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Tuesday, April 29, 2003; 1 p.m. ET

Welcome to The Lean Plate Club, hosted by Washington Post health and nutrition writer Sally Squires. On Tuesdays at 1 p.m. ET, Sally leads a discussion for people who want to eat healthier, move around more and otherwise get better but not bigger. We're not about fad diets or crash weight-loss plans; we're about eating wisely and living healthy for the long haul.

We want to hear from you -- your tips, strategies, meal plans, successes, warnings, setbacks and more. Of course Sally will be happy to answer questions, and turn others over to the Club. None of this, of course, is a substitute for medical advice.

Health section editor Craig Stoltz will join Sally sometimes. Stoltz has none of Sally's impressive credentials but labors under a decade-long medical directive to control his weight and eat wisely, takes a statin to lower his blood cholesterol and keeps track of everything he eats on a Palm handheld computer, a fact most of his acquaintances no longer find interesting.

Sign up for the free Lean Plate Club e-mail newsletter.

A transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Sally Squires: Welcome to the Lean Plate Club. First, some housekeeping matters.

If you're a subscriber to the electronic Lean Plate Club newsletter, please be aware that due to some production problems this week, the newsletter will be sent out tomorrow. Sorry for the delay. But I'm told things should be back to normal next week.

And if you're not a subscriber and would like to be, you can sign up at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/email/front.htm

Yes, it's still free. And usually, the newsletter is sent out on Tuesdays around mid-day. If you have any trouble subscribing, please e-mail me at leanplateclub@washpost.com and please put "trouble subscribing" in the subject line.

The freebies this week are:

AstroFit: The Astronaut Program for Anti-Aging by William Evans and Gerald Secor Couzens (Free Press; $14)

The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson, MD (Quill; $13)

The Ultimate Nutrition Guide for Women by Leslie Beck, RD (Wiley; $19.95)

Success Journal Body For Life by Bill Phillips, (HarperCollins; $25.95)


Here's the deal: Inspire us with your experience of instilling healthy eating habits and regular physical activity. Share a great tasting, healthy recipe with us. Spill the beans on a new healthy food that you've found or a great place to shop or a fantastic website that has enabled you to eat better, move more. You get the idea.

Do one of those things and yes, one of these volumes could be yours. Winners are announced at the end of each chat. And our offering of these books is not in any way an endorsement of any particular weight loss regimen, exercise program, book or product. It's merely a way to show you the wide variety of information available as you make the move towards healthier habits.

Now on to the chat!

Edinburgh, Scotland: Hi Sally,

Thanks so much for the cookbook, it's very fabulous and inspired me to cook tofu for the first time! A healthly version of pad thai that impressed even my Asian housemates. Anyway, I have a question:

I am having serious difficulty with the whole daily caloric intake thing; specifically how I decide how active I am. Many Web sites ask you to rate how active your lifestyle is and use this to calculate your daily caloric intake. I have gotten estimates as low as 1300 calories and as high as 2,600! How do I figure this out?

I'm a student so I sit at a computer and in the library a lot but I also live in the city without a car and walk everywhere, always take the stairs etc. I go to the gym 5-6 days a week, for 1hr to 1.5 hrs, alternating cardio interval training and weights one day, and 1.5 hr endurance training the next.

I seem to be gaining some weight so I must be doing something wrong in my calculations. Can you give me some pointers?

Thanks so much!

P.S. Your article today made me really glad I live in Scotland. I think I need to see a man about a salmon!

Sally Squires: Hi Edinburgh: Thanks very much for your message. I'm delighted that you liked the book. It sounds like you are getting a pretty good amount of physical activity. If you realy are gaining weight, consider taking a closer look at the other side of the equation: what you're eating. Get out your measuring cups, pencil and paper and if you have one, a kitchen scale. You can look up calorie counts at www.nal.usda.gov. My hunch is that maybe you're eating more than you realize. Track your intake for a couple of days and see what you're really eating.

A good, simple place to start in trimming calories is to aim for about 1,600 to 1,800 calories a day. See what that does. And let us know how you do!

Clinton, Md.: Today you suggested three servings of fish a week for a healthy heart. What do you suggest for people, such as myself, who happen to be allergic to seafood?

washingtonpost.com: Lean Plate Club: Know Thy Fishmonger (Post, April 29)

Sally Squires: Hey Clinton: You'll want to check out plant-based foods that are rich in omega 3's. Canola oil is one. Flaxseed is another. But there are plenty more. And if you really want to dig dip into the subject, check out the next LPC newsletter which features KIM, a free downloadable program by a retired National Institutes of Health biochemist. t contains amounts of omega 3 and omega 6 in thousands of foods.

Takoma Park, Md.: Hi Sally,
I really enjoy your column and these discussions. I was disappointed in this morning's column, however. Yes, fish are good for our health, but fish is not like chicken or beef, farmed and managed closely -- these are wild animals whose life cycles are still not fully understood in many cases. Globally, many fish populations are in severe decline, many fisheries are poorly managed, rules are difficult to enforce, and it is important for consumers to be aware of the environmental and ecological cost of the fish they are eating. There are many resources to help people know which fish are sustainably harvested, one of which is the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. I encourage people to check it out an be informed about what types of fish they are eating, where they came from, and minimize your personal contribution to the decline of the worlds fish population.

Thanks!

Sally Squires: Dear Takoma Park: Point well taken. And I'm glad that you mentioned the Monterey website. Another good source is the David Suzuki Foundation in Canada, also listed on the web. Thanks!

Downtown D.C.: Sally, please help me! I'm going on a business trip to Jamaica for several days. Usually, I would pack some healthy snacks to take along when I travel domestically, but since this is an international trip, customs wouldn't allow it. Apart from eating lots of tropical fruit while I'm there, what would you suggest? Breakfast is included at the hotel, and lunches and coffee breaks are going to be provided. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks so much.

Sally Squires: Dear Downtown: First, relax a little. You're only going to be gone for a couple of days. Even if you went completely off track, you can't do much damage in that amount of time. But I applaud you resolve and you're already onto a good idea. Plenty of tropical fruit. Also consider salads and I'll bet you can get some great seafood in Jamaica. Have it at lunch and dinner if possible. And aim for the broiled or grilled or baked rather than the fried.

Also reach for whole grains where possible and all the other healthy foods that you're probably eating here.

Another possibility: eat half of what is on your plate. I did that a number of years ago during several trips to Grand Cayman. The trick is that I physically passed the fod to a companion rather than letting it sit at my place where I might be tempted to pick at it. Hope you have a great trip!

Bethesda, Md.: Hi Sally,

Great column today -- and it makes me feel so healthy because I eat lots of fish. I love King Salmon, which is a wild fish (and in season now -- woohoo!)I tend to buy my fish at Fresh Fields, which has their fish delivered fresh seven days a week. They also sell really good fish marinades -- one that goes really well with the salmon is the Yogurt dill marinade. I also love halibut and red snapper (but only buy it when it's on sale), as well as tilapia, lemon sole, orange roughy, and sockeye salmon. How are they -- nutrition wise -- when it comes to Omega 3's? Most of the tilapia and salmon sold is farmed -- is that unhealthy? Should I avoid eating farmed fish?

Sally Squires: Hi Bethesda: Thanks! And great going on consuming all that fish. As for farmed versus wild: there's still a lot of debate. Biochemist Bill Lands formerly of NIH, said that he thought farmed fish is just fine. I heard different things from folks worried about the effects of fish farms on the environment and the use of antibiotics and pigments in feed. Bottom line: know where your fish is coming from as much as possible and eat a wide variety to minimize the down side of either wild or farmed fish.

Washington, D.C.: Why is it that people who lose weight but don't keep off, often end up gaining even more weight then they lost?

Sally Squires: Ah, the $64,000 question, DC. It's probably because it's actually not that difficult to lose weight. What's tough is keeping it off. And changing habits is key to that, according to research. It also seems, based on unscientific feedback from many who write to me, that folks get discouraged when they lose weight, regain some and then they give up and keep eating. They don't understand that the weight doesn't go on overnight and doesn't come off that way either.

Olney, Md.: Hi Sally,
After reading about knowing your fish monger I just had to let you and your readers in on my not so secret secret. The Korean Lotte markets have the most beautiful fish! They seem very fresh, clear eyes and gleeming skin, and the prices are more then half of other markets. The only catch is that you can't be squimish. Most of the fish is sold whole and you do have to pick it up and bring it to the back counter if you would like them to clean, scale and filet it, usually at no charge. We once had Red Snapper rarely because of cost but now we have it once a week at least! We like to keep it whole and put it on the grill with a bit of olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper... yum!

Sally Squires: Thanks Olney! Great idea. Our intrepid producers at washingtonpost.com are building a link to these stores which we will post momentarily. I couldn't find any in the District, but there are quite a number in suburban Maryland and Virginia.

Reisterstown, Md.: Can you suggest cheap, easy ways to add fish to one's diet? I cannot stand canned salmon, canned tuna I understand is not really rich in omega-3s and fresh fesh is awfully expensive for my tiny budget.

washingtonpost.com: Lean Plate Club: Know Thy Fishmonger (Post, April 29)

Sally Squires: Yes, indeed, Reistertown. Trader Joe's has some great frozen fish that is not pricey. And by the way, most frozen fish is wild, not farmed. Also look for fish on sale. I've seen salmon as low as $7 a pound,which can get you through a couple of meals. Mackeral isn't too expensive either. Have you ever tried pickled herring? Sardins are another great choice. By the way, check out Kim O'Donnel's video on cooking them fresh.

Gaithersburg, Md.: Hi, Sally,

I, too, was wondering how much I could eat, because I was having trouble with additional weight loss during December-February. I had my resting metabolic rate tested, and it came out higher than average. It's nearly 1700 calories (just to sit and do nothing!), while you'd expect it, for my age, sex and weight/height, to be 1400 or even below.

So what I'm doing now is eating a minimum of 1700 calories a day, then adding calories when I do serious workouts -- like the 50-mile bike ride I did on Sunday.

My weight loss is still not consistent from week to week, but it IS finally going down. And the best thing is, I'm happy, I'm eating enough, I'm fueling my workouts, but not eating too much.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend RMR testing for everyone -- and I will need to get it done again when I reach goal in 17-odd pounds -- but it solved a weight loss conundrum for me. And it also shows that those RMR "average" calculations can be way off.

Sally Squires: Hi Gaithersburg: They can indeed be off. At the Uniformed Services University, Tracy Sbrocco and her colleagues actually put overweight women on a 2,000 calorie diet. While the weight loss isn't fast, they figure that if the women can eat healthfully on that amount of calories, they'll never have to "diet" again. (For small women or very inactive folks, this may be too many calories however. At the University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Wadden puts a lot of his female clients on about 1,500 to 1,600 calories.

Alexandria, Va.: Easy way to get your vegetables ...

Steam frozen squash, zucchini and carrots (buy the double steamer -- worth the money) and throw into your spaghetti sauce. I highly recommend Barilla's Marinara Sauce.

Warm for 15 minutes or so to blend the flavors. Then toss over your favorite whole wheat pasta for a great healthy meal with a healthy dose of your vegetables! I made it for my husband who is not a vegetable fan and he is already asking when I am going to make it again.

Sally Squires: Yum, Alexandria. And for those who want to add even more nutrition, try it with whole wheat pasta. Sounds really good. Thanks!

Boise, Idaho: I am having a problem keeping veggies and fruits. I am the only one in my house interested and everything gets rotten in my fridge before I can get to it. I only do shopping every week-2 weeks. Is there anything you know of that will keep? I prefer fresh but will go frozen if I need to. Thank You.

Sally Squires: udos to you Boise for working so diligently to increase fruit and vegetables in your diet. Sounds like you travel a ways to shop.

So yes, indeed, frozen would be a very good idea.You can find virtually everything frozen these days from peaches and bing cherries to avocados, veggies already sliced and diced for stir-frying. In your quest for better nutrition, also don't overlook dried fruit and vegetables (which have very long shelf lives) and canned produce. Sure, fresh is always nice. But studies suggest that there's virtually the same nutritional value in all of them. Of course, you'll want to look for fruit that doesn't have a lot of added sugars, such as heavy syrup, and dried fruit that isn't coated in sugar. Pineapple is a common example.

Also produce that has long shelf life includes: cabbage, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes and apples. Romaine and iceberg lettuce seem to last longer than other varieties.

Other suggestions out there? (And please check the link tha I'll post to a previous Lean Plate Club column that you ma find helpful.)

washingtonpost.com: The Lean Plate Club: Let's Play Find the Hidden Veggies (Post, Mar. 12, 2002)

Sally Squires: Here's the link for Boise.

washingtonpost.com: Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen: A Cookbook (2001) Web site: KoreanFeast.com: Korean Supermarkets In The US

Sally Squires: And here's another link put together by our producer Eleanor Hong on those Korean markets. Plus a cookbook to try.

Washington, D.C.: Hi Sally! Thanks for these discussions. I have to say that now I am REALLY confused. There's an article in the Post today that talks about the advantages of fasting. The article mentioned that it might be healthier to eat all calories for the day during a four hour period, or alternatively skipping a day of eating here and there and then consuming more calories the next day to make up for it. Is this better for you than eating small meals throughout the day, or even the traditional three-squares-a-day? Any thoughts? (My interest is more in health than weight loss.)

Sally Squires: It does get confusing, doesn't it, DC? All the more reason why it's important for you (and others) to become as knowledgeable as possible about healthy eating and physical activity.

I read that article too. Let me point out, however, that it was done in animals, not people. (Even so, there is interest in looking at low intakes of calories and the effect on health.) For now, however, the most compelling evidence points to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. How you reach that is really up to you, based on your food and exercise preferences.

But most evidence suggests that a low-fat diet (about 30 percent of total calories) based on healthy fats, like omega-3's plus plenty of whole grains, fruit and vegetables, fish, lean meat, protein has the strongest evidence for long-term success. You can eat small meals or large. It's what works best for you.

IndyGirl: Thanks to the person who submitted the white bean/avocado spread last week. I love turkey sandwiches with avocado, and tried the spread recipe. It is a great substitute!

Sally Squires: Thanks for the feedback, Indy!

Fairfax, Va.: Hi, Sally. What do you think about this latest thing that too many vitamins can be bad for you? I stopped my daily multivitamin a couple of weeks ago because I was concerned about too much vitamin A. Now I'm worried because my favorite binge food, baby carrots, may now be off limits in the quanitities I consume.

I've been a binger all of my life, but in the last few years, I've stopped binging on pretzels or croutons, and substituted carrots. During a really good binge, I can eat most of a five pound bag of carrots. I've tried to stop, but I haven't been able to. I can only swap healthier choices for unhealthier ones.

What do you think about air popped popcorn? Would that be safer?

Thanks for your insight.

Sally Squires: Hey Faifax: You obviously read the New York Times Science section today. We've also done long takeouts in Health on this very subject. But at the risk of repeating myself in this chat, let me say this again: relax a little.

First of all, the evidence for overdosing vitamins comes from supplements--and in the case of vitamin A--perhaps from fortified foods. Those carrots you love are still a great choice. Plus they contain beta carotene, which is converted in the body to vitamin A.

If you're eating a well balanced diet, you probably don't need a multivitamin. Unfortunately, many people are not. But experts, even those who applaud supplements, urge consumers not to eat badly and take a vitamin to make up for it.

What supplements may be particularly helpful? Calcium for one. Folic acid and B 12 for others, particulary for those who are either considering getting pregnant and those who are aging. (Suffice it to say that it's more difficult to absorb B12 from food after age 50.)

A simple multivitamin with nothing exceeding 100 percent of the daily value is probably okay for most people. What concerns me more is being a binge eater. That's far more important to explore and it sounds like you're already trying to do that.

Dessert that is getting me through!- Arlington, Va.: Sally -- hope you are well!

The dessert that is keeping me from hitting Friendly's with the family on these now warm evenings is to mix:

1 vanilla Alba shake mix, prepared to directions
1 serving vanilla No Sugar Added Ice Cream
1 cup fresh strawberries

Calories are nice and low, the fresh fruit makes it a nice cooler, and the sugar is within my guidelines. I can put in fresh peaches, blueberries or bananas when ripe/in season. I also get STUFFED! I can never finish a whole one, so I share what I make.

You can also do a chocolate variation with the alba chocolate shake mix and, again, the vanilla NSA ice creams.

Oh -- my stipulation for having my dessert is that I cannot have it more than 3X per week and only if I have worked out that day!

Sally Squires: This sounds really good, Arlington. And it's great the way you have tied it to your workouts. Thanks!

Cheap salmon: Shopper's Food Warehouse has it this week for $2.98 a pound, and it's not the chum salmon that some stores try to pass off at that price, or at least not the piece I bought.

Sally Squires: Thanks! That's good to know. Costco also has some great prices on seafood. And I suspect that Sam's Club does too. And don't forget the PX for our Armed Forces families.

Washington, D.C.: So I have a problem right now with dry skin, and my facialist told me to eat fish ... but I don't like fish, so I started taking Omega-3 supplements. Now I read that Omega-6 is actually the one that helps skin? Argh!

What else would you recommend adding to my diet, other than more water, to help clear up my skin problems?

Sally Squires: Hey DC: My recommendation? See a dermatologist and make sure that nothing else is causing your dry skin. Most foods including fish have both these types of omega fatty acids. Don't get too hung up on the details. And if you don't like fish, those supplements may not be a bad idea. Check out the LPC archives for a column on that very subject. Also the American Heart Association as a statement on fish oil supplements.

In the news: Interesting articles in the news today. Did you see the NY Times article saying that experts believe many people are overdoing it on vitamins? Like the president of Weight Watchers, I too take a children's vitamin because I believe I have a healthy diet and I didn't want to take 100 percent or more of my micronutrient needs in a tablet as well. What are your thoughts?

I also saw the article on fasting. Interesting, but not for me. I can get headaches, lightheadedness, dizziness if I skip meals or even go too long between meals. I'm not overweight and I don't overeat -- I just need to eat regularly! What is great about the Lean Plate philosophy is the emphasis on what works for each of us as individuals.

Sally Squires: Yes, it was interesting. And the one that getting a lot of interest is vitamin A. Milk was fortified with vitamin A at a time when that vitamin wasn't so common (and we weren't so well nourished.) It's another example of be educated and be flexible because yes, things change. It will keep us all on our toes!

Interesting idea to take a kids' vitamin, by the way.

Ballston, Va.: Sally -- HELP!

Since starting my lean-plate-club-inspired life-changes, I've GAINED 10 lbs! Not really sure how, more's the pity. True, my time has been hijacked by work/family schedules, and my plans to bike to work haven't been as consistent as I hoped, but I thought I was making up some of the slack other ways!

One problem I am trying to beat is the habit of when I think too much about food, I find I get HUNGRIER! Is this a common reaction?

Thanks!

Sally Squires: Hey Ballston: Sounds to me like you may have fallen into the common pitfall that if I exercise I can eat more. In fact, exercise is great for many things, but you have to do a major workout to see huge numbers of calories burned. If you're making good food choices, check your portion sizes. And try eating food with greater volume: salads, puffed cereal, smoothies (preferrably that you make so you control calories), whole grains, fruit and vegetables, soups. You get the idea. Let us know what happens.

Washington, D.C.: I'm glad you liked the recipe! Some people use silken tofu (one block) instead of white beans. I know that some people also make fake guac from peas ... though the flavor is different, it a great way to get vegetables and is fun to serve when guests are over. It's also REALLY convenient, since frozen peas can be used. Got it off some Web site a while ago:

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed and drained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Combine the peas, cumin, onion, and garlic in the
container of a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.
Add lemon juice and olive oil, and process just to blend.
Taste and season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Blend for just a few more seconds, and transfer to a serving
bowl

Sally Squires: Thanks, DC!

Not just Lotte:: Han An Reum is another chain of Asian grocery stores, and from what I've seen from the one in Wheaton/Glenmont, they don't have as much fresh fish/meat, although the quality is still excellent. But this chain has really good produce, and ridiculously cheap. 10 lemons for $1!

Oh, and the produce reminded me of our tip: we subscribed to a Community Supported farm, where you buy a share and you get bags of fresh vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers ... whatever has just been picked. Not only will it get us to eat more vegetables, it's supporting local farms and most are organic. I'll let you know how it's going later in the summer!

Sally Squires: Thanks! Sounds like a great food find. And great reminder about those Community Farms.

Baltimore, Md.: Hi Sally,

Since the beginning of last year I've lost about 30 pounds. The trick for instilling healthy eating and exercise for me was shifting the focus from DIETING to really thinking about what I enjoy and taking care of my body. On the exercise front this meant stopping always using the stairmaster (I would get SO bored and get off and not go back) to finding something I found really inspiring -- for me it's bellydance (3x a week!)

Eating wise it's been stopping eating mindlessly in front of the TV and really learning to enjoy the buying (at local farmers markets)cooking and really, really tasting food. I now at least three times a week make a healthy dinner and enjoy the whole process!

Sally Squires: Bellydancing! That is an inspiring way to work out. And what's great is that you have found something to do that you really enjoy. Way to go!

Re: hidden veggies in pasta from Brambleton: Another great thing to add to your sauce is some fish. Substitute a cioppino sauce (Trader Joe's makes a great one -- has a little kick to it -- and it's very inexpensive). Cook your veggies like you normally do, add to the cioppino sauce and then add the uncooked fish. Just be sure to time it right, depending on whether your fish is fresh or frozen, thick or thin, etc.

I do this regularly with frozen seafood I also get at TJs and it's a hit every time.

Sally Squires: Yum! And this is a good reminder that clam sauce--or mussels--are other great toppings for pasta. Thanks!

Kingstowne, Va.: Hey Sally, all of this low carb vs. high carb dieting stuff seems to have confused so many people that they are throwing up their hands and saying "the heck with it." But I would venture that the reason for the confusion is that the media (present Web chatters excluded!) haven't done a good job of distinguishing good carbs (fruits and veggies) from bad carbs (refined white flour products and sugar). The simplest explanation I've seen is on Marty Gallagher's chat, where he says to eat plenty of "fibrous carbs" (broccoli, spinach, etc.), moderate "starchy carbs" (potatoes and rice), and minimal "man made" carbs (bread and pasta and cookies and pastries, etc). I think if you were to spread the word that nature's carbs are good and man's carbs are bad, people would understand better, and stop embracing these silly meat-centered diets. Don't you agree?

Sally Squires: Hey Kingstowne: Well said. In fact, we have tried to do just that with the Lean Plate Club. And fruit and vegetables are often overlooked as sources of healthy carbs. Thanks!

Chicago, Ill.: Regarding the frustration of gaining weight back, people may want to log onto www.doctorkushner.com and take Dr. Kushner's eating quiz. You'll get very personalized information geared toward healthy weight loss on this site.

Sally Squires: Thanks Chicago.

Georgetown, D.C.: Hi there,

You mentioned fish in the LPC column today. I just discovered a love of smoked salmon, but I don't know anything about the health benefits. Is it the same thing as regular salmon? What are the risks/benefits of eating smoked salmon, and how much is too much? Thanks!

Sally Squires: Benefits rival other salmon, Georgetown, although you correctly observe that too much of anything--smoked or not--is not a good thing either. American Heart Association suggests aiming for about three servings of fish per week. Hope that helps.

Washington, D.C.: Hi. I got an e-mail the other day from WebMD that mentions a study showing that dairy products helped people who were trying to lose weight lose more body fat (i.e., the dairy group lost more fat as a percentage of their total weight loss than the control group). Have you heard about this? That study was I think sponsored by Yoplait because the dairy group ate Yoplait, but is there any reason to think that the dairy must take the form of yogurt?

Sally Squires: Yes, we must have gotten the same press release, DC. As recall this study was presented at the Experimental Biology annual meeting in San Diego. We often wait for reports to be more fully peer-reviewed and generally don't report on industry sponsored studies, unless we make that link very clear to our readers. From the scientific studies I've seen, it appears that it's the calcium--not the vehicle it's in--that is important. But this is still being determined.

Yoga : Dear Sally,

Yoga is the one thing that has revolutionized the way I live. As a result of my regular practice I have adopted healthier eating habits, and more importantly a healthy body image. I never ate poorly before, but when practicing yoga you find yourself drawn to eating lots of fruits and veggies and ignoring stuff with lots of fat. The great thing is that anyone can do yoga -- even deep breathing alone is a wonderful thing.

Sally Squires: An awful lot of people feel just as you do. What's so important is that you found something that really works for you. Thanks!

Washington, D.C.: Hi Sally,

I read your article today on the importance of eating fish. Are there other non-meat sources for the healthy fats described in your article? Thanks.

washingtonpost.com: Lean Plate Club: Know Thy Fishmonger (Post, April 29)

Sally Squires: Yes, indeed. There are many plant sources. You can find more information in the Feb. 12, 2002 LPC column and web chat available right here in the washingtonpost.com archives.

Substituting applesauce for oil ... : Dear Sally,

Trying to sneak this in before you sign off. What is the general rule for substituting applesauce for oil or butter in baked goods? I would love to try a brownie recipe I just found but with applesauce rather than all the fatty stuff.

Thanks so much.

Sally Squires: I'd hate to steer your wrong and I don't know this off the top of my head. You might get some info in our Food Section archives. Or look for a prune paste which is also used for this very purpose too. It will likely give proportions on the side of the jar. I will find out and report in a future column, chat or newsletter. But sounds like you need it before then.

Downtown D.C.: I was hoping to follow up on last week's discussion. I just started the Atkins Diet and have had no carbs for 4 days but I am running out of ideas on what to eat. Could you please recommend some meal ideas for my 2-week induction period? I am sure there are creative chatters out there that can help me through this process. I feel good and am excited to be trying this but I really want to try and achieve the same meal satisfaction as I use to with this new mode of eating. Thanks Sally your chats make every Tuesday great!

Sally Squires: I'm sorry that I didn't notice this question earlier for more input. I suggest you try the Atkins website or check out his book Atkins For Life.

Re: Yoga: Pilates has the same effect! I recently started Pilates, and find myself standing/sitting straighter and craving better foods. More vegetables, less meat, more fruits, but I still crave chocolate! Ah well, can't have everything, I guess.

Sally Squires: There you go--another LPCer who has found the right approach for them. I confess that when I do the Firm tapes, I feel the same way.

Sally Squires: We are out of time folks with more questions to answer. But I went a little slower this week because two members accurately pointed out last week that I answered one question near the end of the chat incompletely. (A full answer is in tomorrow's newsletter and it's directed to Southern Maryland.)

As usual, I am always inspired by the interest, sources, recipes, thoughtful questions and more that you all provide. So in my book you're all winners. But for the sake of today's chat: the freebies go to Baltimore, Fish on a budget, Ballston and Arlington (for the Alba suggestion.)

Until next week: Don't diet, eat smart--and yes, move more!--with the Lean Plate Club. Cheers!

Sally Squires: P.S. If you're one of the winners, please send me your snail mail address to squiress@washpost.com and please put "winner" in the subject line. Thanks!

washingtonpost.com:

That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.

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