Kudos to nearly all New York City restaurants who are now complying with phase one of the city's new trans fat regulation. Those still using spreads or fry oils containing the artificial trans fat will be fined by the Health Department.

A whopping 94 percent of 3,300 restaurants inspected between July 1 and September 1 were using zero grams of trans fat. Before the regulation had passed, 50 percent were in compliance. By June, 80 percent were on board. And for the few still not passing with flying colors, it seems margarine use is the hold-up. Fines starting at $200 -- fining began on October 1 -- is the penalty for non-compliance.

"Despite claims to the contrary, New York City restaurants have shown that it's easy to get artificial trans fat out of spreads and fry oils," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, Health Commissioner for New York City. "New Yorkers are now enjoying more healthful foods without any change in taste or price."

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Milk does a kid's body good, according to a Penn State study concerning American children and their consumption of the dairy drink. Yet the only youngsters reportedly drinking enough milk are 2 and 3 year olds. All others are falling short on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's My Pyramid dairy recommendations which suggest two cups of milk for 1 to 3 year olds, two to three cups for 4 to 8 year olds, and three to four cups for 9 to 18 year olds.

Also noteworthy per the same study, published in the online Journal of Pediatrics, is that children are consuming more of the highest fat varieties of cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and dairy-based toppings. It's not smart to make up for missed calcium from milk by stocking up on high-fat dairy sources, says one researcher who notes these additional calories will only add to the current problem of childhood obesity. So stick to good old fashioned milk for your kids -- and make it low-fat while you're at it.

Although physicians once recommended that children receive whole milk during the first year of life, that recommendation has changed. Doctors now recommend baby formula if the child is not nursing. And for the second year of life, reduced-fat or fat-free milk is appropriate.

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I'm not a big makeup person but I readily admit that I love expensive face and eye creams. I'm not proud to say that I don't even know if the pricey products do their job any better than cheaper brands available at local drug stores. I just like to think that they do.

Like a lot of you out there, while I enjoy trying out the fancy beauty counter creams and elixirs, I can only afford them once in a while as a treat. According to this though, there are ways to get the most out of your visit to the department store beauty section, and sometimes you can even get stuff cheap or even for free.

The complimentary gift with purchase is a personal favorite because you usually only have to spend $30 or $40 and get to try a number of high-end beauty goods. Also, as the article points out, a number of makeup companies like MAC offer cheap or free skin care evaluations and makeup applications, while others will allow you to try a free sample of a specific product you're interested in (my weakness is eye cream) before you commit to an entire bottle or jar.

For more information, as well as some beauty counter do's and don'ts, read the entire piece here.

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I posted two blogs a while back, Hey Smokers! This is what your friends won't tell you! part 1 and part 2, and got a firestorm of comments. Lots of defenders of smoking, and of course the ones who despise it. One interesting thing I've pulled out of it, is that people are comparing it to drunk driving. To me, the topics are two different beasts with some similarities. I 'm one of the despisers of smoking, and now even more than ever before, I am a despiser of drunk driving.

Two weeks ago, Lieutenant Corey Dahlem, our family friend and hero from the Gainesville Police Department in Florida was hit by a drunk driver and killed. Corey was on a street that was closed for the University of Florida National Basketball Championship celebration. The festivities were winding down, and Corey was on the road to make sure none of the student and local partiers were. A drunk male, age 20, drove through the police barricades and struck Corey. Two motorcycle officers had to jump from their bikes to avoid being struck as well. A few blocks away, the driver was stopped and had no idea why he was stopped. He later blew a 2.4 on his breathalyzer test. Almost three times that of Florida legal limit. (Corey, far right, was photoraphed the night he was struck, congratulating UF students on their teams victory).

Corey was a humble man, hard worker, and spectacular father, friend and husband. If he and the other officers were not on that road at that time, dozens of civilians would have been killed before the drunk stopped. Hero is an understatement. Two thousand people mourned his loss and celebrated his life at his funeral. A lesson on parenting was preached by the stories of how Corey ate lunch at school with his kids several times a week when they were little. At 18 and 21, he was still cooking them meals and driving his daughter to college.

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