I don't normally use coupons. Well, I did when diapers were on my list but now that my babies are big, I'm not really on the lookout for such savings. I'd use coupons, though, if they pertained to the foods I buy. But they don't. You know why? Because most coupons are for packaged, processed foods -- and that's just the stuff I try not to buy.

Ever notice how there's rarely a coupon for a head of lettuce or a bunch of bananas? But there are plenty for cake mixes, cheese-filled crackers and Lunchables? I wish it were the other way around. But it's not. Healthy foods just cost more -- financially speaking, anyway. Look at it this way, though: Nutritious foods won't cost you anything health-wise. Maybe you'll be short a few pennies in the check-out line. But you'll come out ahead in the long-run when you realize you aren't spending a fortune on diet gimmicks and doctor bills, when you're running and jumping and playing with your kids and when it hits you that without a pile of coupons, you get to live better and longer. Now that you can afford, right?

Organic foods seem to be everywhere these days -- from the corner store to the grocery store, there are pesticide-free, unprocessed, free-range foods on every shelf. But could you live on nothing but organic foods? Think about it -- you'd only have a handful or restaurants to choose from, and you might have to give up on some of your favourite dishes altogether. Could you do it?

One doctor in California did, and he recently spoke to the New York Times about his experiences on the all-organic diet. "This isn't a way of eating I could recommend to anybody else because it's so far off the beaten food grid," said Dr. Alan Greene. "It was much more challenging than I thought it would be, and I thought it would be tough. There were definitely days where there was nothing I could find that was organic." Still, he thinks it has improved his health. Read the full story here.

Your thoughts?

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We can't ignore the fact that the economy is in a bit of a slump. And whether or not we recognize it, this affects nearly every aspect of our lives -- including our eating habits. During times of financial hardship, it's a natural reaction to stock up on foods that are processed and full of preservatives, but our healthy habits shouldn't be the first thing to go when things get a bit tough.

At least that's what nutritionist Jane Clarke says in her weekly column for The Daily Mail. She offers a few tips for reducing waste -- and ultimately cost -- when you're shopping for the family:

• Buy sliced, fresh whole wheat bread and freeze what you don't use right away.
• Add cheap, healthy ingredients like beans to your meat dishes to make the meat go further.
• Buy only as much fresh fruit as you know you can consume, and stock up on frozen fruit instead.
• In fruits do go limp, cook them (or freeze them) right away instead of throwing them out.

How do you stretch your grocery dollars?

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly, our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Mmmmmm. Just the mention of Chef Jens Dahlmanns's name puts my mind in ecstasy. His is the name of the man who created what I'd choose as my 'last meal.' He's the premier Chef of Disney's signature restaurant The California Grill, who also oversees a staff of award-winning chefs atop Disney's Contemporary Resort. Chef Jens was classically trained in European kitchens and worked for Le Cirque 2000 in New York City and Cafe 'L Europe in Palm Beach, Florida, before joining Disney in April 2004.

We first spoke on the phone a week before I was to dine at his spectacular grill. From a fitness trainer standpoint, he gave all of the 'right answers.' Not that he was contrived, but his stance on cooking is what I would wish to hear. If you've read my features before, you'll know that I preach the importance of lean fresh foods. Read on to see how dead-on Chef Jens is to that style of eating. From a regular gal's point of view, it was just really exciting and fun to hear Chef Jens talk about food. He described white asparagus the same way most men would describe a beautiful woman. I could imagine what each item tasted like as he described them.

My experience at The California Grill was almost indescribable. Chef Jens and his staff were pampering to say the least. He greeted me with a sample of the white asparagus he gushed about, and I knew I was in for something special. The combinations of flavors and textures were to die for! I relished every bite and cleaned each and every plate that landed in front of me (highly unusual for me). The man knows how to make fresh food taste divine. The advice he gave in this interview is exactly what I, as your online Fitzness Trainer, want you to follow. Chef Jens just knows far better than I, how to make all of the healthy stuff taste heavenly.

Fitz: How much does "healthy" influence the foods you create for your menus?

Chef Jens: Healthy actually has a lot to do with our menu. First of all, Disney has set an initiative for enhancing our menus in a healthy way, so across all of the Disney parks and restaurants you'll find better choices. On my part, I'm always driven by what's fresh in the market. We create meals based on the season. At the California Grill, our menu changes according to what foods are in season. Fresh food equals leaner and "cleaner" food. I never use processed ingredients.

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My husband told me about this ground-breaking news flash today at lunch, and I suspect that the little blurb he first heard on talk radio is going to soon infiltrate the media. It's that big. Here's what he heard: Excess body fat almost certainly causes cancer.

The evidence is stronger now than ever before and is detailed in a landmark report issued today by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). Evidence linking cancer with consumption of alcohol, red meat, and processed meat is also pretty darn convincing.

The report, available here, has been five years in the making and consists of data pulled together from nine independent teams of scientists from around the world and 21 international experts who analyzed more than 7,000 large-scale studies.

If you were unsure about the connection between cancer and diet before today, consider this: Body fat is convincingly linked to six different cancers -- colon, kidney, pancreas, adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and endometrium, and post-menopausal breast cancer. And this is just one striking point made in the 517-page report. There are 10 other issues outlined, which have led to these ten recommendations:

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He's lost more weight than he ever imagined, and he's still losing. He's dropping more weight at home, in fact, than he did as a contestant on NBC's The Biggest Loser. And that makes him a winner, despite his eviction from the show.

Jim Germanakos, 41, is 136 pounds lighter today than when he first set foot on the Biggest Loser set. He's dedicated everything to his weight loss, he told Today Show host Ann Curry on Tuesday. He left the comforts of home, left his wife and kids, and set forth on a journey he says is still not complete. Germanakos wants to lose another 35 pounds. I have a hunch he'll do it.

How exactly will he do it? Well, he'll work hard, hit the gym, and continue practicing what trainer Jillian Michaels has been drilling into his head about nutrition. He will (1) count calories, (2) avoid trans fats, (3) limit processed foods, and (4) consume mostly organic products. That should do it for the man who is putting his health and family first, the man who has inspired his wife to lose 45 pounds, the man who has happily become: one big loser.

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My six-year-old had a friend over after school the other day, and I eagerly served up a variety of fruit for snack time. It went pretty well. My own two guys ate watermelon, apple slices, and strawberries. And although our visitor's first reaction was, "I don't like vegetables," we were able to coax him into consuming a little fresh fruit.

Our guest chose watermelon. And he had a special request: "Can I have some salt?" he asked. Joey jumped right up and grabbed the salt container we rarely use in our house. Our new friend was happy.

So, what's the deal with salt? Is it OK to indulge a little? Or is it becoming a no-no to sprinkle our foods with tiny, salty white granules? According to a recent study, we'd be wise to adopt a low-sodium diet. It could cut the risk of heart disease by as much as 25 percent.

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Reader Fash sent us a question asking to know more about something she's heard a lot of lately: Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. I'll admit I haven't heard anything on this particular product before, beyond having heard that regular coconut oil was bad news because it was often hydrogenated, which means it's a source of trans fats. But looking into it, I found the EVCO is different from refined coconut oils, and actually retains a bit of the coconut essence to it. Some believe it to be the healthiest fat out there, promoting weight loss and thyroid function, but here's another point of view:

Virgin Coconut oil contains saturated fat. The saturated fat in coconut oil is no less harmful for your cardiovascular health than other saturated fats -- a fact that has been re-enforced by the American Heart Association, FDA and WHO numerous times. That's not to say that virgin coconut oil is bad for you -- the message here is that like other healthy fats, you need to practice moderation when it comes to coconut oil. Moreover, don't believe people who claim to be selling extra virgin coconut oil -- there's no such thing. Unrefined coconut oil is merely virgin coconut oil.

So what do you think about EVCO? Another form of snake oil or the world's miracle fat?

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I live in a place known for it's ranches and its meat, where being a vegetarian is a sometimes bizarre and incomprehensible lifestyle choice. I'm not a vegetarian but I'm not much of a meat eater either. Basically, if it's served to me, I'll eat meat but I don't keep much of it in my house and I rarely cook it for myself. It's not that I don't like the taste of meat--I do--but I do lots of research about food and nutrition, and hearing about all the hormones that go into meat frankly grosses me out. Plus, I read Fast Food Nation and let's just say it does not paint a pretty picture of how meat is produced.

The Daily Apple has a great post on the safety of meat. Whether it's beef, pork, poultry or even fish, all meats have gone through questionable practices to get on your plate, including being exposed to toxins and injected with hormones. And chances are the hamburger is made from stripped spinal meat. Ewwwww.

But although I don't eat much meat, I would have trouble cutting it out of my life altogether. The key is buying free-range and organic meats that aren't exposed to the same conditions as regular meat. It's expensive, yes, but you have to be careful about what you're putting in your body, don't you think?

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You know that phrase you are what you eat? There's a lot of truth to it. Diet can have a bigger impact on your life and body than you think. To prove my point, I found this article from eDiets which suggests that the aches, pains and inflammation that are considered part of entering middle age can be worsened by an unhealthy diet containing lots of refined sugar, process white flours, dairy, unhealthy fats and much more. To help with the aches? Choose things like tea, fish, healthy fats, vegetables, water and spices.

What's your experience with pain and food?

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Deli meats causing problems in the lungs, of all places, seems like an unlikely truth. But according to recent research it does seem to be the case. When experts looked at the connection between a diet including cured meats such as deli meat, hot dogs, and bacon and the development of COPD later in life, they found what looks like a direct link: the more cured meats in a person's diet the higher the risk for COPD.

They are quick to point out, however, that this study by no means proves anything. In fact, they aren't even recommending that people stop eating cured meats, just that they consider cutting back a little.

I think we all already know that fresh is always better, and it's not just for fruits and vegetables.

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