A 'Trick' For Weight Loss

Eat more and lose weight!

Sounds like a fantasy, doesn't it?

But that's the idea behind energy density, a concept that has been simmering in nutrition circles in recent years, as you'll learn in today's Lean Plate Club column. A recent year-long study found that obese women who ate according to the energy density approach lost more weight -- about 33 percent more at six months and about 21 percent more at a year -- than their counterparts who followed a traditional, low-fat approach. Even better: They didn't feel hungry.

Tell us your thoughts on this growing trend in nutrition in today's Web chat, from 1 to 2 p.m. ET. Can't join live? Leave your comments now. Then check the transcript later to see if you've won one of the prizes that are awarded each week. Or e-mail me at leanplateclub@washpost.com.

I read all my e-mails and respond to as many personally as time allows. Last week, one Lean Plate Club member e-mailed me about her husband's practice of thawing meat on the counter all day without refrigeration. I sent her these links from the Department of Agriculture about safe defrosting and meat preparation.

Growing Girth

By 2015--just eight years from now-- three in every four adults will be overweight and more than 40 percent will be obese if current trends continue, as researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Institution report.

Ah, but we can hold the line on this, can't we Lean Plate Club members?

Then weigh in on how we can help halt this trend in today's Web chat from 1 to 2 p.m. Or leave your comments now. Or just tell us your inspiring story. Speaking of which, check out our gallery of successful losers Erin Dybwad, Markie Crossman, and Dave McKibbon.

And in the category of "it's never too late to make changes...," here's a recent study that found obese, sedentary, post-menopausal women could improve their sensitivity to insulin -- a key step in preventing type 2 diabetes -- by lifting weights. If they can do it, think of what you can do!

Have you lost--or gained weight--with a friend, neighbor, relative, spouse or colleague?

I'd love to hear all about it for an upcoming Lean Plate Club column. Please e-mail me at leanplateclub@washpost.com about your experiences and please include your name, phone number and best times to call for a follow-up. And if you've got a high-resolution picture of the two (or more of you), feel free to send that along, too.

Got Raw Milk?

If so, I'd love to hear from you for an upcoming column about why you drink raw versus pasteurized dairy products. Please e-mail me at leanplateclub@washpost.com and please include your name, phone number and best times to call.

Warning: Check Your Chili Sauce!

It's the latest food to be recalled. Last week, Castleberry, makers of chili, corned beef hash and other meat products, announced recalls of its chili sauce due to botulism--a life-threatening condition caused by a bacterial toxin.

The company expanded the recall yesterday. Find more information about the recall at the Food and Drug Administration and more about botulism from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Find more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about how to make sure that you and family are not affected.

What do you think about the recent food recalls? We'd love to hear your thoughts. Tell us now. Then check the Web chat transcript later to see what others said. Or join us live today from 1 to 2 p.m. ET.

What's for Dinner Tonight?

Think salads. And think easy, thanks to our Food section's special feature on making this high volume, tasty fare.

As the mercury rises, you can stay cool with cold soup. Chilled Cucumber Soup With Smoked Salmon and Dill comes from Bon Appetit magazine. More than 80 percent of people who tried it said that they'd make it again. And feel free to tinker with it, substituting low-fat or non-fat sour cream for the full-fat stuff or skipping the butter, as did one reader who made the recipe and still raved about it. And don't forget that it's also a source of healthy, Omega-3 fatty acids.

Tuna and White Bean Wrap also has healthy Omega-3's, which are good for your heart, your brain, your joints and maybe even your mood. This recipe comes from the newly redesigned Parents.com. This summer, I've been making wraps for lunch and dinner for my family using Roll-Up Whole Wheat wraps from Damascus Bakeries. They're delicious (I have no connection with the company) and have 110 calories with seven--count 'em--grams of fiber.

Grilled Striped Bass with Green Tea Salt, gives you flavor without as much sodium as you might find in some recipes. (It's another example of how green tea is showing up in much more than your tea cup.)

Garlic-Caramel Pork and Eggplant over Brown Rice--a healthy whole grain--is another option from Natural Health magazine.

What are you cooking this week? Tell us about your favorite, healthful and, of course, great tasting recipes now. Or join us live to talk about those and healthful food finds from 1 to 2 p.m. ET. You can also e-mail me at leanplatelub@washpost.com anytime.

Ow!

It's hard to be active when you're injured. So get help treating shin splints from Natural Health magazine. And if your heels hurt from the moment you step out of bed in the morning, plantar fasciitis could be to blame. The Mayo Clinic offers some treatment suggestions as well as good moves for prevention, including reaching a healthy weight.

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