We all know that Jessica Alba shaped up in no time after giving birth to her daughter, Honor, last summer. However, the sexy star is still working to stay slim, and she's enlisted the help of her family members by putting them on a diet with her.

Alba has cut all white out of her diet, and has asked hubby, Cash, and even her mom to do the same -- and it's not restricted to home-cooked meals. Rumor has it that Alba won't let anyone order the foods she's not eating, even when they're out at a restaurant!

OK, there's no disputing that it's far easier to stick to a diet when the rest of your household is dieting along with you -- it's only natural to have more difficulty watching what you eat if your favorite foods are not only around and available, but are being enjoyed by those around you. But asking your family to get on board with your new, stricter eating habits when they're not worried about their weight is a pretty major request to make, right?

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During the holidays, the wine flows freely at my house. Wine's the best of the alcohols, right? That's what we tell ourselves anyway. But one has to wonder, considering recent reports that the metals in wine are linked to Parkinson's and cancer. Plus, apparently, wine drinkers are most likely to drink too much. Egads.

And yet, it's still true that wine is healthy for your heart. What's a wine lover to believe?

I, for one, believe in moderation -- living healthfully 90 percent of the time and giving myself a break that other 10 precent. I also believe that if we abide by every study on every food that causes whatever disease or condition, we're not really enjoying ourselves. I believe in enjoying the good things in life, all at once -- good food and libations with good family and friends. I believe in making up for indulgences with an extra long run on Monday.

What's your take?

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To sip or not to sip? When you're talking tea, the consensus among health experts seems to be: sip up! Tea is nutritious, delicious and virtually calorie-free. Over at Mark's Daily Apple, they're talking tea. Here are 10 reasons to start brewing:

• Tea is full of antioxidants.
• It also has anti-inflammatory properties, meaning it can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, among others.
• It can lower the body's absorption of carbohydrates.
• It can protect you against ovarian cancer.
• If you have it sans milk, it counts as a glass of water against your eight glasses a day.
• It can curb hunger and help satisfy cravings.
• it's lower in caffeine than coffee
• To get the most positive impact from tea, drink two to three cups a day. If you can't? One cup should be fine.
• Loose, fresh tea offers more benefits than bags of tea.
• Worried about staining your teeth? Drink white or green tea instead of traditional black tea.

What do you love about tea?

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Eggs, the old standby breakfast food, are a fantastic source of protein. But figuring out what kind of eggs to buy is becoming more and more daunting. Labels boasting free-range, cage-free and fortified might leave you scratching your head -- luckily The New York Times in shedding some light on what they all mean. Here are a few pointers:

• Cage-free means the bird was kept out of a cage, but this doesn't mean they ever saw the light of day
• Free-range means they had regular access to the outdoors, but 'outdoor' could mean a parking lot.
• Pasture-raised means that at least some of their diet was natural (like greens and bugs.) But there's no regulation on how much of their diet needs to be natural.
• Animal Welfare Approved means they spent all their time outdoors in a pesticide-free pasture. They are bathed and not fed any animal byproducts.

Intrigued? Read more here.

(via Well)

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When I was a kid, there was no question that a big glass of milk was a healthy choice. Today, however, there's a pretty decent debate about milk. (Just do a search for anti dairy... you'll see what I mean.) There are environmental and ethical implications in dairy farming and many just feel that milk from a cow isn't healthy for humans.

Personally, both my son and I drink milk. Not the three glasses a day some organizations would have you drink, but we each probably have one small glass a day. However, I'm a believer that you don't have to have dairy to get your necessary nutrients. When it comes to milk, though, my son and I drink low-fat, white milk. I'm just not a fan of the added sugar in chocolate milk. Some varieties of chocolate milk can add up to 18 grams of sugar. (Though I do let my son have chocolate milk as a special treat now and then.)

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We all want a set of beautiful pearly whites, don't we? But a white smile goes well beyond appearances; strong, healthy teeth are important for your overall health.

For sparkling white teeth, in addition to proper oral hygiene, avoid foods that can stain. The general rule of thumb is if it can stain a white t-shirt, it can stain your teeth. Coffee, red wine, and tea are common culprits.

But there are plenty of foods you can add to your diet to improve the health of your teeth. And -- bonus! -- the foods that are good for your teeth are good for your general health as well. Check out the gallery for a summary of the foods mentioned in the video.

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Beans are good for us. Martha's post about beans, the magical fruit tells us this, and the high-fiber protein powerhouse can make even the staunchest carnivores feel satisfied after a vegetarian meal that includes beans.

But did you know that eating vegetarian will actually save you money? That's a big consideration right now, with the penny-pinching hitting nearly everyone in some way.

Start with this well-rounded recipe from Epicurious, Pappardelle with Bean Bolognese Sauce, and convert your meat-lovers! With three kinds of beans, tomatoes, butternut squash, and fresh rosemary, you won't be lacking for flavor.

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Want whiter and brighter teeth? Look no further than your food. Grab an apple, some carrots, a cucumber now and then and you'll scrub your stains away. It's the abrasive or crunchy quality of these foods that do the trick, says Elisa Mello, DDS, a cosmetic dentist in New York City. Items to avoid: Red wine, coffee, and cola, which may darken your pearly whites.

Another cleaning trick, says Mello for Woman's Day magazine (July 8, 2008), is to sip staining beverages through a straw and then chase with plenty of water to prevent them from leaving a mark.

For more tips on eating for healthy teeth, check out fatfreekitchen.com.

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Burgers are a thing of the past for me -- I stopped eating red meat a little more than a year ago, which struck burgers right from my diet. Turkey burgers never really did anything for me so a burger-free girl I am. Makes me think I'm in the minority when I stumbled upon this statistic in the June 2008 Redbook magazine: Americans eat 13 billion burgers per year. Now that's a lot of beef. Check out these other stats:

• The year a burger was first served on a bun: 1891

• Ounces of meat in a Wendy's "Where's the beef?" hamburger: 4

• The cost of a hamburger at White Castle when the chain first opened its doors in 1921: 5 cents

• Pounds gained by Super Size Me star Morgan Spurlock after eating McDonald's for one month: 25
  
  

This site has some more burger stats. Got any of your own?

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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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If you love the worst of Italian, which is the creamy fatty white stuff...I'm going to be your new best friend. This is a recipe I discovered a really long time ago at a time when I was desperate to have some alfredo in my life...while still trying to stay slim. Often those to desires clash and crash.

Visit page 3 of my recipe section at Fitzness.com and give this dish a try. If you want to go super healthy and cut a bunch more calories, ditch the pasta all together. Usually I enjoy my almost fat free alfredo sauce over grilled chicken or steamed vegetables. That combination provides the magnificent tast of alfredo with actual nutrition. Hard to beat. Enjoy!

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The other day, I went for coffee with a friend, and instead of ordering her usual cup of joe, she ordered a cup of tea. 'Cutting down on caffeine?' I asked her. 'Oh no,' she told me, 'But I've noticed my teeth haven't looked as white lately and I suspect the coffee has something to do with it.' Which, of course, made me look wistfully at my beloved Americano and wondered if I was doing my pearly whites a disservice.Truth is, considering that my few joys in life are coffee and red wine, the answer is probably yes.

However, I've never really considered the effect my daily coffee has on my teeth. Have you? If not, check out this article from AOL on the top teeth stainers. Here are few surprising sources of discoloured teeth:

• Too much fluoride.
• Certain medications, including tetracycline and some antihistamines
• Colourful foods like soy sauce and cranberries
• Dental damage
• Beer

As for drinks? The rule of thumb is this: If it can stain your carpet, it can stain your teeth. Yikes!

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I am officially addicted to brushing my teeth! A few weeks ago I got hold of the new Triumph with SmartGuide toothbrush by Oral-B and have been doing that weird licking the front of my teeth thing since. I've always used plain old no-frills toothbrushes, but just recently got to thinking that it wasn't doing the job. Kind of like cleaning your dinner table with a napkin. It removes the big crumbs on the surface, but doesn't really get all the dinner goo that truly needs to be removed. The Triumph is the equivalent of using a scrubby sponge with soap on that table. It does the job a toothbrush is really supposed to do.

Not only do my teeth feel like I've just visited a dental hygienist every day, but brushing has become a strangely enjoyable challenge. The Triumph comes with a neat SmartGuide wireless monitor (a personal trainer for your teeth). The SmartGuide gives me the goal of brushing for two minutes, and encourages me to spend 30 seconds on each quadrant of my mouth. I'm totally in to this. And when I hit the two minute mark.....the monitor gives me a happy face! Woo-hoo! If I keep going, the monitor will wink at me. Who couldn't use a little wink to start your day, right?

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Many people will be resolving to get healthy in the new year -- are you one of them? If so, read this article from eDiets -- they have a great list of things to toss from your cupboard ... and your life. But don't worry, they've also listed things to stock up on.

Here's what to get rid of in 2008:

• White stuff. We're talking bread, pasta, rice and sugar.
  
• Processed meats. Ick!
• Anything with high amounts of sodium. Frozen dinners and canned vegetables are a common offender.
  
• Sugar-laden fruits -- including canned fruit, sweetened applesauce and strawberry ice cream. These may have fruit but they're not healthy.
  

Here's what to pick up at the store:

• Whole grains, and whole grain products like bread and pasta.
  
• Lean protein like fish and poultry
• Fresh fruits and veggies.
  

Want more advice? Click here.

12 "healthy" foods that really aren't:

Why? Click to find out!

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I just returned from what was supposed to be a short two hour trip to the mall to grab some Black Friday deals, and boy did I have my butt kicked! Instead of a short visit, I spent two hours shopping and waiting in the Disney Store line alone, followed by three more tedious hours in only two more shops. I'm DONE!

Normally, I'm capable of full-blown kickboxing for at least two hours, but apparently that's way easier than standing around at the mall. What is that all about? Maybe what added to my exhaustion was the mental strain involved in spending a bazillion dollars in one morning. I only felt a little bit bad about it though, because I saved a few million. Isn't it strange that we rationalize these sales? I did 'save' a bunch, but I think I definitely bought more things because of the sales. I don't know.

Nonetheless. I'm pooped! Tired! Whipped! Drained! My feet hurt and I'm taking the rest of the day off. I've raised my white flag! This fitness trainer has been beaten. Mall 1 - Fitz 0.

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