I always hate the word "diet," because even though it's also a medical term, it's usually used by people looking for a quick fix. We all know that losing weight and getting in shape is a life long change in lifestyle. I'm especially reminded of that since I just got back from my yearly physical and...well...I don't want to tell you what my weight is.

Having said that, I think all diets have at least something that we can take away from them and use, and Yahoo's Buzz log has the top 20 diets being searched on Yahoo right now. They include old standbys like Atkins, The Zone, and Weight Watchers, and a few newcomers, such as the Master Cleanse Diet and The Hallelujah Diet, which is "biblically based." I have no idea what that means, but it probably means walking in a desert for a really long time.

Every year I make food resolutions. Oh, sure, there's the inevitable "eat better, exercise more, lose weight" resolution that 98% of us make, but I'm talking about resolutions that have to do with specific foods and specific eating habits. Here are some of mine for 2008.

1. Drink more alcohol. Yes, that's right, more alcohol. For some reason I haven't had much in the past year or two, but alcohol (especially red wine) has a lot of health benefits (as long as you don't overdo it, because too much will negate the benefits you get). So, 2008 will become the Year of More Alcohol for me. I think this is one resolution that will be easy to keep.

That's according to Mehmet Oz, the doctor who always appears on Oprah in his scrubs, talking about colons, and Joel Harper, in this quick Q and A at Esquire.com.

Oz and Harper (a personal trainer) answer several questions about food, health, and exercise. Besides declaring blueberries the healthiest fruit, they also say that the only good thing about pizza is the sauce, that colon cleansing isn't really worth it, and that a little alcohol isn't bad for us at all. They also answer the question on whether it's ok to eat something that has fallen on the floor as long as we pick it up within five seconds.

As for the pizza advice, I think there's another good thing that they're forgetting: pizza is totally awesome!

When science journalist Gary Taubes wrote an article for The New York Times magazine in 2002 arguing that (and I'm summarizing a lot here) that it's the excessive consumption of calories from refined carbs and starches that causes weight problems and not the excessive consumption of calories consumed from fat, he was attacked by everyone. Now Taubes has a new book out that expands on the topic, Good Calories, Bad Calories. And he's still being attacked.

I haven't picked up the book yet, but it seems like an interesting read. Unlike other diet and health books that talk about their diets in rather basic terms, this is a thick tome that really goes in-depth about the body, weight, and health, quoting various studies that have been conducted over the years. I think one of his theories even questions how much exercise a human needs.

Has anyone read it yet?

Turns out that caffeine has another positive benefit besides keeping you awake during finals week: it can help your skin.

Researchers in England have discovered that a combination of exercise and caffeinated water can reduce the damaging effects of sun on the skin. Of course, we already knew that exercise can help the skin in general (it's amazing the effect exercise has on our body, and not just weight-wise), but the new research seems to show that caffeine can help with apotosis, when the body gets rid of damaged cells.

The research says "caffeinated water," but I wonder how that translates to "coffee," exactly. Does it have to be coffee, or would it work with tea and Jolt too?

My favorite part of the article is where it says a UK expert warns that coffee is "definitely not a substitute for sun protection." I guess that means Starbucks can cancel their plans for those coffee scented moist towelettes.

That's the latest theory on why we're so fat: we're addicted to food.

Now, if by "addicted" they mean "I need to eat it in order to survive," then yeah, I'm "addicted," but I don't think that this is true for most people. Not only do people eat too much in general, but they eat too much of the wrong foods, don't exercise and go on diets that ultimately fail. However, I think the theory is a twisting of the word "addiction." To compare it to drug addiction is strange. After all, in a normal, healthy situation, we don't need cocaine to live. We do need food and drink, so I think they should focus their research on something else.

There is a meeting at Yale's Rudd Center this week to explore this theory more.

When I go into a fast food place such as McDonald's, Burger King, or Wendy's (which I think I've done maybe 3 times in the past 3 years), I know beforehand that I have made a decision to eat badly that day. I don't care if these places have "salads" or "low-fat foods," it's still fast food to me, and I don't need anyone to tell me what I'm about to eat probably has a lot of fat and calories.

Having said that, I see no real problem with New York City restaurants having to show calorie info where customers can see it. The law took effect earlier this week. Some of the fast food companies argued that it "violated their First Amendment rights," which I still don't understand. Some places are putting the info in areas where they're not immediately accessible to customers, while other places, like Subway, have the info upfront.

Fines will start being issued October 1 for restaurants that violate the law.

Controversial piece at Slate (written by a former anorexic, Kate Taylor) that compares calorie restriction diets to anorexia itself.

She links to several New York Times articles that seem to show that calorie restriction extends the lives of monkeys and mice and is now being tested on humans too.

I'm not an expert in healthy weight management, beyond the usual "reduce your calories, eat correctly, and exercise regularly" that we always hear. It's interesting to hear a former anorexic talk about how she's confused by all of the talk that a "low metabolism" might actually be good for you, though I think comparing the two is a stretch.

Here's a follow-up piece, where Taylor talks about the Calorie Restriction Society and how that might be a different kind of "eating disorder." You should also read the message boards at the end of the piece.

Ugh. Cauliflower.

I've tried to like it, but I just don't. And it's not like I hate vegetables. I even like the ones a lot of people don't like, such as yams and spinach and asparagus. But cauliflower...blah. I always get a little bummed when I'm in the store and I see a new frozen dinner that I might like, and for some reason they throw cauliflower in there. For a different color or something (it certainly can't be for the taste).

But for you cauliflower lovers, check out this recipe for Cauliflower Soup at The Boston Globe. It's not only warm and tasty (they say), but cauliflower is a good thing to eat after the holidays, when we're all trying to shed those extra pounds.

It seems early to start thinking about Thanksgiving, but as the holiday season approaches, the weeks begin to roll by remarkably fast. While some look forward to the holiday as a way to spend time with family and enjoy good food, others just think about it as a setback for their diet plans. Because of the family aspect, it is hard to turn down such good food (especially if you have a grandmother whose only goal in life seems to be to get you to eat another slice of pie), so it never hurts to get a head start on burning off some of those calories. Plus, if you get in some of the extra walking before hand, you won't feel so bad about sitting around and watching football for several hours the next day.

When you're planning your Thanksgiving indulgences, take a look at the Thanksgiving calorie calculator, which will ballpark the amount of energy you'll take in and tell you how much far you'll need to walk to burn it off. Useful, right? Once you see the numbers, you'll know why we're suggesting you get a head start!

[Thanks, Punisher2K!]

In my never-ending quest to find the right sports food, this week I stumbled across Probar.

"Probar?!" you ask. "Isn't that something you menace someone with?!"

No, dear reader, that's a crowbar. I'm talking about Probar, the Utah-based whole food nutrition bar.

Founded by high altitude food coach Chef Art Eggertsen, Probar is an all-natural alternative to the isolate- and mineral-infused bars eaten by runners, cyclists, backpackers, swimmers and other exercise masochists. With over 70% raw foods, Probar insists on keeping it real by taking real food -- peanut butter, raisins, sunflower seeds, coconut, cashews and so forth -- and putting them into an energy bar.

The result? Something that's incredibly good for you when you're working hard, but doesn't taste like it came from a test tube.

For me, it made the difference last Saturday between riding my bike the ten miles home and walking it home. So while it's no crowbar, Probar definitely packs a wallop.

With the taste of Jelly Belly's Sport Beans still in my mouth, I've got energy food -- you know, the stuff you eat when you exercise -- on the brain.

As I see it, the problem with energy food is one of extremes: either it tastes like cake icing (energy gels are a good example) or it tastes like something from a '70s-era power-to-the-people co-op (i.e. healthy but gross).

With this spectrum in mind, I took a recent look at the Hammer Bar. Made by Montana's sports supplement powerhouse E-Caps/Hammer Nutrition, the Hammer Bar does a pretty good job of reconciling taste and nutrients.  It's got all the right stuff (it's full of phyto-nutrients and enzymes and essential fatty acids from flax, quinoa, sesame seeds, and almond butter; on top of that, it's non-GMO, vegan, non-dairy kosher, organic, and it may just own an Ani Difranco album). And the chocolate chip bar I tried -- made with real Belgian chocolate -- tasted good. Mind you, it didn't taste Butterfinger good, nor Snickers good, nor even Baby Ruth good. But it tasted good.

My next problem? Finding energy. That may prove even harder than finding decent energy food.