I know that too much of anything is never a good thing, and the same goes for soy products. Since becoming vegan, I've noticed that nearly every meal I eat contains some type of soy product. In the morning I'll have a bowl of cereal with soymilk and fruit almost everyday and I'll generally have tofu or some other soy-meat product with my lunch or dinner meals. On top of that, my freezer is stocked with my favorite "healthy snack"; frozen edamame beans. Although most of these products vary in look and taste, they're all coming from the same plant. And after doing some online research I've learned that what I thought of as healthy diet choices, could actually be harming me.

THE FACTS: Non-fermented soy products contain phytic acid, which contains anti-nutritive properties. Phytic acid binds with certain nutrients, including iron, to inhibit their absorption. This is a direct, physical effect that takes place in the digestive system. Their ability to bind is limited by the milligrams of phytic acid present.

Products using non-fermented soy include:

• Fresh green soybeans
• Whole dry soybeans
• Nuts
• Sprouts
• Flour
• Soy milk
• Tofu

CHOOSE FERMENTED SOY: Many studies have shown traditionally fermented soy--which is the form that is very popular in many Asian cultures--aids in preventing and reducing a variety of diseases including certain forms of heart disease and cancers.

Products using fermented soy include:

• Natto
• Miso
• Tempeh
• Soy sauces
• Fermented tofu and soymilk

CUTTING BACK: The next step for me is to switch things up without eliminating soy products completely. I'm going to start using almond or rice milk instead of soymilk with my breakfast cereal. I will also try to avoid eating tofu and soy meat products as regularly as I have been. Instead of tofu I'll opt for tempeh. To fill the spaces where the soy-meat products once were, I'll eat a variety of beans, nuts and legumes for protein.

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According to recent studies, belly fat is the worst of it's kind and the most difficult to get rid of. It's more than just unattractive, in fact researchers are finding that abdominal fat leads to higher risks of heart disease, diabetes and even certain types of cancers. I know from my own personal experience that blasting belly fat is no walk in the park. Even devotion to a strict exercise regimen may not do the trick for you. So how does one go about losing the extra jiggle? Along with a regular exercise program and a healthy diet, these three tips should help:

 1. Avoid Trans Fats: What you don't eat is just as important to your waistline as what you're eating. A recent study done at Wake Forest University has concluded that trans fat, which has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, may also increase dangerous belly fat.

Trans fat is formed during a hydrogenation process in which vegetable oil is converted into a solid to increase shelf life of a food. As of this year, manufacturers were required to list trans fat on the labels of their products.

2. Get More Sleep: Studies have shown that those who get less than four hours of sleep per night are more than 70 percent more likely to be obese than those who get seven to nine hours. Sleep deprivation lowers leptin, a protein that suppresses appetite and tells the brain when the stomach is full. Not catching enough Z's also inhibits the production of insulin, which regulates blood sugar. So, if you're constantly burning the midnight oil, you're interfering with your body's ability to burn off extra calories.

3. Manage Stress: The "Fight or Flight" response has been around for millions of years, but it could also be adding unwanted inches to your waistline. When faced with stress, our bodies release a hormonal cocktail of adrenaline, cortisol and insulin.

Not only have high cortisol levels been associated with increased appetite and fat production, but the fat has been shown to typically deposit itself in the belly area.

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Although I don't drink more than once a week, I am guilty of sometimes choosing booze over food. If I know I'm going out for a night of drinking with my friends I'll eat a very light dinner. It's probably not the healthiest choice but the thought of all those extra liquor calories in addition to my normal calorie intake leaves me feeling guilty and uneasy. I've ordered only a side salad for dinner to alleviate the guilt of having a few vodka cocktails on more than a few occasions. According to Daily Mail, I'm not alone:

Growing numbers of young women skip meals to allow them to binge drink without putting on weight, experts have warned.

The phenomenon of "drunkorexia", as it has been called, is most common among university students faced with the conflicting pressures of heavy drinking and staying slim.

Realizing they are going to have to drink to fit in but not wanting to put on any weight, "drunkorexics" will cut back on calories ahead of a night on the town.

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A Duke University study shows that fruits, vegetables, and dairy foods make cigarettes taste terrible. But meat, coffee, and alcoholic beverages make smoking much tastier, find Duke University psychologist F. Joseph McClernon, PhD, and colleagues.

To study the issue, he asked 209 smokers to list foods that worsened or enhanced the smoking experience. The smokers averaged a little better than a pack of cigarettes a day for an average 21 years. About half were women, a fourth were black, two-thirds were white, and nearly all of them were high-school or college graduates.

The Findings:

• Nearly 70% of the smokers said some foods made their cigarettes taste better. These foods tended to be caffeinated beverages, alcoholic beverages, and meat.
• 45% -- said some foods made their cigarettes taste worse. These foods tended to be fruits and vegetables, non-caffeinated beverages such as water and juice, dairy beverages, and dairy foods.

Swapping out meat, alcohol and caffeinated beverages for fruits, veggies and non-caffeinated beverages could help you to loose weight while making cigarette smoking less desirable.

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For years low calorie and zero calorie sweeteners have been under much scrutiny. Although these faux sweeteners are associated with numerous health problems, some are willing to take that risk in exchange for a lower calorie count. However, a new study reveals that real sugar may be better for your waist line than the fake stuff.

In a series of experiments, scientists at Purdue University compared weight gain and eating habits in rats whose diets were supplemented with sweetened food containing either zero-calorie saccharin or sugar. The report, published in Behavioral Neuroscience, presents some counterintuitive findings: Animals fed with artificially sweetened yogurt over a two-week period consumed more calories and gained more weight — mostly in the form of fat — than animals eating yogurt flavored with glucose, a natural, high-calorie sweetener. It's a continuation of work the Purdue group began in 2004, when they reported that animals consuming saccharin-sweetened liquids and snacks tended to eat more than animals fed high-calorie, sweetened foods. The new study, say the scientists, offers stronger evidence that how we eat may depend on automatic, conditioned responses to food that are beyond our control.

Are these findings enough to change your opinion of artificial sweeteners, or will you need more hard evidence? I read another interesting study, that found When rats were allowed to choose mutually-exclusively between water sweetened with saccharin (an intense calorie-free sweetener)and intravenous cocaine (a highly addictive and harmful substance) the large majority of animals (94%) preferred the sweet taste of saccharin. That sounds pretty sketchy to me.

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