When Rob Pattinson (who also played Cedric Diggory in the fourth "Harry Potter" film) was cast as a super sexy vampire in the film version of the hit "Twilight" book series, he decided to get serious about his level of fitness (perhaps taking a cue from his villainous co-star?).

He cut out all alcohol and a lot of his meals, hoping to rid his body of "every ounce of body fat." He kickboxed three hours a day and ran for at least two hours a day for more than two months, saying that he hoped, "... when I took off my shirt, I would look like an alien. I thought that kind of worked for the story. The idea of taking my shirt off and looking like some sort of Adonis ..."

But, it didn't work for the director -- Pattinson lost so much weight that the shirtless scenes were cut. It didn't seem to bother him too much, though. Once he knew the shirtless scenes were out, he went about putting some of that weight back on by starting "a full cheeseburger diet."

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Google, the ingenious company that has seemingly single-handedly conquered the internet, could use some lessons in nutrition, apparently. Well, at least their NYC Cafe could. The eatery recently served up a stomach-churning, heart attack-inducing, vomit-inspiring doozy of a sandwich. The Bacon Krispy Kreme Burger is just that -- a cheeseburger with bacon served on a Krispy Kreme donut as the bun. The only way they could possibly make it less nutritious is if they deep fried it.

How many calories does you think is in one of these? Let's see, about 200 in the donut, 250 in the pattty, 150 in the bacon and 100 in the cheese? At 700 calories and about a jillion grams of fat, let's hope Google provides its employees with good insurance plans.

(via Celebrity Diet Doctor)

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When you're grabbing a meal on the run, most of us know better than to order our meal with fries. Why? They're loaded with fat and sodium, and will make a big caloric dent in our daily intake.

But when a sandwich isn't enough, what can we get to go with our fast food entree? Most places now offer sides of stuff like salad, fruit or other healthy fare. And at Wendy's, you can even enjoy potatoes without having to order them deep-fried and covered in salt -- you can order a baked potato on the side.

But are baked potatoes a healthier option than fries? One would think so, based on the fact that they're cooked in the oven instead of the deep fryer. But what baked potatoes lack in deep-fried goodness, they make up for with add-ons like sour cream, bacon bits, butter and cheese. Still, how bad can it be? You tell me.

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We all know by now that there are just some foods you should stay away from. Trans fats, for instance. And high fructose corn syrup too. But those are in lots of things -- what specific foods should you stay away from? eDiets recently put together a list of the foods you should always avoid:

1. Cheeseburger and Fries. Fatty meat topped with fatty processed cheese, in between white bread with a side of fatty deep-fried starch. Yikes.
   
2. Doughnuts. Deep-fried dough and sugar -- it's tasty, but not very nutritious.
   
3. Fried Chicken, chicken fingers and chicken nuggets. Chicken is good for you, but not when it's processed, battered and deep fried.
   
4. Packaged lunches. You know, those ones for kids. Convenient, but ... ick!
5. Sugary cereal. Start your day off with a whole bunch of energy-draining sugar? No thanks.
   
6. Processed Meats. You never know what goes into those meats -- and you don't want to.
   
7. Canned soup. It's got wayyyyy to much sodium.
   

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Fourth of July makes us think of outdoor barbecues and fireworks - usually complete with a high-calorie, high fat meal. This simple menu takes some holiday favorites and lightens them up enough that you can enjoy yourself and not break your diet at the same time. Add some watermelon and s

Cheeseburgers

3/4 pound lean ground beef
3/4 pound lean ground turkey
1/4 cup barbecue sauce - preferably low sodium
6 multi-grain buns, split & toasted
6 red leaf lettuce leaves
6 tomato slices -- 1/2 inch thick
6 slices low-fat cheddar cheese

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill.

Mix together beef, turkey and barbecue sauce and form into six 1/4 pound patties. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and grill for approximately 7-8 minutes on each side, for medium to medium well burgers. Just before the burgers are done, top with a slice of cheese.

Place the lettuce and tomato on top of one half of the buns and place the burger on top. Cover with the other half of the bun. Serve with condiments such as pickles and ketchup, if desired.

Rehab Rundown

• Lean ground turkey was substituted for half the beef, and lean ground beef was substituted for the regular ground beef, cutting fat and calories
• Barbecue sauce was added to keep the burgers moist without adding significant calories
• Serving size - an important fact to remember - was cut down to 1/4 pound.
• Multigrain rolls were used instead of white rolls, adding fiber
• Low-fat cheese was used instead of regular.

Guilt-Free Potato Salad
1 1/2 pounds red skinned potatoes potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ounce bacon -- cooked, fat drained and crumbled
3 egg whites, boiled and coarsely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 dill pickles, chopped
1 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste

In large saucepan, place potatoes in enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and place in a large bowl.

Add all remaining ingredients while potatoes are still warm and gently mix together. Refrigerate 1-2 hours to allow flavors to blend.

Rehab Rundown

• Bacon was reduced from 2 to 1 ounce
• Egg whites were used in place of whole eggs
• Fat-free yogurt was substituted for sour cream, still giving a tangy flavor without the fat
• Low-fat mayonnaise was substituted for mayonnaise and the amount was reduced by half

Easy Strawberry Shortcake

1 storebought angel food cake
2 quarts strawberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
24 tablespoons fat free whipped topping

Slice strawberries and sprinkle sugar on top. Let sit for at least fifteen minutes.

Cut cake in 12 slices. Set a slice of cake on a plate, top with 1/12 of the strawberry mixture and two tablespoons of whipped topping. Serve immediately.

Rehab Rundown

• Sugar in the strawberry topping was reduced to 1 tablespoon. Since strawberries are still in season, their natural sweetness will come through
• Fat free whipped topping was substituted for whipped cream.

Rehab Reveal

For the total meal - one serving of each recipe:

	Original	Adapted
Calories	1663 (approx 70% from fat)	864 (approx 30% from fat)
Fat	113g	35g
Saturated Fat	29g	16g
Protein	64g	43g
Carbohydrate	103g	84g
Fiber	4g	5g

Just wanted to spout out about something that really irritates me. I know a woman I'll call Nancy who was totally adamant that her baby only be nursed for the first year of his life. Formula was too "dangerous and unhealthy" for her. Nursing 100% is completely great with me, and just FYI ... I nursed both of my children for about a year as well. Mine were given formula here and there though and I truly felt it made no difference. To each her own, right?

Nancy nursing her son was terrific, but Nancy was also a big idiot about others who gave formula. A BIG IDIOT. Constantly putting down the formula, and baby food, and everything else. What drives me most crazy about this buffoon is that as soon as her boy turned one year old I caught her several times with a stroller tray full of Burger King cheeseburger bits and french fries!

Nursing is phenomenal. But don't go from strictly giving your kid the BEST food to the WORST food. What the heck is that all about? That first year of a child's life is crucial to development and counts so much. Nursing is not sustainable forever. What matters most are the habits you give them to grow on. Sustainable and realistic habits that will set them on course for a healthy childhood, followed by a long and vibrant life. Parents.Com has some great advice on pursuing this option.

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Now that fresh spinach is coming back onto the shelves little by little, it's worth stepping back and getting some perspective on the issue of E. Coli and "SpinachGate."

First, a quick statistic. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), E. Coli is responsible for 73,000 cases of infection each year (1999 CDC estimate). That means the 188 or so people infected with E. Coli from spinach constitute about 1/3 of one percent of the E. Coli cases for the year.

And where do all the other cases come from? Most cases come from undercooked ground beef (FDA). Yep. Hamburger.

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["How Many Calories" is a regular feature that reveals the surprising calorie content in various foods. Thought-provoking, indeed. We're always on the lookout for surprising calorie counts, so let us know what you're finding and we may blog about it!]

No one thinks that a burger with four patties, flour slices of cheese and eight strips of bacon is health food, but when Burger King advertises their newest burger as one for meat lovers, some will still find it hard to turn down. The BK Quad Stacker is the meatiest on the menu, but how many calories are you getting with that meat?

(a) 650
(b) 850
(c) 1000
(d) 1200

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