I think we are all trying to increase our vegetable intake and decrease portion sizes.  At least I hope so.  One great way to do both is to start your meals with soup.

A bowl of soup for your first course, not only sounds fancy and might make you feel like you're eating at a lovely restaurant, it will help to fill you up.  Look for soups low in sodium and fat, but loaded with veggies.  If your canned soup is low in veggies you can always add your own, whether they are frozen or left overs.  You do need to make sure that the portions you serve yourself after your soup course are smaller.

With temperatures in the teens and National Soup month nearly over, the time is now to incorporate a soup course into your day.

Here's a great Vegetable and Red Lentil Soup recipe for you to try.

Recently I did a post on Stonyfield Farms 2-a-Day yogurt.  And scratch5 made a comment that sparked a question in my mind — How do all the yogurt brands compare?

Keep in mind that some yogurts contain modified food starch, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and other not so healthy ingredients, so check the label.

Here are some popular brands of yogurt, with their calories, total fat, sugars, and protein.  I compared them all in Strawberry flavor, but realized that not all yogurt comes in 6 oz containers (I specified if they didn't):

Breyer's Light (8 oz):  110 cals, 1.5g fat, 10g sugar, 8g protein
Breyer's Creme Savers (8 oz):  240 cals, 3.5g fat, 36g sugar, 7g protein
Breyer's Fruit on the Bottom (8 oz):  240 cals, 2g fat, 39g sugar, 8g protein
Brown Cow No Fat:  130 cals, 0g fat, 24g sugar, 7g protein
Brown Cow Lowfat:  150 cals, 2g fat, 25g sugar, 6g protein
Brown Cow Cream Top:  180 cals, 6g fat, 27g sugar, 5g protein
Cabot Nonfat:  130 cals, 0g fat, 19g sugar, 8g protein
Colombo Light (8 oz):  120 cals, 0g fat, 15g sugar, 7g protein
Colombo Classic (8 oz):  230 cals, 2g fat, 42g sugar, 7g protein
Dannon All Natural (3.3 oz):  110 cals, 1g fat, 19g sugar, 5g protein
Dannon Fruit Blends:  170 cals, 1.5g fat, 30g sugar, 6g protein
Dannon La Creme (4 oz):  140 cals, 5g fat, 18g sugar, 5g protein
Fage Total Classic (7 oz):  260 cals, 20g fat, 6g sugar, 12g protein

Want to see the rest?  Then

Horizon Organic Fat Free:  140 cals, 0g fat, 27g sugar, 7g protein
Horizon Organic Lowfat:  170 cals, 2g fat, 30g sugar, 7g protein
Liberte:  160 cals, 4g fat, 12g sugar, 12g protein
Silk Soy:  160 cals, 2g fat, 22g sugar, 4g protein
Stonyfield Farms Fat Free:  140 cals, 0g fat, 26g sugar, 7g protein
Stonyfield Farms Low fat:  130 cals, 1.5g fat, 22g sugar, 6g protein
Stonyfield Farms Whole Milk:  190 cals, 6g fat, 24g sugar, 6g protein
Wallaby Organic Nonfat:  140 cals, 0g fat, 20g sugar, 7g protein
Wallaby Organic Lowfat:  150 cals, 2.5g fat, 21g sugar, 7g protein
Whole Soy & Co.:  160 cals, 3g fat, 21g sugar, 6g protein
Woodstock Water Buffalo Milk:  174 cals, 9g fat, 19g sugar, 5g protein
Yoplait Light:  100 cals, 0g fat, 14g sugar, 5g protein
Yoplait Original:  170 cals, 1.5g fat, 27g sugar, 5g protein
Yoplait Whips (4 oz):  140 cals, 2.5g fat, 21g sugar, 5g protein
Yoplait Thick & Creamy Custard Style:  190 cals, 3.5g fat, 28g sugar, 7g protein

I was in the grocery store yesterday, picking up a few staples:  eggs, OJ, broccoli, bananas, and yogurt.

Like clockwork, I went to reach for my usual Stonyfield Farms yogurt, but I stopped when I saw something different.

At first I thought it was a new label, but it was actually a new kind of non-fat yogurt called 2-a-Day.

It says on the container, "Getting enough calcium has never been so tasty.  Just two of these nonfat yogurts meet your daily calcium needs to help you build and maintain strong bones.  And the added inulin and Vitamin D help you absorb more calcium with every delicious bite.  "Bone" appetit!"

Cute, huh?  But it's really a great idea, so I bought one to see if it tastes any different.  It was pretty much the same, if you're used to eating non-fat yogurt.

And it only has 120 calories per container.  If losing weight is one of your goals, studies show that a reduced-calorie diet that's high in dairy calcium may help promote weight loss.  It's a great and tasty healthy snack that's definitely worth giving a try.

Beans, Beans, the magical fruit.  The more you eat 'em, the more you — yeah yeah.  We know.

But have you ever heard of adzuki (also spelled aduki or azuki) beans?

In Japan, these small reddish beans are the 2nd most popular legume after the soybean.

Like most beans, adzukis are rich in the best sort of fiber — soluble fiber — which helps to eliminate cholesterol from the body.  They have 16.8g per cup (that's extra magical).

They are a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc copper, manganese, and vitamin B3.

As a high-potassium, low-sodium food, they help reduce blood pressure.  And adzuki beans are higher in protein than most beans, containing 17g per cup.  (Black beans contain 15g, pinto beans contain 14g, and kidney beans contain 13g.)

Not only are they low in fat, but when combined with grains, beans supply high quality protein which provides a healthy alternative to meat or other animal protein.

If you're looking to lose weight, eating beans may help — they make you feel full and take longer to digest, so you'll eat less.

Adzuki beans also contain protease inhibitors which frustrate the development of cancerous cells.

Beans are really nutritious, but the gaseous side-effects can cause you not to eat them.  Want to avoid flatulence?  Then

• To avoid the gas, introduce beans into your diet gradually.
• If you choose to use dried beans and soak them beforehand, THROW OUT the water after they've softened.  Do NOT use the water to cook with as it is extremely gas-producing.
• Choose beans that are easier to digest such as adzuki, black-eyed peas, and lentils.  The hardest to digest are navy, lima, and whole cooked soybeans.
• Cook beans with gas-reducing herbs such as a bay leaf, cumin, epazote, or kombu.  Add 6 leaves or 2 tsp dry herb to the pot.
• Avoid beans that are cooked with added sweeteners such as brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup — it could stress out your digestive system.
• Try a digestive enzyme sprinkled on your beans.  They help to break down the oligosaccharides before they reach the large intestine, which is where the flatulence problem begins.
• Laugh about it.  Everyone gets gas when they eat beans.

Bob Greene has been helping celebrities get healthy and now he's sharing his tips and diet plan with the rest of the world — lucky us.

It's called The Best Life Diet.

Oprah Winfrey raves about this 4 phase program.  After all, it's how she lost all of her weight and continues to keep it off and I think she looks amazing.

Phase 1:  Truth, Commitment, and Self-Control — it's about getting in touch with yourself, and figuring out why you've gained weight in the first place since this will help you lose it.

Phase 2:  Rev Up Your Metabolism by doing the following:

For the first month:

• Eliminate alcohol for now.
• Focus on exercising a little.
• Drink Water.
• Add a vitamin Supplement.
• Eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks.
• Stop eating 2 hours before bedtime.

Want to hear the rest?  Then

Phase 3:  Get Real About Emotional Eating — understand why you emotionally eat and work towards eliminating it.  In this phase, you increase your exercise and water intake.

Phase 4:  Secure a Life of Health and Emotional Well-Being — Add strength training to your exercise routine.  Cut fats from your diet and limit sugars and bad carbs.  Prepare yourself for an active lifestyle that will last the rest of your life.

In the beginning phase of the diet, you want to watch out for these foods:

• No white bread — replace with a whole grain alternative.
• Replace regular pasta with a whole wheat version.
• No more soda.
• No trans fat.
• No fried foods.
• Ditch high fat dairy products like whole milk and ice cream.

Towards the end, you can re-introduce foods that you love, but in moderation of course.

If you want, you can sign up on-line, but I have to say, I tried and it seemed like a lot of work.  Plus, the 1st 10 days are free, but after that, it's about $4 a week to be a member and receive the tips, exercise and meal plans, plus recipes.

I'd get the book for $15.60 and use that as my guide.  This plan sounds doable and healthy — not like other diets where you're really restricting your favourite foods.  It sounds like it will work for the long term too.