery, but I'm still too nervous to go under the knife for eye surgery or any surgery for that matter. Although 20/20 vision is not guaranteed by Lasik surgery, about 95 percent of patients are satisfied with their results.

However, a recent study found about that about 31 percent of Lasik patients had some degree of dry eye before their surgery, and about five percent worsened afterward. Other patients also said they suffered severe eye pain, blurred vision and other problems after undergoing Lasik.

So now the FDA is urging the government to issue clearer warnings about the potential risks of Lasik eye surgery, which is always a good idea with risky procedures.

Would you ever undergo Lasik eye surgery, and if you have, did you ever experience any problems after the procedure?

Did you know Eva Longoria drinks up to three liters of water per day? She may be upset by the recent study that said drinking eight glasses of water or 2 liters a day has no scientifically proven benefit of improving your health.

Well, after all these years of trying to knock back the recommended eight glasses a day, some doctors claim it simply is an urban myth "lacking in scientific basis."

I still think it's important to get up to eight glasses a day because our body can lose up to 2.5 liters of liters of water a day so it's important to replenish our water supply. Water is beneficial for a number of reasons. It flushes toxins out of your organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for your tissues. Without water your body will become dehydrated. So if you're just as confused as I am as to the "right" amount of water to drink per day. Here are two simple tips I came across. But make sure you take the environment, your exercise routine and any health conditions into account before you modify your fluid intake.

• First take the pee test: the lighter the color of your pee the more bile is broken down by our bodies. So if you're drinking the right amount of water for your body, your pee will be clear.
• Second: to determine how much water your body needs here's a tip from nutritionist Sophie Pachella. Sophie says you should drink about "half your body weight in ounces each day." This means if you weigh 130 pounds you should drink 65 ounces of water a day.

How much water do you drink during a day?

We all know broccoli is good for you, right? Not only does it have anti-cancer compounds, and anti-oxidant containing vitamins (vitamin-C and bets-carotene) but it's loaded with fiber. But which way is the best way of cooking broccoli and other vegetables, to preserve the most nutrients?

Believe it or not a recent study done at Cornell University said microwaving (behind steaming) is one of the best ways to cook vegetables and retain the nutrients inside. The study found that cooking vegetables on a grill, which exposes them to higher temperatures, is actually more destructive.

But be careful not to add too much water when cooking your veggies in the microwave. Researchers suggest that in order to keep the nutrients undamaged when microwaving you should only use a couple of tablespoons of water to cook raw vegetables and no extra water to cook frozen ones. That's because vegetables lose water-soluble nutrients like folic acid and vitamin-C when they are immersed in cooking liquid.

What tips do you have for steaming or microwaving your veggies?

I came across this article today about an 18-year-old high school girl from Florida who died after getting corrective breast surgery to correct asymmetrical breasts and an inverted areola. She died two hours into the surgery from a rare metabloic condition called malignant hyperthermia, that can be triggered by certain anesthesia. Malignant hyperthermia is an inherited disorder, and people usually don't know they have until they are exposed to anesthesia. Plus, there is no test to diagnose the condition. Malignant hyperthermia can be reversed if its recognized within 30 minutes of the onset with Dantrolene, the only known antidote.

The popular teen was captain of her varsity cheerleading squad, had a 4.0 GPA and was going to attend the University of Florida in the fall to study medicine.

It's very sad to hear about such young girls dying after getting cosmetic surgery. Is cosmetic surgery worth that possible side effects?

"I Can Make You Thin" is a new reality show that debuted on TLC last night and promises to help viewers shed pounds without getting off their couches. It follows Paul McKenna, a self-help weight loss guru from , and it chronicles the weight loss progress of four studio audience members. McKenna says that in five weeks he will reprogram viewers' relationships with food, dieting and exercise using his 4 Golden Rules:

• When you're hungry, eat

• Eat what you want

• Eat consciously and

• When you're full, stop eating.

McKenna showed one woman from who lost 160 pounds and kept it off for three years after following his program. Do you think McKenna's psychological weight loss techniques can change a person's relationship with food forever? Or is good old diet and exercise the best bet?

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We all know that almost every item on McDonald's menu is loaded with fat and has a high calorie content so it's not surprising that something as delicious sounding as a McSkillet breakfast burrito would be any different. I passed by a McDonald's today and saw an advertisement for its new McSkillet burrito and of course it looks good. But I don't eat fast food regularly so I decided that before I try it, I should take a look at what's actually inside.

I always love coming across certain projects that promote a positive self image for young females. Seventeen Magazine recently created the Body Peace Treaty for women of all ages and sizes to sign so they will become more accepting of their bodies.

The pledge consists of 12 promises for women to keep in order to remain positive about food and weight. While it does not discourage eating well or keeping your body fit, it reinforces the idea that all women are not created equally and more importantly no one has a perfect body. So instead of stressing out about the way you look, be at peace with your body and make a commitment to love it the way it is!

Here are three of my favorite promises:

• Never allow a dirty look from someone else to influence how I feel about my appearance.
• Quit judging a person solely by how his or her body looks -- even if it seems harmless -- because I'd never want anyone to do that to me.
• Remind myself that what you see isn't always what you get on TV and in ads -- it takes a lot of airbrushing, dieting, money, and work to look like that.

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