Many vegetarians champion tofu for its meatless protein and versatility. They also eat quite a lot of it, and some sources are saying -- and have been saying for a while actually -- that no good can come of this.

Basically, because tofu is an unfermented soy product, there are chemicals left in the soy that are not only indigestible, but also rob your body of other nutrients. Phytates block mineral absorption and trypsin inhibitors block protein digestion.

In this video interview, Dr. Kaayla Daniel says she isn't so much worried about the people who eat a couple of chunks of tofu in miso soup and the like, but more the vegetarians who eat slabs of tofu daily as their main source of protein. She also says that eating tofu is still safer than ingesting soy protein isolate or hydrolyzed soy protein, ingredients found in many processed foods like veggie burgers.

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A small glass of 100% fruit juice is a good part of a healthful breakfast, right? If you're on certain prescription medications, your fruit juice may be doing more harm than good.

Grapefruit juice, for example, can interfere with blood pressure medication and actually increase its efficacy, subsequently creating a risk of overdose. Conversely, recent research suggests that grapefruit juice may prevent certain anti-allergy medications from absorbing into the bloodstream properly. A component of grapefruit juice called naringin appears to be the culprit.

Researchers state that this finding may be the "tip of the iceberg" as other juices, including orange and apple, also contain naringin-like substances that may have similar effects.

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Having been in the fitness game for quite some time now, I've seen and heard just about every claim (mostly false) possible by supplement manufacturers. "Lose 10 pounds in a week," "Gain 20 pounds of lean muscle," "Grow a curly mustache like former Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Rollie Fingers." Okay, perhaps I made up the last one, but it truly wouldn't surprise me if I saw a product on the shelf that claimed to do that very thing.

The craziest thing about the vast majority of these snake oils -- beside the fact that most of them don't work -- is how exorbitantly they are priced. But, what if I told you that there may be a product out there that can prevent our bodies from absorbing some of the calories and carbohydrates that we consume during a meal? And, what if I told you that you may very well already have it sitting in your kitchen cabinet? Still interested? Then read on.

Time for the unveiling of this super-product. Are you ready? Are you sure? Okay, here it is: Tea. Kind of anticlimactic, I know, but that doesn't take away from the apparent absorbent properties that black, green, and mulberry teas seem to possess. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that drinking tea with a meal may cause your body to not absorb as much as 25 percent of the calories from that meal. And just in case the 25 percent absorption of calories didn't seem all that impressive to you, know that you could lose as much as 16 to 18 pound in a year by reducing your caloric intake by this much.

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I try to stay away from dairy, especially milk. It's been linked to breast cancer and since I've already had the disease, I tend to stray from anything even remotely associated with it. That's not to say dairy is all bad, though. In fact, it seems eating more calcium-rich dairy food may help in the battle of the bulge.

Study findings are preliminary but here's what they suggest: Dairy appears to reduce fat absorption. After overweight study participants ate meals containing either a high or medium amount of low-fat yogurt and milk, their blood-fat levels were 15 to 19 percent lower than those who ate only a small amount of dairy. Interestingly, results remained consistent even when the low-dairy eaters added a calcium supplement.

If you dare to consume dairy, you've got research backing your decision. For true weight loss results, though, make sure it comes straight from the cow.

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Eating too much fat is dangerous to our health, but did you know that eating too little fat is dangerous too? There are several nutrients that our bodies find difficult to absorb without a bit of fat in our diets, including:

• Astaxanthin: Found in seafood; helps protect your skin and heart
• Beta Carotene: Found in many orange fruits and veggies, as well as greens
  
• Lutein: Found in egg yolks and spinach; can help your eyes and skin
• Lycopene: Found in tomatoes and water melon; prevents cancer
• Vitamin E: Found in spinach and broccoli; protects your heart
  
• Vitamin K: Found in many veggies; helps your blood clot normally
  
• Zeaxanthin: Found in corn and egg yolks; helps protect your retinas.

So, while it's important to moderate the fat you eat, it's important not to cut fat out of your diet completely.

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