Hungry Girl, aka Lisa Lillien, laughs in the face of that common piece of nutrition advice: Shop the perimeter of your grocery store. "People are hypocrites," she recently told the Washington Post. "They say 'shop the perimeter of the store, never eat anything that's not organic,' but it's B.S., because people can't live like that forever." Instead, Lillien shows them how to enjoy their favorite -- mostly processed -- foods without the extra calories (or guilt).

It's a formula that seems to work for a lot of people. With her Hungry Girl website, Lillien has done for processed diet foods what Oprah did for books. Her email list is 700,000 strong, and when she recommends something sales go through the roof. "I know exactly what people will like," Lillien says. "I just know. I'm that way. When I taste something, I can say, 'You know what? I like it okay, but only 20 percent of the people will like it,' or 'If I really like it, then 99 percent of people will like it, too.'"

But should fit and healthy girls really follow Hungry Girl's lead? Take a look at her latest book, "200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories." On the cover are cupcakes and rolls, french fries and donuts. They might be under 200 calories, but are they really the slim secret to success? After all, that advice to shop the perimeter of the store (organics aside, because I don't think everyone has access to or can afford organics) isn't just for weight loss ... it's for nutrition.

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It doesn't seem to matter what you have for dinner, the minute you turn on the TV, the urge to snack goes into overdrive. Chips are a popular late-night snack, but eat much more than a handful and you're asking for trouble. Instead, say the You Docs, get your crunch from popcorn instead.

There are a lot of reasons popcorn is a go-to snack for munchers. It's low in fat and calories, it's a whole grain and it'll make you feel full ... so you don't go grazing in the kitchen for seconds during a commercial break. Just make sure you keep it a healthy snack by air-popping it. And it goes without saying that smothering it in butter is a bad idea.

If you can't stand it dry, try sprinkling some spice on top. Make it even more interesting with one of these healthy popcorn recipes, including curry, cajun, onion-dill ... yum!

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When Jillian Michael's said in our recent interview with her that she hates the idea of a cheat day, I cheered. Instead, she said, have a little of what you love every day. What I hate about diet food marketing is that a) it's always pitched to women, and b) it always makes us feel like indulging in a little treat is misbehavior.

Let's get something straight: Eating a piece of chocolate is not what gets most people in trouble. Eating the entire box of chocolate is.

Take, for instance, the new Fling candy bar. Marketed again, only to women, its tagline is "Forever Is Overrated." I suspect this is a nod to that old female-centric saying, "A moment on the lips, forever on the hips." Another slogan, "Naughty, But Not That Naughty," sends that message that treating ourselves is bad. They even say, "Your Boyfriend Doesn't Have to Know." Eating food only in private? Now that's a red flag.

Look, if you want to eat low-cal chocolate, then I'm not going to be the one to stop you. But if the real thing is the only thing that does it for you, go ahead and eat it. In public. In front of your boyfriend. Without guilt.

Then get yourself to the gym to work it off. Fitness, like life, is all about balance.

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What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of chicken Caesar salads? OK, we know they are delicious, so how about the second thing? Yep, I think fattening, too. In fact, Martha's research found almost 1,000 calories and 76 grams of fat in a chicken Caesar salad. Yikes!

You don't have to omit the yummy Caesar, with its creamy dressing and zingy flavor from your menu, though. Why not try this 269-calorie and 10 grams of fat Caesar instead? With a few simple substitutions for the traditional ingredients, you've got a healthy salad you can eat anytime.

Silken tofu makes the creamy dressing, with lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and anchovy; you won't be sacrificing flavor! And this recipe still includes the shaved parmesan cheese. Start cooking and enjoy your guilt-free Caesar salad ... yum!

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Few things are more refreshing on a summer's day than a cold drink on a hot patio. But alcohol is normally a no-no for dieters. Simply put, they're full of empty calories, particularly if you fancy sweet cocktails.

eDiets recently put together a list of sweet-but-not-sinful summer cocktails that you can enjoy without packing on too many calories. On their list of healthy drinks:

• Strawberry Lemonade Martini
• Berry Blast Spritzer
• Less Guilt Margarita
• Summer Breeze Punch
  

What's your favorite summertime drink? Mine is a low-cal Mojito, made with one part white rum, two parts club soda, flavoured with lime, mint and just a touch of sweetener.

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It's almost Cinco de Mayo, which is, unfortunately, one of my favorite holidays to celebrate because, even though it packs a lot of calories, I really love Mexican food. And, what good is an enchilada without a margarita?

In case your mouth is watering just thinking about a cold, delicious margarita (because, honestly, mine is watering just writing about it), I've pulled together some links that look like good options. They'll keep your calories lower than a regular margarita, but it's no free pass -- most of these still pack over 100 calories per serving. But, if you have a recipe you dig, share the love! And feliz Cinco de Mayo!

• Fitnessmagazine.com -- Frozen Lime Margarita
• Hungry-Girl.com -- Rockin' Razzy Rita, HG's Fruitylicious Margarita, and HG's Magical Low-Cal Margarita
• Ehow.com -- Delicious Low-Cal Margarita
• MargaritaTexas.com -- Low-Cal Margarita
• Suite101.com -- Low Calorie Agave Margarita

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This year, for Halloween, I had to buy gum instead of regular candy. I was reaching for the Glossette raisins but realized that I would probably eat them all before the first trick-or-treater rang my doorbell. Double Bubble is a safer choice for me and the kids.

But still, I can't get the allure of the chocolate-covered raisins out of my head. I need something sweet to satisfy. Luckily, eDiets has a few low-cal sweet treats to tide us over:

• Low-cal Jello pudding snacks. Luckily these come in chocolate.
  
• No Pudge Fudge Bars. At only 60 calories per bar, you can't really go wrong.
  
• Walden Farms Calorie-Free Chocolate Dip and Marshmallow Dip. This low-carb tasty treat is available at health food stores across the country.
  
• GG Bran Crispbread. Bran doesn't sound all that appealing when you're looking for something chocolaty, but they're a really healthy, sweet cracker that would be great dipped in chocolate. Mmmm.

However, if you absolutely must have some of the Glossette raisins, I wouldn't worry too much. One of those wee Halloween packages only has about 60 calories. Just make sure you stick to one or two.

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Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Food power -- it is what we are looking for from this feature, right? So if you aren't eating sweet potatoes, here are some good reasons to start.

• Low in calories -- One sweet potato is about 95 calories.
• Antioxidants -- Not only are sweet potatoes high in vitamins A and C, but they contain unique root proteins that are powerful antioxidants.
• Sweet potatoes help stabilize blood sugar levels.
• Anti-inflammatory -- May help fight arthritis, asthma and other inflammatory diseases.
• The vitamin B6 in sweet potatoes helps fight heart attack and stroke.

If sweet potatoes conjure thoughts and images of Thanksgiving dishes, try some of these unique and healthy recipes using sweet potatoes.

Asian Style Chef Salad -- with sweet potato, radishes, baby eggplant and tuna
Warm Sweet Potato and Green Bean Salad -- with a red wine vinaigrette and watercress
Caribbean Sweet Potato Crock Pot Stew -- with chorizo sausage, tomato and exotic spices
Sweet Potato and Greens Soup -- spinach or kale adds even more nutrition
Roasted Sweet Potato Risotto -- with onion, garlic and fresh herbs
Hoisin Kebab with Grilled Flank Steak -- with Asian style marinade

Other ideas?

• Try using sweet potatoes anywhere you would have used white potatoes.
• Cube them into salads and soups.
• Make a sweet potato hash for breakfast. Add green veggies, too.

What's your favorite way to eat a sweet potato?

Cereal is one of those things that seems to be universally loved. But cereal's is also one of the most deceptively unhealthy things. It's usually full of sugar and refined carbs and devoid of any sort of nutrition. But there are some good cereals out there -- you just have to search a bit for them. Food Review has come up with this list of the best low-cal cereals out there:

1. Kashi Mighty Bites
2. Kashi Organic Promise Strawberry Fields
3. Lucky Charms
   
4. Natures Promise Honey Whole Grain Cereal
5. Kelloggs All Bran Yogurt Bites
6. Post Honey Nut Shredded Wheat
7. Honey Bunches of Oats with Strawberries
8. Special K Fruit & Yogurt
9. Yogurt Burst Cheerios
10. Kashi Go Lean Crunch

I must say, I'm surprised by some of these. Lucky Charms? Really? And I always though those fruit and yogurt cereals had lots of extra sugar and fat. Remember that it's important to buy a cereal that has around 5 g of fibre per serving.

What's your favourite cereal?

(Via Diet Blog)

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I'll admit -- I have a teensy crush on Rachael Ray. She's funny, she's cute and she can cook like nobody's business. Her meals are usually pretty healthy, but how great would it be if she started dishing out calorie-conscious recipes? Well, that's exactly what she's going to start doing, according to this article, all in an effort to lose the extra pounds she gained from the stress of being in the spotlight -- and being surrounded by food all day.

The 5'3 TV star and authoress is going to start coming up with healthy concoctions while her show's on hiatus, and then she's going to share them with us when she's back on TV.

Will you be watching?

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