Think you can't prevent cancer with the foods you eat? Think again. You can slash your risk of developing breast cancer just by consuming choline-rich foods. Choline what, you might be thinking. And to that I say: Choline is an organic compound classified as a water-soluble essential nutrient, usually grouped within the vitamin B complex. Mumbo jumbo, huh?

Here's all you really need to know: Good sources of choline are eggs, fish, lean meat, collard greens, and beans. Women need 425 mg per day, yet 90% of Americans don't get enough. Get the right amount and you'll decrease your risk of breast cancer by 24%. You'll also cut your heart disease risk and improve your memory.

Kick start your new choline habit today, by throwing down one large egg yolk, says Prevention magazine. It has 27% of your daily recommended amount.

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What you put inside your body eventually shows on the outside, reports Reader's Digest. Just ask the 100 dermatologists who analyzed the skin of 4,000 women ages 40 to 74. What they found is that eating habits, weight, history of sun exposure, and menopausal status all affect the skin. Specific to diet, though, the good doctors discovered the following.

• Women with higher vitamin C intake had significantly fewer wrinkles. Makes sense since vitamin C is key in the formation of collagen, which protects the skin from damage and keeps it strong and elastic. For best results, be sure to get vitamin C not through a supplement but in its natural form -- think orange juice, citrus fruits, and tomatoes.
  

• Those who ate plenty of the nutrient linoleic acid had skin that was less dry and fragile. Known to keep skin moist, this stuff can be found in green leafy veggies, nuts, and plant-based oils.

• Women who ate more carbs and fat had more wrinkles.

It makes sense than that we put in our bodies what is truly good for us, on the inside and out. Check out the following gallery for 11 healthy -- and antioxidant-rich -- goodies.

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Food labels are confusing. I know this. Even though I understand how to understand them, it's hard to balance the good and bad I find listed on food products. I might find a certain something to be low in sugar and then learn the same item is high in fat. How do I know if something is a good bet with so much competing information?

Here's some direction, thanks to the American Dietetic Association. Call it the rule of 5 and 20.

An item is considered a poor source of a nutrient if it contains five percent daily value or less of that nutrient -- based on a 2,000-calorie diet. It's an excellent source if it contains 20 percent daily value or more. Depending on whether these figures refer to sugar or say, fiber, you'll want to adjust your intake accordingly.

That helps. Doesn't it?

For more on food labels and how to interpret them, stop by this site. Click on Get Smart -- Get the Facts on Food Labels and you'll land at an enlightening PDF nutrition fact sheet.

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Need a staple in your diet that's low in fat and loaded with protein, fiber, and slow-burning carbohydrates? Then this article is for you. It's all about beans.

It seems canned beans work in a pinch but if time permits, beans prepared from scratch are the best. Here's how to get the most bang for your beans:

• Wash and pick over beans to remove small stones and other foreign matter.

• Soak beans for eight hours, or overnight, in cold water. This makes them less likely to cause gas.

• If you're short on time, cover beans with cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat and allow them to sit, covered, for one hour.

• Discard soaking water. This gets rid of the starches that cause gas.

• Store dried beans in a tightly-sealed container in a cool, dry area. Beans kept longer than 12 months lose moisture and may require longer cooking. Age never diminishes nutrient value.

• Refrigerate cooked beans for up to five days. Freeze them for up to six months.

• One cup of dried beans equals three cups of cooked beans.

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The general perception is that a diet high in sugar equals a diet full of empty calories. And it makes sense, the thinking being that since sugar has little to no nutrients then eating it must replace other foods that would have provided valuable nutrition. But a new study (one of those "studies that studied studies" -- say that ten times fast) suggests that foods high in sugar don't always come at the expense of more nutritional choices. In some cases, a high sugar diet even went hand-in-hand with a greater intake of essential nutrients. Who woulda thought?

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