After last year's public relations nightmare following the media frenzy that ensued when the E. coli virus contaminated bagged spinach products in California killing over 100 and making thousands more sick all across the United States, the nation's top manufacturer of ready-to-eat salads has stepped forward to take the lead in trying to prevent something like this from happening again.

I get a little freaked out when every skinny star is automatically labeled as anorexic.

I’ve been feeling a little guilty about ignoring the boys in Hollywood. I mean, they work hard for their bodies, too. Have you seen those pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal in spandex? Talk about devotion to the cause.

So when I dug up some “breaking news” on the Carter brothers’ favorite foods, I figured I’d read up and see if I could glean any helpful tips from them.

I recently highlighted a weight loss program called "Shrinkdown" and is sponsored by the local YMCA chapters all across the state of South Carolina. In fact, I decided to join this year to see what it was all about.

After the intial weigh-in and a check of the key health statistics a couple of weeks back, participants in the "Shrinkdown" program were given a "Healthy Living Guide" three-ring binder to bring with them to their weekly Friday weigh-ins. Additional materials have been distributed each week and will continue to for the remaining weeks in the program.