Photo: kashi.com

A spoonful of high-fiber cereal and a pitchfork of hay are not synonymous anymore. That's good -- Americans don't get nearly enough of the recommended 28 grams of fiber for a 2,500-calorie diet. If you pour the right bowl of cereal, you can score double-digit grams of fiber as the sun rises. Or at least by the time the gals start slinging mud on "The View."

Consumer Reports just crunched their way through an analysis of 18 high-fiber cereals to reveal the Top 7 flavorful winners. Meaning, high-fiber cereals that actually taste good. Here goes:

• Kirkland Signature Spiced Pecan. Yum-yum. Available at Costco, it's 33 cents a serving, with 7 grams of fiber per three-quarter cup. Sugar is a tad high at 11 grams.
  
• Kashi GoLean. Loyal Kashi lovers are probably wondering, "Who's this Kirkland character, and why isn't Kashi number one?" Kashi GoLean Original has 10 grams of fiber and only 6 grams of sugar. Costs more per serving than Kirkland, but serving size is a cup.
• Archer Farms. With 14 grams of sugar, no wonder it tastes good. But this sweet, cinnamon toasted grain has 10 grams of fiber. Available at Target.
  

Kellogg's Raisin Bran Extra!, Post Shredded Wheat Spoon Size Wheat 'n Bran, Great Value Raisin Bran from WalMart and Barbara's Bakery Ultimate Organic rounded out the list.

Dump the frosted-whatever and place a quality high-fiber cereal front and center in your cabinet. Then sprinkle with ground flax seed for a real power breakfast.

It sometimes boggles my mind how many different weight-loss scams are out there. Turn on the TV at just about any hour, flip through almost any magazine, and listen to any radio station for more than ten minutes, and you're bound to hear a spokesperson making erroneous claims about some new "breakthrough" weight-loss product. I hate to the one to break it to you, but that product is nothing more than a bunch of B.S.

The popular website Consumer Reports listed their top 10 scams of 2007 not that long ago. Guess what topped that list at number one? That's right, weight-loss scams. In their end-of-the-year piece, the magazine highlights a company called Transdermal Products International, who marketed a patch that was supposed to make the wearer lose weight. The FTC said the company provided about two dozen domestic and foreign retailers with sample deceptive advertising and bogus substantiation materials, including purported expert endorsements and cooked-up clinical studies. Among the bogus claims, the FTC noted, was that sea kelp contained in the patch had been approved for weight loss by the Food and Drug Administration.

You can read more about Consumer Report's Top Ten Scams of 2007 by clicking here. Once on the site, clicking on the Weight-Loss link will then bring up a listing of several known scams.

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The gym at which I work out is an anomaly. It's part of a national chain of gyms, it doesn't show any signs of closing its doors, and the monthly membership is extremely reasonable. On top of all that, there are never more than thirty people in it at any given time, so I hardly ever have to wait to use any equipment.

Consumer Reports recently surveyed a group of 3,400 people who had canceled their gym memberships in the past three years. The survey showed, among other things, that most people were dissatisfied with national gym chains, while private yoga, pilates, gyms, community centers, and YMCAs received the highest marks.

National chains were criticized for being exorbitantly priced, having long waits for gym equipment, problems with payment contracts, and demonstrating little care for cleanliness. Local gyms and health clubs, by contrast, fared much better in all regards.

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Consumer Reports is famous for having reliable rankings and estimations of a products quality and value. So when I read that they had published findings on which diet was the best, and which diet book was the best, it definitely peaked my interest to know what they had to say. Here are their results:

The best diet: Volumetrics wins this category as the "best carefully researched diet plan." Based on the research of Penn State professor Barbara Rolls, PhD., it's biggest focus is eating foods with "low energy density," meaning low calories per serving -- things like fruits, salads, and soups.

The best diet book: The Best Life Diet by Bob Greene. It stresses exercise, gives recipes and has suggested eating schedules, plus gives personalized advice.

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As we've discussed time and again on That's Fit, if you're interested in losing weight, there's no quick-fix solution. You're never going to find a diet that magically makes the pounds disappear if you're not willing to work hard, exercise, and eat healthier on the whole.

That being said, about 41% of American adults are trying to lose weight, and there are tons of diets out there for us to try. As you might suspect, some work better than others.

Consumer Reports ranks the best diets in their upcoming summer issue, but here's a quick breakdown on who they chose for those looking to shed pounds.

Volumetrics: a diet that focuses on eating "low-density" foods like fruits and vegetables.
Weight Watchers: participants attend weekly meetings and weigh-ins as motivation.
Jenny Craig: with a combination of one-to-one meetings and pre-packaged food, this is a great diet for those who can stick with it.
Slim-Fast: another one that's tough to stick with, but will help you in the long run by replacing meals with shakes and energy bars.

Bottom line is, you'll have to find the approach that works for you, but hopefully this will help you weed out the fad diets from those that actually have a chance of working.

[via CBS News]

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Though my city sends out a professionally done "water quality report" each year, I'm skeptical. It's not that I don't trust what's written inside the pamphlet, I do. It's what's not written there that scares me. Recently, our local newspaper reported on the quality of our local water, and I was glad I already had my water filter firmly in place.

It turns out home water filters really can make a difference in your drinking water. They filter out lead, chlorine, and dangerous bacteria. Depending where you live, you may not need a water filter at all. But if your local drinking water routinely has safety violations (and 22 of 25 of the largest cities in the U.S. do, according to Consumer Reports) you may want to consider putting one in.

The question is, what kind to get? That depends on your needs. A pitcher will work if you only plan to filter your drinking water. We installed a tap filter, which is nice, but it does slow the flow of water and leaks on occasion. Other filters can be installed under your sink and you can even put in a whole-house filter. Luckily, Consumer Reports also found that you don't need to spend a fortune to improve the quality of your water, so if you do decide to filter, you should be able to find something that fits your budget. WebMD has a great list of the most common types of water filters and their pros and cons here.

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Update: Consumer Reports has recently recalled the results of these crash tests, saying that there were improper measurments during testing. Instead of simulating a 38-mile per hour crash, the tests actually simulated a crash at more than 70 MPH. For more information, go here.


Parents cringe when bad news comes out about products they're using with their kids, especially when those products are expensive car seats already strapped into the back of their cars. But according to new crash tests done by Consumer Reports, 10 out of 12 popular rear-facing infant car seats aren't making the grade.

The car seats -- which had already been tested and passed by the federal government -- were put to more rigorous tests than are currently required. Rather than testing at the standard 30 miles per hour, the group put the seats through a 38 MPH crash. Most failed by flying off their bases, and one threw the crash dummy 30 feet through the air. Car seat companies argue that consistency in testing is hard to achieve, but Consumer Reports claims that many of these companies sell better performing seats in Europe where government standards are higher.

Two seats that performed well are the Graco Snugride and Baby Trend Flex-Loc. The group reminds parents that any car seat is better than none, and the safest place for a baby is in the rear center seat. For more information about car seat safety, click here.

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