Lean Plate Club

Talk About Nutrition and Health

Confused about nutrition? Wondering how to fit in more physical activity? Welcome to the Lean Plate Club. Ask Sally Squires, nationally syndicated Lean Plate Club columnist for the Washington Post, about eating smart and moving more every Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET. Sally draws upon her master's degree in nutrition from Columbia University to preside over the lively Lean Plate Club web chat. Whether you're trying to reach a healthier weight or simply maintain it, you'll find plenty of tips and strategies.

Share your own food finds, creative workouts and secrets for healthy, great tasting meals. We'll cheer your successes and help with your setbacks. (None of this, of course, is a substitute for medical advice.) E-mail Sally, author of the newly published Secrets of the Lean Plate Club (St. Martin's Press) at leanplateclub@washpost.com.

Or just sign up for the free Lean Plate Club e-mail newsletter. The Lean Plate Club column appears Tuesdays in the Washington Post Health section and is nationally syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group. Find other Lean Plate Club members at www.frappr.com/leanplateclub.

The Archives:

Sally Squires's Recent Columns

Discussion Transcripts

A transcript follows.

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Sally Squires: Welcome to the Lean Plate Club! It's steamy and very hot in D.C. Of course, it's also July, so we really can't complain. But rather than going outside into the humidity and heat, curl up with the computer as we talk about food allergies and more.

Today's Lean Plate Club e-mail newsletter should be hitting your electronic in-boxes now, if it isn't already there. If you'd like to subscribe to this free, weekly service, just head to our homepage at www.leanplateclub.com. Then look for the newsletter. Wait for the window to pop up and click subscribe. You'll be good to go.

Now, on to the chat!

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Lubbock, Tex.: Sally, I love the Lean Plate Club and the chats. Very helpful and inspiring.

What I want to mention is that we here in Lubbock can finally get Total yogurt, which you'd extolled, and which I'd never been able to try. I wasn't all that crazy about yogurt, so I was hoping this brand would work for me.

Wow! It's delicious, incredibly smooth, creamy, and mild. I like the 2 percent best and I especially love it with a tablespoon of turbinado sugar stirred in, which makes it a dessert for me.

Anyone out there in the Lubbock area, you can find Total at the Market Street on 98th. Last I looked, it wasn't available at the other one.

Sally Squires: Wow, shows how that yogurt is really going national. And let me hasten to add that I have no financial connection to Total or its maker Fage, unless you count the fact that I pay them every week for it. :-)

Last night, I made fruit parfaits for dessert and topped it with the nonfat version sweetened with just a teaspoon of honey per serving. Yum.

Thanks Lubbock!

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Vienna, Austria: Hey there! A while back you mentioned something about beta carotene and other nutrients needing some sort of fat to be well-absorbed. Just thought I'd let you know that once, last winter, I stopped at a juice stand here complaining of a cold coming on, and was recommended their carrot juice. As they were filling up my glass they asked if I also wanted a drizzle olive oil in the juice -- when I looked puzzled they said that it was traditional to drink carrot juice this way. I tried it and -- voila -- it headed off my oncoming cold. It's always interesting how these food combos (that we now know are scientifically justified) originally came about.

Sally Squires: Very interesting. I'll bet that olive oil also made the carrot juice go down well, kind of like Mary Poppins and the spoonful of sugar. Thanks!

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Los Angeles: What products do participants keep on hand in case of a reaction?

Sally Squires: Emergency food allergy kits usually include the antihistamine, Benadryl, plus Epipens, which are self-injecting syringes filled with epinephrine.

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Fairfax, Va.: I hope someone on this chat can help me --- I am going out with a group of friends to TGI Friday's later this week. There is a slight problem -- I cannot find any nutritional data on their Web site that is of any help to me. I am following the Core Plan with WW and am trying to be follow it really well, but am at a loss at what I can order there and stay more or less on track. I would splurge my extra points on the food, but the next morning I am going to weigh in and don't want to risk it.

Any hints or ideas are very much appreciated.

Start weight -- 250 pounds

current weight -- 229 pounds

Goal weight -- 150 pounds

Sally Squires: We are calling TGI Fridays right now to try to get some nutritional info for you. Stay tuned!

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Valparaiso, Ind.: I just have a question about vegetables. I eat a large salad everyday and don't like most cooked vegetables. Will I be getting all my vegetable servings with just my daily salad?

Sally Squires: Depending on the size of the salad, it could just do that Valparaiso. Current recommendations are to eat about two and a half cups of veggies per day. If you want to see what qualifies for those two cups, we'll post a link in a minute to mypyramid site.

Once there, click on "inside the pyramid." Then click on vegetables and then click on "What Counts as a Cup?" You'll get to a chart from there.

A couple of examples include:

3 spears of 5 inch broccoli = 1 cup

2 medium carrots = 1 cup

2 cups of lettuce or 2 cups of spinach = 1 cup of veggies (this takes into account different volume.)

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Alexandria, Va.: I have noticed that Trader Joe's sells a Greek yogurt - is this the Total yogurt you are referring to? I keep wanting to try it, just may do so now!

Fairfax -- Congrats on the weight loss!

Sally Squires: Trader Joe's sells both Total and their own brand of Greek Yogurt. That's also good, but not quite Total, at least in my opinion. What do others think? And one other thing: TJ's Greek yogurt doesn't seem come in the nonfat variety.

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Los Angeles: Sally, my doctor prescribed me a Twinject. Is that the same thing as EpiPen? He said it's a newer product.

Sally Squires: Not sure if it's newer or not, but it does contain two doses of epinephrine instead of one. We'll provide links in a minute. ...

And in other news: Here's the TGIF update. My colleague Kat Hom just called the company. They don't provide nutritional info, but did say that the "Better for You" section of the menu contains food that has less than 500 calories, and less than 10 grams of fat per serving. Also look for items that are labeled low-fat and low-carb if you are trying to control calories.

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washingtonpost.com: Twinject

Sally Squires: As promised. ...

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washingtonpost.com: MyPyramid.gov

Sally Squires: As promised for the LPC member wondering if a luncheon salad could count as a day's worth of veggies. (Many can, as you'll see.)

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Pittsburgh: I was diagnosed with delayed food allergies to chicken, pork, coffee, tea and bananas. Since they are "delayed" allergies, my doctor told me not to worry about them. However, after a few years of increasingly more severe GI distress, I eliminated those foods from my diet and feel like a completely different person. Has anyone else had any issues, or ideas, for how to deal with delayed food allergies?

Sally Squires: I'll post for the membership to respond. But what I suspect is that this delayed allergy is a code word for undiagnosed allergy. You may have had it longer than you realized.

And if you're looking for more information, I found Paul Hannaway's book, which is mentioned in today's column, to be quite comprehensive. He has a very good chart showing that if you're allergic to various plants, dust, grass, etc. how you may also have sensitivities to some foods and lists what they are. The book is called "On the Nature of Food Allergy," and has gotten a rave review from Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.

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Bonn, Germany: Is there a connection between neurodermitis and food allergies? Our 2.5-year-old grandson suffers from neurodermitis, has to wear gloves so that he does not scratch himself bloody. He is allergic to gluten, lactose and a whole lot of other things.

Would appreciate your comments.

Thank you very much.

Sally Squires: There is some connection with eczema, a chronic skin condition, and food allergies. I've just done a very quick search at the National Library of Medicine. We'll post a link to the search in a minute. It might give you some additional information, although it will be fairly technical. But perhaps you could also share it with your grandson's parents or doctor. Hope that all goes well with him.

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St. Louis, Mo.: Good afternoon Sally. Hot and steamy here in St. Louis too. This is from the University of Missouri Extension Division e-newsletter:

"The Institute for Aerobic Research recommends adding the temperature and the percent humidity to calculate a heat stress index. If the total equals 160 or less, it is safe to exercise. A total between 161 and 175 indicates caution should be used in exercising. Above that, exercise may be dangerous. For example, if the outside temperature is 90 degrees F and the relative humidity is 70 percent, the total is 160 and conditions for exercise are safe. However, if the temperature is again 90 degrees F but the humidity is 90 percent, the total is 180, dangerous conditions for outside exercise."

The link to the longer article is here.

I thought it helpful information for those of us who have to deal with a heat index (As in, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity.")

Sally Squires: Thanks much. Sounds like a great resource and it's a very good reminder that if you are going to be active outdoors, do it smartly. And start by drinking water now -- not just before you go outdoors. Stay cool, St. Louis!

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washingtonpost.com: PubMed

Sally Squires: Here's the search from the National Library of Medicine's PUBMED, an on-line database of scientific articles. This link should take you to a list of research on atopic dermatitis and food allergies.

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Vancouver: Re: Restaurants providing nutritional information: in Canada, it's the law. Any time I ask I am shown the ingredient list, or if it's a scratch-cooking establishment the chef usually comes to talk to me. Cool, eh?

Sally Squires: Very cool! With the growing incidence of food allergies, it wouldn't be surprising if more restaurants followed Canada's lead. Thanks for weighing in.

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Re: They don't provide nutritional info: What is up with all these restaurants that won't give out nutritional info? I have food allergies, and if you won't tell me what's in the meal, I can't eat at your restaurant. I'm tired of hearing "I don't think so" in response to my asking if the dish has ingredients I'm allergic to. For me, "I don't think so" is the same as "why not take a chance," which I'm not willing to do. I don't have an EpiPen (I carry Benadryl), but maybe I should get one.

For the restaurants that do provide this info, thank you!

Sally Squires: You and Chris Paganelli, who is featured in today's column, would have a lot to talk about. He also told me that he has no patience for staff at restaurants who "aren't sure" what may be in the food. And for people with food allergies, this isn't just an idle question, but a matter of health. He had some particularly bad experience at a very well-known restaurant in New Orleans. Thanks.

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Wilmington, Del.: I just purchased Total Taziki sauce from TJ's and it's awesome. Great substitute for sour cream. I was eating it with tortilla chips all weekend. You can also mix it with cucumber for a nice salad.

Sally Squires: It is really good, isn't it? And the secret of this yogurt seems to be that they take out some of the water that is found in other yogurts. That's what helps it to taste so rich. Although you can also get a similar taste from taking nonfat, plain yogurt here and letting it drain (in the fridge) through a colander or cheese cloth. It takes a few hours, but it's quite good and is a bit cheaper than the Total.

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Calgary, Alberta: Food allergies are a really big issue for my family. My son cannot eat apples, strawberries, carrots, peaches, mangoes, plums. It's so difficult to have a healthy diet when virtually every easy to grab food bothers him. He can eat most of these things if they are cooked. Do you know why?

Sally Squires: One of the people that I interviewed for this story told me that she can't eat raw apples, but can eat them cooked. The answer is likely that heat changes the protein in the apple -- yes, apples do have a bit of protein! One large apple has about half a gram -- in some fashion that makes it less apt to prompt the immune system to over-react.

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Baltimore: My granddaughter has a life-threatening allergy to cow's milk and all of its derivatives. It is a huge challenge to read food labels to be certain that some form of milk is not included among the ingredients. The many chemical terms used for milk proteins add to the problem. Some manufacturers now add warnings about peanuts, soy and milk to their labels. Why couldn't they all?

I was disappointed recently with the flavors of soy cheese I purchased. The mozzarella did not make our pizza taste Italian, and the cheddar had no definable taste. Is there a good product that might be tasty?

Thanks for providing a forum to raise these concerns. The topic of food allergies is something that is vitally important to my family and me.

Sally Squires: More companies could provide this information. And if consumers demand it, they may do that. But as Anne Munoz-Furlong of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis network told me, some labels are so generic to cover the legal bases for companies that they they almost become meaningless for consumers. So we'll probably have to see how this all shakes out.

One thought: Have you ever tried making your own cheese? I know this may sound strange, but there are inexpensive cheese makers -- I recently discovered that I have one in the recesses of my kitchen cabinets, although I have not yet used it. You might try experimenting with these to see if you can get better flavor. In the meantime, anyone know of a good "soy" mozzarella cheese?

We'd love to hear about it.

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Rochester, Mass.: My daughter has multiple food allergies, and the best way we find to eat out with her, especially on vacation, is to speak directly with the chef. We let them know what she can't have and they are usually great about providing a meal that she can have. If we call ahead, often we can bring the ingredients needed (rice pasta instead of wheat, soy margarine and cheese, etc.) if need be.

Sally Squires: Sounds like you've really figured out a great plan. A couple of years ago, we did the same thing with an out-of-town guest who was allergic to many foods. By calling ahead, the restaurant seemed to be very willing to work with us on finding items on the menu that would not make our guest sick. Thanks much.

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He has no patience for staff at restaurants who "aren't sure" what may be in the food.: I've found that instead of saying "I don't know, I'll go ask the chef." They say "no, there's no shellfish." I nearly died that way and REALLY chewed out the manager!

Sally Squires: Exactly! Paganelli apparently had a similar experience at a New Orleans restaurant while entertaining business clients, which made it a double whammy. Fortunately, he too, survived to tell the tale. Glad things worked out well for you too! And it's another reminder for us all to take food allergies seriously.

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Soy cheese: Try rice cheese instead. I don't think a good soy cheese exists.

Sally Squires: Thanks!

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Richmond, Va.: Since just eight foods -- milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat -- account for about 90 percent of the food allergy reactions in the United States, it would be easy for food sellers to put Allergy Warnings on menus and prepared foods noted the common allergies, but few do.

Cheers to Ukrops Supermarkets in Richmond, who does just that!

Sally Squires: Cheers indeed. Thanks!

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Greek yogurt: TJ's Greek yogurt does indeed come in a nonfat variety, but (at least at the Bethesda store), it's often sold out. I personally like it just as well as Total (and it's cheaper), but unlike most people, I eat my yogurt with a bit of salt and pepper.

Sally Squires: Interesting. I actually drink buttermilk that way too, as taught to me by my father who spent summers in Wisconsin milking cows on his uncle's farm. Thanks.

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washingtonpost.com: How to use EpiPen

Sally Squires: As promised!

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Boyds, Md.: When is the best time to take multivitamins?

Should we take it after food or not?

My husband says we should take it after dinner but I think we should take it in the morning.

Thanks for your response.

Sally Squires: Vitamin supplements can sometimes irritate stomachs. So by taking your multivitamin after dinner -- or after another meal -- you can help minimize that problem. If you've decided to take a multivitamin -- and know that a recent conference at the National Institutes of Health found no evidence to recommend for or against taking a multivitamin -- then it likely makes sense to take it regularly. So if after dinner sets up a habit, by all means do that. But I don't believe that there are any large studies that have proven the best time to take a multivitamin. And when you do take that multi -- stick with doses that provide about 100 percent or less of the recommended intake daily, rather than the megadoses. That seems to be safest. Thanks.

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Philadelphia: Although I am not a vegan, or one who follows a raw food diet (or a vegetarian, for that matter), can I suggest the grandmother of the child with the cow's milk allergy to look into vegan and/or raw food products/cookbooks to find substitutes? Many people who follow either diet have found ways of preparing food that tastes quite similar to what most people are used to, and after eating these products for a little while, most probably adapt fairly quickly to the taste.

Sally Squires: Good idea. And there are certainly a lot of vegan foods now on the market. Thanks for weighing in.

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Old Town: Which are considered "tree nuts"?

Sally Squires: Tree nuts include almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, pistachios, etc. Peanuts grow in the ground, so are not "tree nuts," but are often lumped with them.

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Morgantown, W.Va.: Hi Sally,

Following your theory that no question is really stupid:

I travel a lot and don't get to eat all the fresh fruit I buy. I have discarded more rotten fruit than you can imagine.

Thus, I've switched to canned fruit -- sugar-free canned pineapple, pears and peaches.

How am I doing nutrition-wise?

Sally Squires: Let me assure you that there are no stupid questions on the Lean Plate Club!

By making this switch, you are doing fine, since studies suggest that there is virtually no nutritional difference between fresh, frozen, canned or dried produce, be they fruit or vegetables. Of course, you can get deep fat fried veggies, or fruit dripping with sugar. That has a lot more calories than the other stuff. ...

Hope that helps. And if you like canned without added sugar, you may also really enjoy frozen without added sugar. It has a very long shelf life as you might imagine. Hope that helps. Thanks.

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TGI Fridays: There was an article in Nutrition Action Healthletter, Jan-Feb, 2005 regarding this restaurant and their nutritional info. I don't know how much their menu has changed.

Sally Squires: Thank you!

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Food allergies: I'm extremely sensitive to wheat, and it's quite challenging, as wheat and gluten are in tons of products. Even diagnosing it was challenging. I felt terrible for several years with strange symptoms, but no doctor could find anything wrong with me. When I asked if my problems could be caused by what I was eating, the doctors dismissed that as crazy. I was told that food allergies are extremely rare; that it's all in my head and only quacks believe that food sensitivities cause health problems. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and eliminated certain foods for a few weeks at a time. When I stopped eating wheat, my symptoms disappeared after two weeks and I could not believe how energetic and healthy I felt. After being off wheat for a few months, I tried it again and sure enough my symptoms (bloating, acne, red itchy skin all over, fatigue, foggy thinking) returned. I don't know if it's an "allergy" so much as a "sensitivity," but the symptoms are real. I'm allergic to walnuts, and the symptoms arrive much more quickly, and are more dangerous, as my tongue swells up.

One thing that can be difficult is sometimes people act offended if I want to look at labels of the products they used to make dinner. They tell me they checked, and there's nothing in it I can't have. But they don't know what to look for! Not everything with wheat gluten has it spelled out exactly. Or I hear, "Come on, you can eat it just this once." Sure I can, if I don't mind feeling horrible for two weeks and having acne. Then there's the person who assured me that her salad and the salad dressing she put on it didn't have any walnuts. When I swelled up, sure enough, I looked at the salad dressing label and it said "WALNUT VINEGAR." Her reaction? You said you were allergic to walnuts, not walnut vinegar. Mm hmm. That's why I have to look at the labels myself.

Sally Squires: Yes indeed. And let me urge you to keep looking closely at the food labels. As Anne Munoz-Furlong mentioned in today's column, formulations also change frequently. So it's really important to keep checking. And as you note, you are the best at knowing that walnut vinegar would not be food for you. And now let's hope that more people will also be more receptive when people say that they have a food allergy! Thanks.

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Washington, D.C.: I have just recently stopped being a vegetarian and have been incorporating seafood and poultry into my diet. I've even been branching out to some red meat. I had a dish the other night with Andouille sausage in it and it was delicious! I was wondering if this is a lean meat, and also what the best way to prepare it at home would be. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Sally Squires: Andouille sausage is a Cajun creation and apparently is not to be confused with a French sausage by a similar name: andouillete (apparently made from tripe).

I just did a quick search on Peapod.com. Their Andouille sausage has 220 calories per link, with 16 grams of fat, and five of those grams are from saturated fat.

So it's not a caloric disaster. Hope that helps.

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Vancouver: I have a severe corn allergy, which is challenging because corn derivatives (glucose, fructose, maltodextrin, citric acid, vitamin C, sorbitol, etc.) are everywhere, and not just in food. In your opinion, is this an allergen that is on the rise (in terms of diagnosis/identification)? Will there be an expanding sense of need to provide completely corn-free products, such as already exists for wheat and dairy?

Thank you.

Sally Squires: Sorry to hear that Vancouver. It sounds like it's quite challenging for you to eat safely. Whether there will be more products that are corn-free likely depends on supply and demand. But if food allergies continue to rise, you just might see more of those corn-free products. Hope that helps. And you might find more info at the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network that could help you manage your corn allergy.

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Indian Head, Md.: Good Afternoon! I'm trying to cut down on my meat consumption, but I don't like most of the faux meat out there and I still want lots of flavor. I've been experimenting a lot and I thought I'd share the most delicious (and easy) recipe for lentils. I made this last night out of what I had around the house and it was great!

In a medium saute pan, saute 1 small onion, 1 carrot, and 1 celery rib (all diced) along with a pinch of salt and a few big grinds of pepper in about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil until translucent. Add a cup of dried green lentils (picked through and rinsed, of course), a bay leaf and a halved clove of garlic to the sauteing veggies and stir. Cover with about an inch of water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium/medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Remove from heat and add 2 diced fresh tomatoes, a handful of roughly chopped fresh parsley and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Stir and let sit a few minutes to wilt the parsley and let the flavors meld. Stir, taste and salt if necessary.

I served this over brown rice and it was delicious. The balsamic really livened it up!

Sally Squires: It sounds great! And your recipe reminds me of the strategy of one chef at the Culinary Institute of America. Stephen Durfee is revamping desserts so that instead of cheesecake with a little fruit, he serves fruit with a little cheesecake -- kind of a way to have your cake (or meat in your case) and eat it too! Thanks for the recipe.

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Omaha, Neb.: Just a comment -- you are never too old to carry your EpiPen or wear an emergency tag of some kind. We lost a juror (he survived) to a food allergy when he ate one of my cookies without asking about peanuts. I had announced the presence of peanut butter, but he missed it, apparently. He had no ID for allergies and no emergency supplies with him.

Sally Squires: Thanks for this very sobering reminder of the importance of wearing ID for your allergies, be they to food or to medicines, including penicillin. And in today's LPC e-mail newsletter, you'll find links to places that now sell bracelets, watches and more to help make this easy for people with allergies. Glad that things worked out okay for that juror. Bet it was very scary.

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Palmdale, Calif.: Is it hard to maintain adequate nutrition in children with food allergies?

Sally Squires: It certainly can be challenging depending on how many allergies a child has. The good news is that most kids grow out of their allergies. So if you can get them safely through this allergic time of life, things can get easier.

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Fairfax, Va.: Sally, here's a technique I learned from Indian cooks: use cashews to make a recipe creamy. Last night I tried it with my cold carrot ginger soup (mm). I lightly dry toasted about 1/2 a cup of raw cashews and blended them with my soup until creamy (soup was 1 onion, 1 lb. carrots, minced ginger and garlic, veggie bouillon and water, with a little lime splashed in at the end -- simple!).

Seems to me like 1/2 a cup of cashews is a LOT healthier than cream, although I usually make this recipe with no creamy additives at all. Anyway, maybe vegans could use this tip, too!

Thanks for the great chats.

Sally Squires: Yum. And that cashew "cream" has some very healthy fats in it too. But given our food allergy topic today, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that be sure to ask if anyone has a food allergy before serving this! Thanks!

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Drinking and weight loss: Hi Sally,

Thanks for taking my question. I eat fairly right and work out a good deal but realize I haven't lost weight and I think the culprit is drinking. I go out on the weekend with friends and will drink. I know I shouldn't or at least cut back (and I'm by no way trying to encourage drinking) but are there any suggestions for lower calorie drinks? I think a few weeks ago someone mentioned Crystal Light with alcohol is a great alternative to a margarita, but I need something I can order at the bar. Would that be gin and tonics, or vodka tonics? Are there other options besides water?

Thank you.

Sally Squires: It could very well be that drinking those calories on the weekends is undermining your efforts. At the Lean Plate Club homepage, www.leanplateclub.com, we have a list of calorie counts of alcoholic beverages.

Some options:

Wine spritzers. To really control the calories, order a glass of wine and a glass of sparkling water. Add a little wine to the water and ask for refills. You can stretch this drink out for a whole evening.

Light beers. Some now have great flavors and at about 90 calories per bottle, you can sip without doing a huge amount of caloric damage.

Virgin Marys. You'll look like you're drinking the real thing, but they contain no alcohol and count as a serving of veggies. Who can beat that?

Iced coffee. Make it with milk. It could be Kahlua and cream. Who's to know the difference? Or get an Irish coffee on ice if you really want the alcohol.

Hope that helps. And don't forget to also check your what you eat -- yes, this means measuring serving sizes and recording what you eat -- and how much you work out. It all matters.

Cheers!

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Las Vegas: Intolerance of gluten, well known in Europe, Canada and Australia, is just beginning to be understood in America -- though we have the same genetic pool as these places and the same rate of one in 100 will have Celiac Disease. A vast majority of people who are gluten intolerant have never heard of this disease and have no clue they have it. It can lead to a wide variety of ailments -- many life-threatening -- including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), all the autoimmune misfunctions and eventually diabetes and cancer. Doctors were taught that gluten intolerant people are thin. Now they know as adults these people are more likely to be obese, addicted to the very foods that are slowly taking away their health -- pizza, cake, etc. Google gluten intolerance or Celiac disease to see if any of the symptoms fit and try giving up wheat, barley, rye and oats for a week or two to see if you feel better. I did a year ago and have lost 50 pounds and also lost my depression and IBS.

Sally Squires: Very impressive. Congratulations! Thanks for posting.

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Capitol Hill: Sally, love the column. How can you tell the difference between allergy and just a strong distaste for a certain food group? I swear I'm mildly allergic to shellfish -- crab, lobster, shrimp make me gag -- but my family just insists I'm a picky eater. Thanks!

Sally Squires: The only sure way to tell is with a blood test. That, coupled with a physical and history of your reactions to the food, will diagnose whether you have a food allergy to fish/shellfish, or just a distaste of it. But if you have every gotten sick after eating these foods or experienced hives or swelling of the mouth, etc. get checked before eating the foods again. Hope that helps.

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Omaha, Neb.: Hi Sally,

The difference between organic and conventional isn't as big an issue as buying local. It's much easier in the summer to stop at a farmer's market to get fruits and vegetables. This way, I support the local economy, uses limited (if any) chemicals, and doesn't use up a lot of fuel to transport it the market. Thanks for the great column!

Sally Squires: For those who have not yet read today's LPC e-mail newsletter, I included a news item about a new study that finds organically grown tomatoes are nutritionally superior to conventional tomatoes. This is a hotly debated topic, so this study probably won't lay the issue to rest. But the findings are intriguing.

And yes, it's also very important to factor in transportation costs to the environment. So buying conventional tomatoes near you in Omaha may indeed be less damaging to the environment than buying organic tomatoes flown in from California.

Thanks for weighing in.

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Sally Squires: Thanks to all for a wonderful chat. Winners today are:

St. Louis, Rochester, Mass and Soy Cheese. (Maybe there's a song here!)

Please send your names and addresses to leanplateclub@washpost.com and please include winner in the subject line.

Next week: Look for a column on tea!

Until then, eat smart and move more with the Lean Plate Club.

Thanks to all.

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Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.