I wrote recently about the hidden amounts of sugar found in the foods we love so dearly. I learned all about this topic during my visit to Tucson's Canyon Ranch -- a world renowned health and healing destination -- and this sweet lesson came right as I'd decided to rid my diet of as much sugar as possible. Learning that one can of soda houses 12 teaspoons of sugar and a typical container of fruit yogurt has eight sealed the refined sugar deal for me. No more, I say. It's just not worth it.

Now here comes the lowdown on fat. Some say the fat we eat is the fat we wear. Perhaps. But one thing is for sure -- fat kills. That's Fit blogger Rigel Gregg wrote a May 24 post all about it, documenting five ways wearing fat can kill us -- it strains our heart and raises our insulin, leading to increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, for example. Now I'm here to clue you in on the fat hiding in more of our favorite foods.

Here goes.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, says conventional wisdom. But if it is broken, then by all means -- fix it.

Many of us have broken pantries. Pantries full of chips, cookies, candies, oils, sugars, and well, let's just name it: junk. Our pantries are broken because they don't work in a world where health and wellness and prevention should be on everyone's menu. They are ineffective, insufficient, and downright bad for us.

My pantry has been in disrepair for a long time. Now, however, thanks to a build-your-pantry cheat sheet I brought home from Canyon Ranch, it's on the mend. Yours can be too. Just borrow from this abbreviated list next time you're in the grocery store and in no time, your pantry will be lookin' good. So will you.

If a desire for healthy eating is anywhere present in your mind, I have a suggestion for you. Next time you head into your local grocery store in search of goods to fill your cupboards, your shelves, your refrigerator, I want you to try this: steer clear of the inside aisles of the store.

Think about this:

The healthiest foods, the freshest foods, the whole foods are housed on the outside walls of grocery stores. Fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, dairy, and often times the organic department border the aisles filled with cookies, candies, colas, crackers, cereals, dressings, and a whole host of other preserved items. So see if you can shop without entering the less-healthy regions of your store. And if you must make a detour, shoot for the most natural foods you can find. If your search is for cooking oil, opt for canola oil instead of vegetable oil. If peanut butter is your thing, pick up natural nut butters. If you must have mayonnaise, reach for reduced fat or soy versions.

Staying on the perimeter of your store still requires some thinking -- meats should be lean, breads should start with the word whole, cheeses and dairy should be low in fat, and juices should be free of sugar. But still, this is the healthiest place for your next grocery store stroll.

I've passed the two-year breast cancer survival mark and finally, I'm making a major life change. Why has it taken me so long? I'm not sure. I guess the time is right and it never was before. There's no reason to dwell on what I could have done sooner. What matters is that I'm taking charge right now.

First it was soda. I totally eliminated it from my diet. It wasn't such a big hurdle, though, because it was never much of a habit. But sweets -- another story entirely.

I love -- or shall I say loved -- sweets. Brownies, especially the gooey variety, were my favorite sugary treat. My oldest child loves them too and together, we would occasionally mix up a batch, wait impatiently while they baked, and then scarf down the whole pan.

There's a brownie mix in our pantry right now. Six-year-old Joey keeps asking me if we can make them. I keep telling him, "No, mommy is not eating sweets anymore." Which means he is not eating sweets anymore -- unless they come from a secret source. It's killing him that I won't give in and make our cherished chocolate dessert. So I promised him I will make the brownies one day soon. We have an upcoming party to attend and this will be my contribution. I just can't make them, keep them at home, and expect not to eat them.

It's been two weeks since I've consumed anything remotely sweet -- like candy, cakes, ice cream. I'm not counting sweeteners that are surely buried in the foods I normally eat -- I'll get there eventually -- but I am committed to passing on anything obviously dripping in sugar. That means no chocolate chip cookie bars that greeted me at work one day. No dipping into the mint bowls at restaurants. No bulk-sized bag of M&Ms sitting in my kitchen cupboard.

Nothing. I can't do it any other way. All or nothing. I'm going with nothing.

I like how I feel. The headaches I suspected were fueled by sugar are less frequent. My stomach feels less full. I know I am headed for better health. My kids are too. My body and my wallet should lighten up a bit too.

When I long for that sweet something, I reach for fresh fruit. Strawberries, apples, pears, bananas, and cantaloupe fill our kitchen now. Joey ate three bananas last night. I figure it would have been three brownies if he'd had the choice. For his sake and mine, I'm glad he didn't.

One day, look for these enhanced food products to appear on supermarket shelves, because more and more, consumers are demanding that the food they buy offer health benefits beyond what has been traditionally offered, and scientists are discovering ways to make that happen. Recently, University of Maryland researchers created, and patented the process, of transforming wheat, corn and rice flours into antioxidant powerhouses in the newest offering of functional foods. They have also devised a means of developing a flour based on fruit seeds that were discarded in the making of fruit juice.

The researchers assure that the process of enhancing flours is environmentally friendly -- which is another concern of many consumers. We want to be eat for good health, but we also want to be good to the earth. Antioxidants are known to offer cancer prevention benefits and are naturally found in whole foods such as fruits, vegetables and berries. Using antioxidant-enriched flours will be one more way to incorporate antioxidants into our daily diet.

This finding, along with the news of mandarin orange juice liver cancer prevention benefit, will be presented during the four-day conference Functional Foods and Health, at the 232nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Based solely on personal observation, I believe one of the reasons most of us do not eat the recommended daily required servings of fruits and vegetables is because what we do choose to eat -- the way we prepare it and the way we serve it -- is boring. Traditionally, the standards fit into a narrow category. With an interest in expanding the menu selection, I went on a search for recipes. Something new to try.

The Raw Foods -- or Living Foods -- diet is considered by some to be a celebrity food fad, with Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson and Robin Williams as celebrities reported to have adopted the diet. Other followers are strict adherents to eating only raw and unprocessed organic foods that would be acceptable to vegans. But you do not have to be a vegan, or a raw-foodist who chooses to stick to a diet consisting only of raw foods, to benefit from raw food recipes.

If you are looking for new recipes -- a new way of choosing and preparing fruits and vegetables -- finding the people and places whose focus is primarily on raw foods seems a likely direction to follow. One of the online resources I found, Living and Raw Foods -- the largest community on the internet dedicated to educating the world about the power of living and raw foods -- offers a healthy selection of recipes for Appetizers and Finger Foods; Entrees and Side Dishes; Crackers Breads and Cereals; Cookies and Treats and Desserts.

The group states on the homepage they are not out to convert anyone, simply to educate. They offer creative ways to prepare dishes, side dishes and treats that pack more nutrition into your diet, like mashed potatoes that use cauliflower or Sea Veggie Pizza.

My little boys love candy -- and sometimes I think they eat healthy food only to earn sweets. Their constant badgering about candy has led to a recent ban on artificially-sweetened stuff in our house. If it's not in the house, they can't have it. No arguments. That's it. Fortunately, they also love fruit. So what we lack in candy we now make up for with fruit -- apples and bananas and grapes and peaches and strawberries are favorites. And just today at lunch, three-year-old Danny cleared his plate of strawberries and then proclaimed, "I love strawberries!" And I love that Danny loves strawberries -- especially in light of the news that hit papers today.

It seems that candy lovers are more likely than salt lovers to eat fruit. A study published in the journal Appetite found that people who eat candy, cakes, and other sweet snacks eat more fruit than people who prefer salty snacks like chips and nuts. Maybe that's the reason for my boys' equal affection for both candy and fruit -- and their indifference about salty treats. Apparently, the craving for something sweet is satisfied by both candy and fruit -- which is hopeful for kids whose parents might now steer them in the direction of the more healthy option. And for dieters who might incorporate more fruits into their menus in an effort to cut calories. And for anyone really who is concerned that a diet rich in candy, cookies, and cakes might contribute to illness and disease while fruits and vegetables encourage healthful living.

An apple a day.

Renewing Moments Gifts for Women in Cancer Treatment offers soothing gifts of comfort designed for the special needs of women facing the cancer journey by alleviating the side effects of cancer treatments.

Melinda Salzer, a nine-year breast cancer survivor, knows the challenges experienced during chemotherapy and radiation -- throat sores, difficulty swallowing, lack of appetite, dry skin, lack of concentration -- because she went through cancer treatments as a cancer patient. From first-hand experience, and because she could not find a gift for a friend going through cancer treatment, Salzer came up with the idea of creating a business that would offer the right kind of gifts for a woman going through the ordeal and side effects of treatment.

Renewing Moments is that idea into a delightful place where you can find the highest quality of hand-made, organic, and natural products gifts for a woman who is facing cancer treatment -- or for yourself. At Renewing Moments you can find Renewing Bath Time, Renewing Spirit, Renewing Tastes, Renewing Tastes Deluxe and Renewing Tea Time.

"Since I went through treatment myself, I was intimately familiar with what women experience and the special needs that come up. I remember how much I wanted to feel like myself, and now with Renewing Moments, I can help other women feel better, too." Salzer donates one dollar from every sale to cancer care and research.

UK's Food Standards Agency, FSA, is suggesting a ban on television advertising of junk foods in a continuing effort to curb the rising number of overweight children. The FSA's three possible actions that could be taken in relation to television food ads, as reported by Reuter are:

1. Ban all food and drink ads during television programs that are made specifically for children, or that appeal to children of nine and under, which covers a broad range of programs like The Simpsons.
2. The first ban option except the restricted food advertising would simply be for junk food high in fat, salt or sugar.
3. Limits on the number of food and drink ads shown per hour at any time when children are likely to be watching.

No celebrities or animated figures will be allowed in food commercials aimed at children. What happened to the parental NO? Unless you have your child doing the grocery shopping alone, how is junk food making it into the home? I can understand a need to make certain lunch programs at school are regulated to ensure healthy foods are being served to our kids while they are away from home, but are we really all that incapable as parents of saying no when asked for the latest sugary-treat? Or, while the regulatory agencies wrestle over the fine print of the new proposed bans, why don't we just turn off the television, get up and go take a walk with our kids?

For many of us, food is so much more than a matter of eating to satisfy physical hunger. We comfort ourselves with food, we celebrate special events with food, we bond with others while sharing a meal, we create memories with food, and we communicate how much we care about others with food. The American Institute for Cancer Research, AICR, defines comfort food as feel-good food that is both nourishing and nurturing. Food appeals to all our senses -- the smell of warm baked cookies; the taste of sweet, salty, or tart; the sight of vibrant colors that decorate the plate; and the textures of creamy and crunchy. Food is a means of time travel because food can evoke memories of a simpler time that made more sense. Food can be a comfort. However, most comfort foods are also fattening foods. 

The AICR offers fat substitutions, so that we can have our cake and eat it too. Following are some suggestions for substituting fats that make us fat, with fats that are not as fat-threatening -- and nutritionally -- more cancer prevention-friendly.