The Hot Latin Diet by Dr. Manny Alvarez promises to provide the fast track to a "bombshell body." Sounds good, right? Who doesn't want to look hot -- and Latin food has a pretty high yum factor.

Alvarez is an OB/GYN and a medical contributor for Fox News. He claims that Latin Americans have a long life expectancy and lower levels of obesity. Alvarez believes this is because of seven Latin superfoods -- tomatillos, garbanzo beans, avocados, chilies, cinnamon, garlic, and cilantro. The book suggests two phases that introduce these superfoods into the diet.

Helene Charlebois, a Canadian registered dietitian reviewed the book and has some concerns. While she agrees that the seven foods Alvarez includes in the diet are health-promoting and good additions to your menu, she says that the plan lacks good science, clear directions, and easy-to-follow menus and recipes. She says that The Hot Latin Diet is not a plan that can be easily incorporated into your lifestyle.

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For all the love I have of tomatoes, I really can't stand a traditional gazpacho soup, or any tomato soup for that matter. It is just too... tomato-y! Gazpacho is so healthy, though, with all of those fresh, raw veggies.

Well, I found a gazpacho recipe that will satisfy even the pickiest gazpacho eaters, as long as they like avocado. Mothering's Avocado Gazpacho recipe is the perfect answer for my gazpacho issues: it is basically traditional gazpacho, with avocado instead of tomato.

And the beauty of this cold soup is that you toss all the ingredients into a blender, press a button, and you're done. I have to think that with the healthy fats in avocados that this recipe adds a new layer of nutrition, too.

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Ever wonder what exactly the most fit and trim folks put in their bodies for nutrition -- folks like, say, Lance Armstrong? I mean, what powers that guy on the bike and in all those marathons? Well, Texas guacamole, for one.

Check out this Armstrong family recipe -- Armstrong tells Good Housekeeping magazine it belongs to his mom -- and give it a try when you're in the mood for something hearty and healthy.

Texas Guacamole

Ingredients

3 ripe avocados
1 T. grated white onion
1.5 T. picante sauce
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Pinch of garlic salt

Preparation

Peel avocados and remove seeds. Scoop avocados into large bowl and coarsely mash with fork. Stir in remaining ingredients until blended. Makes two cups.

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So you're the type of person who fills your grocery cart with healthy foods -- fruits and veggies of every shape and color, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein. Your healthy choices are enough to make the check-out person feel guilty about the candy bar stashed beneath her register. But are you sure you're getting the most vitamins and minerals out of the foods that you buy?

Shape has a list of 9 common kitchen mistakes even healthy eaters make:

• Overloading on produce. It's best to buy fresh fruits and veggies within just a few days of using them. If you stock up on too many they'll lose precious nutrients as they sit on your counter waiting to be eaten. Or, worse yet, they'll end up going to waste altogether.
  
• Exposing foods to light. Opt for milk in cardboard boxes and don't store foods in glass canisters or see-through storage containers. Many foods are susceptible to a process called photooxidation in which light breaks down the nutrients.
  

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He's 64 and a father to seven kids with four different women, but that hasn't deterred Mick Jagger from wanting to become a father again with current gal pal L'Wren Scott. And the skinny senior has apparently adopted a new healthy diet to increase his fertility odds, according to this article.

What's on his list of must-have fertility foods? Avocados, for one. They're believed by the Aztecs to improve men's sexual prowess. He's also drinking lots of goji berry juice, which is known in some circles as 'fruit Viagra.' I've never heard of either of these being good for fertility, but hey -- whatever works.

What do you think of Mick's fertility plans?

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I really enjoyed reading our own Fitz's interview with Man vs. Wild host Bear Grylls. I've been a fan of the show since last season and now, from what I've learned by watching, I'm confident that I can survive in the Amazon, the Florida Everglades, and the Alaskan wilderness ... providing I can bring my house, my friends, my fiance, a fully-staffed hospital, electricity, a team of research scientists, a Land Rover with in-dash GPS, my DVD collection, an air conditioning and heating unit, a couple of kegs of beer, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, a plumber (you always need a good plumber), my iPod, a rescue helicopter, a year-long supply of Boston Market chicken, and access to the NFL Sunday Ticket. Oh yeah -- and bug spray.

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Are you a food fan? Yeah, aren't we all? Sometimes it's tough to know exactly what to eat though, especially if you're trying to find a healthy, balanced diet but don't want to spend precious free time reading and re-reading labels. If you want to find out what foods give you the most most bang for your buck (health-wise at least) check out this fun, illustrated article posted on AOL Body.

It lists 10 of the best possible foods to eat when attempting to create a balanced diet full of nutrients, vitamins, fatty acids, antioxidants and more. These are the foods that will not only fill you up but that will keep your heart, brain and the rest of your body in great shape.

In no particular order, here are the Top 10:

• Kidney Beans (Check out this post by Debra McDuffee for the skinny on kidney beans).
• Avocados (Learn more about the healthy fats in avocados by taking the quiz Brian White mentions here).
• Bananas (Find delicious banana-tastic dessert recipes in Jessica Ashley's post on the healthy fruit).
• Green Tea (Decide what kind of tea is best for you in Bethany Sanders' post on green, black and white tea).
• Almonds (Check out Rigel Gregg's post on celebrity snacks to find out which stars love almonds).
• Wild salmon (Try the easy glazed salmon recipe mentioned by Debra McDuffee for your next meal).
• Honey (What's so fab about honey? Find out about the wonder-food in this post by Rigel Gregg).
• Broccoli (Debra McDuffee lets you know why broccoli is super here)
• Blueberries (Enjoy healthy blueberry muffins with this recipe courtesy of Jessica Brim).
• Extra virgin olive oil (Martha Edwards' post on healthy cooking tips discusses olive oil and other foods).

They're all tasty and offer the added bonus of being really really good for you. Head over to AOL Body to take a look at the foods and find out more about what exactly it is about each that makes them so edible and excellent.

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When it comes to beauty products, synthetic ones will usually have quicker results than all-natural ones. But sometimes a girl (or boy!) just wants to use something from good old Mother nature, and with all the chemicals that go into everything these days, who can blame us?

Here's a skin care product for the hippie in all of us: Avocados. A certain sugar that is unique to avocados can boost collagen and improve the structure of the dermis. Make sure to save some for your salad too, though, because they're good for you both inside your body and outside of it.

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