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Better eating without the gimmicks Janet Helm CHICAGO TRIBUNE r It turns out that March is the biggest dieting month of the year, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm, and not January, the traditional resolution time. Since this is also National Nutrition Month, we’ve sifted through the recent crop of nutrition books to find those that offer sound advice on eating better and losing weight, but go easy on the gimmicks. — “No-Fad Diet: A Personal Plan for Healthy Weight Loss” American Heart Association (Clarkson Potter, $24.95). 1 • t» 11* 1 1 i lie claim: r au uicu> ucm l work. What it’s about: This comprehensive book tries^ to steer^ people clear of get-thin-quick schemes and focus on the only tried-and true method of long-term weight loss: Calories in must be less than calories out. It offers tangible advice for changing behaviors, meal plans based on three different calorie levels and heart-healthy recipes. Best advice: You can continue to enjoy your favorite foods if you adopt the “75 percent Solution”: Eat three-quarters of the amount of food that you eat now. Why we like it: Although more serious in tone than the other books, it’s a reliable, science-based tome that maps out a plan for permanent weight loss. There’s a lot of good advice about customizing your approach using three key concepts: think smart, eat well and move more, which are described as “circles of success.” — 1 he Sonoma Diet, by Connie Guttersen (Meredith Books, $24.95). The claim: Trimmer waist and better health in just 10 days. What it’s about: The plan is a Mediterranean type diet that emphasizes whole grains, lean cuts of meat and healthful fats such as olive oil and nuts. It includes three “waves,” with the first 10-day wave the most restrictive — no fruit, starchy vegetables, refined grains or sugar. The rest of the plan is more flexible and even recommends wine, in moderation. Best advice: Slow down to savor and enjoy your meals. No rushing to eat, no eating on the run or standing up, no eating while watching television. Why we like it: As a dietitian and consultant to the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, the author pumps up the pleasure factor, saying “flavorful food” is a missing element to the long-term success of most dieting plans. You’ll find tons of tasty-looking recipes and detailed meal plans. To teach portion size, the book features a unique plate and uowi concept — “So What Can I Eat?!” by Elisa Zied with Ruth Winter (Wiley, $14.95). The claim: All foods can fit. What it’s about: At last, here’s a book that tells you no foods are off-limits. It’s an upbeat, positive book that helps translate the government’s dietary guidelines sa you can make them work for you. It features a seven-step plan to custom-fit the new food pyramid to your lifestyle. Best advice: You don’t have to severely restrict calories or avoid any food group to achieve your health or nutrition goals. Why we like it: The author writes in a warm, chatty style — often including her own personal stories that are inspiring and motivating. She breaks down complex topics into user friendly advice, including shopping tips, practical meal plans and easy recipes. — “The Supermarket Diet,” byjanis Jibrin (Hearst Books, $19.95). rT"'t_ _ .: t A 11V V-lclllll. U J-J lO t pounds per week by eating regular food from your local supermarket, including packaged convenience foods. What it’s about: Described as real food for real folks, this book from Good Housekeeping suggests that better eating starts with better shopping. corns • coniinucDPBonis principal analyst in charge of global wireless operator research at ABI. “I look at some of the photos I took of my daughter when she was bom six years ago that I took with a 1.3-megapixel camera, and I really I wish I’d brought my film SLR (single-lens reflex camera) with me,” he said. “These are images that are memories I’ll never see again, and I wish they were better quality.” De la Vergne said that for the near future, the ' lower-resolution phones are still going to dominate the marketplace. “VGA is not going away. VGA is still going to be a significant majority of sales this year,” he said. “We’re just seeing megapixels make some real gains.” A second area that needs to improve on camera phones is the quality of the lenses, Hyers said. “The optics you get on a stand-alone camera are almost always better than you’ll get even on some of the higher-end digital camera phones,” he said. “Yes, I can go buy a Nokia N-series with a Carl Zeiss lens, but that’s not what I’m getting with a (Motorola) RAZR, which is the best selling phone in the world right now.” Texas Instruments Inc. executive Avner Goren said if a camera can capture a higher-resolution image, the quality of the image reduces the need for a zoom lens. TI recently announced a new digital signal processor for cell phones that will support up to a 12-megapixel image. Goren, marketing director of TI’s cellular systems business, said that degree of resolution will enable an enthusiast to enlarge the photo — in effect, zooming in — without losing excessive detail. Analyst Jorge Fuenzalida with consulting firm inCode said he doesn’t believe camera phones will ever become the primary camera for most cell phone users. The number of photos taken by camera phones is actually on the decline as cell phone users realize that the images just aren’t very good, he said. “Obviously the first generation of cell phones had poor resolution, poor user interfaces where it was a little kludgey to try to send it, store it, print it,” Fuenzalida said. In addition, North American phone users have been slow to embrace multiuse phones, he said. People who want to take photos use cameras; people who want to listen to music buy players. Flowever, the 3.1 megapixel Sony Ericsson phone, which is “very appealing,” may change that, Fuenzalida said. “They’ve brought in characteristics of the camera that are as good as many you can find on the market, at least in that casual user, lower-end part of the market,” he said. “This will probably be the first major test of the dual-function device.” Roger Lindquist, president and chief executive of wireless phone company MetroPCS Communications Inc., said he believes that camera phones will become the primary camera for many users. First, though, camera phones will need flash memory cards to make it easier to store and transfer images. In addition, resolution has to increase at least to about 4 megapixels to satisfy most users, although not the really serious photographers. “I think 4 megapixels is enough to replace the Instamatic,” he said. “That’s a pretty doggone good pixel density.” UlSTfl • COnunueD PROIH 5 we want to be able to offer them a broad set of choices, immediate availability and a great retail experience. We agree with Microsoft that it’s best to do this right — and in this case it’s delivering Windows Vista-based PCs with confidence in January 2007.” While some PC manufacturers and retailers may be supportive of the delay, technology analysts at Gartner.com have painted a bleak future for the 2006 holiday season. The Web site devoted to technology analysis has already predicted bad computer sales this year, and the Vista delay has only made things worse. Gartner reports, “... many were counting on sales of Windows Vista and related products to bolster the 4Q06 selling season.” Windows Vista has been | in testing since early last year, and testers have been surprised with the stability of early copies. The next beta version is expected to be released in May. Comments on this story? E-mail | gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu x x-, X,. x-x,X'x-x " '■ ■ ' : : •••■ >:x... . , : - ■ , : X X ■ • Recipe of the Day === Audi's Own Delightful Brunch Burritos . Provided by: www.krtcampus.com What you need: Butter flavored cooking spray 6 cloves garlic, crushed 1 (8 ounce) package mushrooms 1 teaspoon garlic salt 6 eggs, beaten 4 (10 inch) flour tortillas 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese 16 cherry tomatoes 1 (5 ounce) package alfalfa sprouts what to ao: 1. Liberally spray a medium saucepan with cooking spray. Repeat spraying while cooking as needed. Over medium heat, cook the garlic approximately 3 minutes. Stir I in the mushrooms, and season with garlic salt. Cook until mushrooms are tender — about 3 minutes — and set aside. 2. In the same saucepan, scramble eggs. Stir in the mushrooms, and continue to I scramble until eggs are firm. 3. Transfer 1/4 of the egg mixture into each tortilla. Top each with 1/2 cup j cheese, 4 cherry tomatoes and 1/4 of the sprouts. Roll tortillas, and serve. mmm sets ' ■ * ■- mcraml pome • conTinuGD froih 5 neurotransmitter systems of the brain, Mathew says. Some of those systems, such as those that control adrenalin, are overactive. Others, such as the ones that work to slow down fight-or-flight instincts, are under active. Panic disorders can be inherited, Mathew says. That lends credence to the claims of New Kids on the Block stars Jonathan and Jordan Knight, who told Oprah Winfrey a few years back that they inherited their panic disorder from their father. In the world of beha.vioral therapists, however, panic attacks begin and end not with brain chemicals but with thoughts and actions. Therapists say particular types of people are most prone to panic attacks. Perfectionists and overachievers are more likely to have anxiety overflow. No matter what causes panic attacks, doctors and therapists agree that the real trouble starts after the first panic attack. Singer Carly Simon once confessed not only to panic attacks but also to a secondary and just as crippling fear, the fear of more panic attacks. A fear of an attack returning can cause the development of other phobias, such as performance anxiety, claustrophobia or the fear of the outdoors. ' “I’ve talked to people who won’t go to the dentist or go get their hair cut because they don’t want to have a panic attack in a place where they cannot easily flee,” says Margaret Summy, a Fort Worth therapist. Often, those people assume their fear is of the dentist or of the hairstylist. “That’s not it,” Summy ^ says. “After the first attack, they start analyzing it and say, 'I’m not going to do that again.’” One woman whom Vinson treated had refused to leave her house without her husband for 11 years, so fearful was she that another panic attack would occur. CL. ..I J i r._.L.._ LfllV tviu T L11UL WUV day she left the house by herself and tried to spark another panic attack. “You can’t have one when you want to,” he told her. “You have to fear it or it won’t appear.” The woman has since left the house by herself. One of the most common things sufferers say about panic attacks is: “It came out of the blue.” “It doesn’t come out of the blue,” Vinson says. Often, people don’t recognize the degree of anxiety that they live with 4aily. Left untended, it can lurk below the surface until finally we notice a ^ physiological effect of the ^ stress, such as a heightened heart rate. Then the fear starts. reopie surrering panic attacks often visit emergency rooms and eventually undergo thousands of dollars worth of tests before realizing that their heart is not the problem. Therapists focus on other behavioral changes, including ones that are simple and effective. “In general, when a ^ panic attack is coming ™ on, the best thing to do is slow down,” says Vinson. “Walk more slowly, talk more slowly, breathe more slowly.” Solutions $100 back! Receive $100 back through Kapian’s Rebate when you enroll in a Kaplan course in March! Take advantage of this limited-time offer. Enroll today. 1-800-KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/rebate HIGHER TEST SCORES GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK" IttttMwt we «g«v*6taMMolMr“ConMNon* and roattdiMappty ** kaptot com**, D» Hqtw Som OuaraMM ***** orty » Kapto cnna* Man and oan*attt •«* M Unaad SMM aw* CMda fb* «% te«f«lrrwi»»iirtc^^P^andAM»»oHa»MMCourM. » T.An«gPwp«i* a* UMMSMn PwOkMioiCMnbAMiriMBnlMOaM Vwoum EcknoMon. CMgaiy. 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