I knew when I landed at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona that I'd hear all sorts of health-conscious messages. I did. I got quite an earful. It was all great stuff. Go low fat. Cut sugar. Nix the soda. Up the protein. Increase the fiber. Minimize portion sizes. Decrease stress. Rest. Relax. Breath. And exercise -- a lot. I took it all in. I processed it. I stored it in my foggy chemo brain. And I try daily to put my new-found wisdom to work. It's going well -- in part because I have permission to take a break.

My Canyon Ranch nutritionist -- the one who taught me how to shop, cook, stock my pantry, and make healthy snacks and treats -- also gave me this happy nugget of news: eat pizza once per week. What? Can that be healthy?

Pizza is not the healthiest of food choices. Pizza Hut's personal pan cheese pizza -- you know, the little one containing just four small slices -- has a shocking 620 calories, 26 grams of fat, 69 carbohydrates, and seven grams of sugar. It does have 28 grams of protein. Still, not a very wise choice for those of us wishing to fill our bodies with power foods.

It was a Canyon Ranch nutritionist, not a fitness trainer, who shared with me these words of wisdom regarding exercise. I consider this more evidence backing the fact that diet and exercise go hand in hand, that each one cannot fully and successfully operate in isolation from the other.

So here it is, this Saturday's Worthy Wisdom:

After we exercise, we should eat something within 15 minutes of completing our physical challenge. Why? Because we've taxed our bodies, depleted them, and it's important to put something back in after taking so much out. Consider a banana, a handful of nuts, something nutritious and energizing, and allow your body to recover. And don't forget about water -- drink plenty to re-hydrate yourself.

Daily consumption of red meat increases the risk of breast cancer. Daily consumption of red meat doesn't increase the risk of breast cancer. Ahhh. Which one is it?

In a previous post, I cited research that supported the increased risk. And now I've come across something new.

Think about this:

A nutritionist from New Zealand is disputing research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, claiming that women who ate more than100g of meat each day had the highest risk of developing breast cancer.

In a curiosity about Dole Food owner David H. Murdock's quest to help people live better longer, I visited the Dole Food website. When you first arrive you will be greeted by the slogan The Dawn of the Nutrition Age. When it comes to food and nutrition, this is a comprehensive resource of internet destination. In the Healthy Recipes area, you can find 30 Minute Meals, BBQ & Grilling, Fruit Salads, Fun Kid Snacks, Holiday Entertaining, Less than 5 Ingredients meals, Main Dish Salads, Pizzas, Quick Breads and Tastes Like Chicken. There is a Glossary, Conversion Table, The Benefits of Getting Steamed, Healthy Snacks, and Put the Squeeze on Added Calories. The Art of the Meal included instructions on how to create simple works of art with food.

Dole Nutrition News is a bi-monthly online newsletter featuring information and news on diet, fitness, nutrition and natural beauty available free to interested readers.

Taking its name from the breast cancer awareness pink ribbon, Ribbon Nutrition, is a dietary supplement company that offers 40 products -- such as Fish Oil, Earth Energy Multi-Vitamin, Milk Thistle, Green Tea and Saw Palmetto. Each member of the company has been touched by a personal experience with breast cancer. Ten percent of the profit from the sale of Ribbon Nutrition products goes to cancer charity for education and research in the fight against breast cancer.

The statistics for breast cancer are still grim. It is estimated 1,150,000 women worldwide will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and 411,000 women will die from the disease. It is now the leading cause of death among US women aged 20 to 59. Why are the products turned upside down? In the Million Dollar Flip challenge, when the profits donated from the product sold reach one million dollars, the product will get turned right-side up.

According to the Ribbon Nutrition company, prevention is the key and by making better lifestyle choices, whether it's concerning your diet or the cleaners you use in your home or the deodorant you roll-on every morning, you can make a difference in your health and your family's health. Self-education and self-empowerment are at the heart of the company's efforts. They are not setting out to tell people what to think or what choices to make, but to provide access to the information individuals need to make their own informed, healthy decisions. On the Ribbon Nutrition company store website it state that the mission is to eradicate breast cancer through education, awareness, nutrition, prevention, and charity.

When my treatment for breast cancer was just around the corner, I asked a nurse about a dietitian on staff who I might talk to -- or a nutritionist or anyone who could help me wrap my head around eating right and staying healthy and maintaining my weight during treatment. I was told that I didn't need to talk to anyone -- that I would likely not lose any weight and would be fine. I was aware at the time that a referral to a dietitian often occurs with weight loss associated with treatment -- but it seemed that a referral for merely staying on track was just as important. Yet this seemed not to be an issue.  And I never was referred to anyone. So I found someone on my own -- and independent nutritionist who came to my house just after my first dose of chemotherapy, on a day when I felt nauseated and foggy and sick. It was a perfect time to talk to someone about how to eat during this difficult time, and the wisdom that was shared with me is as fresh in my mind today as it was 18 months ago -- when I sat at my dining room table with my mom and a young woman who knew exactly what I wanted to know.

As we become more aware that we are what we eat and what we eat affects our immediate and long-term health, we are making healthier choices with an eye on nutrition and weight loss. You choose granola instead of sugary breakfast cereals, salad instead of the cheeseburger, dried fruit, yogurt-covered nuts and banana chips instead of a candy bar. But nutritionist Joy Bauer warns that some of the foods we consider the healthier choices, might be so loaded in sugars, fats and calories that we are defeating our purpose of being healthy without realizing it.

Bauer appeared on NBC's Today show with Al Roker, and gave some examples of foods that are considered healthier choices but might not be -- and offered some suggestions on alternatives.

• Granola, loaded with sugar, is one of the most calorie-dense cereals. Bauer suggests you keep your portions small, and mix it with cereals with less calories and sugar such as Bran Flakes or Cheerios.
• Salad, such as a typical Caesar salad, with dressing, croutons and cheese topping, has 1,130 calories and 90 grams of fat. Bauer suggests that you request a salad with no dressing and no croutons. Instead, use an olive oil and vinegar dressing.
• Dried fruit is higher in calories that fresh fruit. Bauer's example -- 12 small pieces of dried mango have 320 calories, which equals the same as 2 apples, 15 grapes, and half of a small cantaloupe combined.
• Yogurt-covered nuts have little is any redeeming nutritional value. Loaded with sugar, fat, and no active cultures, 20 yogurt covered nuts contain 460 calories, 32 grams fat, 14 grams saturated fat, and 8 teaspoons sugar.
• Banana chips are fried in oil and sugar. One cup of banana chips has 300 calories, 20 grams fat, 18 grams saturated fat, and 19 grams sugar, or 4 3/4 teaspoons of sugar. Bauer's common sense solution? Eat a real banana. It has 110 calories and no added fat or sugar.
  

To learn more about foods that might seem good for you but aren't, and foods that are good for you, visit Joy Bauer Nutrition, life is hard, food should be easy.