When you plan to go on a diet or want to start eating healthier, salads seem like the perfect lunch to shed some unwanted pounds. The problem with salads is they can easily deceive the most well meaning dieter.

They say they are salads -- in a way they are -- but not in the eating healthy sense that we associate with it. Just because it has salad in the name on the menu does not mean it is healthy.

Some of you might be saying that you know this already. Believe me when I tell you that some people don't know this or are in some way in denial about the whole salad situation. A taco salad may contain greens and some tomatoes but it also can have ground meat, lots of cheeses, tortilla chips and sour cream.

Salad dressings are another problem, they can sometimes be the same amount of calories as a fast-food meal. Instead of reaching for the ranch dressing which can contain 110 calories and 12 grams of fat per tablespoon, try and make your own salad dressing so you know exactly what your putting in your salad. You can do this when dining out, restaurants usually offer vinegar and oil as a dressing choice.

A few good ideas for a healthier salad:

• Stay away from salads that have meats or cheeses
• Spice up your salad with different greens like arugula or watercress, you won't miss those creamy dressings with all that flavor
• Make your own dressing using a small amount of extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and some fresh ground pepper.
• If you buy a salad-to-go in a convenience store, compare the calorie content between the light salad dressing to the creamy dressings. I have seen differences of 200 calories or more
• Skip the croutons and put in some crunching veggies instead

If you want that taco salad then go at it but if you are trying to lose weight or eat healthier then thinking about what is going into your salad can make a huge difference.

As a resource of medical information, take into account that there are over 25,000 medical journals published worldwide. For most of us, it is an overwhelming volume of information.

Doctor Evidence is an independent user-friendly fee-based medical search service connecting patients and doctors to the latest in relevant information which can then lead to the formulation of informed decisions about medical treatments -- and avoid potentially deadly mistakes in misdiagnosis, treatment or surgery.

In 2000, Dr. Todd Feinman founded Doctor Evidence after undergoing unnecessary surgery for intestinal cancer. After surgery he was told that the test that led to surgery had been a false-positive. He did not have cancer.

According to Dr. Feinman, "Every year, hundreds of new therapies and diagnostic tests are introduced to treat the thousands of diseases that are afflicting millions of adults and children. Finding evidence about the most accurate diagnostic tests and effective treatments requires the proper resources. This includes specialized information technologies, subscriptions to medical databases, medical librarians, and much more that is not readily available to most doctors and patients."

Yesterday, Extra aired a feature about Dr. Feinman and the Doctor Evidence service. During the report, a patient who had been told he might have pancreatic cancer turned to the Doctor Evidence website only to find out that one of the high-niacin level medications he was taking was mimicking symptoms of pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer. You can view the video of the segment online here.

Doctor Evidence staff is comprised of doctors with expertise in evidence-based medicine, medical librarians with masters in library science, other professionals with expertise in healthcare, and information technology experts. To learn more, visit the Doctor Evidence website.

Earlier this month, Farrah Fawcett successfully completed six weeks of treatment for anal cancer and is reported to be doing very well. According to her publicist Mike Pingel, "The outlook is really good and her spirits are high."

Yesterday, in her first public appearance since treatment, she was seen Christmas shopping and dining out in Beverly Hills with Ryan O'Neal.

On the recently launched Farrah Fawcett website to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Charlie's Angels, she plans to reach out to cancer survivors with support in surviving cancer -- which will include tips on hair and skin from a woman famous for fabulous hair.

Fawcett has posted a personal thank you note to her fans for the cards and letters of encouragement over the past few months. In it she states she is happy that the hardest part is over, adding that time will be the accurate test in surviving cancer. She ends her note with, "Until then, I wanted to thank you all and wish you and your families a Happy and Healthy New Year. Love, Farrah."

We wish the same for Farrah. Farrah Fawcett's official website is here.