Fat

The cook is nervous, the dinner guests more so. As the entree is cleared and thoughts turn toward dessert -- an interlude usually filled with pleasant anticipation -- blood pressure begins to rise. How high will it (the souffle, not the blood pressure) rise? Will it fall? Collapse? Do we care? Couldn't we have a plain layer cake? Furtive glances at the clock.Finally, the cook --es out (on tiptoe lest the floor shake), takes the souffle from the oven, tiptoes back and with lightning speed serves her creation while admonishing the hapless victims, "Eat quickly before it utterly disappears.

Bars of every make and model are causing gridlock in the supermarket aisles. There are energy bars, cereal bars, breakfast bars and snack bars. Still others are designed as a meal replacement. But buyer beware: Your favorite "healthy" granola bar may actually be a hybrid candy bar fueled by sugar, saturated fats and trans fats. According to calorie-count.com, a typical 1.5-ounce soft granola bar with chocolate chips contains 181 calories, 7.1 grams of fat (4.4 grams saturated) and 117 milligrams of sodium.

One way to cut back on the excessive fat and control the protein we typically consume is to build meals around hearty, low-fat soups. There are two ways to do that. Either slim down a traditionally high-fat soup, or beef up a naturally low-fat soup.Try this power-packed recipe, brimming with vitamins and minerals.Creamy broccoli soupMakes 4 main dish servings6 cups raw broccoli, including florets and thinly sliced stems3 cups defatted, reduced-sodium chicken broth2 cups evaporated skim milk1/4 cup cornstarch1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon4 teaspoons low-sodium chicken bouillonfreshly ground pepper to tasteIn a large saucepan, combine broccoli and 1 cup of broth.

I take lunch to work every day. I usually pack a deli-style sandwich, chips, a piece of fruit and something sweet. I feel as though I get a good mix of food groups, but I'm worried that I get too much salt and fat with the lunch meat, chips and cookies. Am I? While you've struck a good nutritional balance overall, cutting back on the salt and fat isn't a bad idea. With a few minor changes you can turn your "almost there" fare into a lunch that tastes good and keeps you energized through dinnertime.

People in their early 40s who had a high amount of flab in two different body locations were much more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease more than 25 years later than those with smaller amounts, according to the latest study linking obesity and dementia. The research is the first to look at how fat distribution around the body during midlife is associated with Alzheimer's risk. It also advances the understanding that fat is not just inert tissue, but rather is a cell type that can secrete substances that can be harmful to the brain.

Do you ever feel as if you're committing a crime when you serve your favorite baked goods? Pat Wolf, who wrote to us from Pittsburgh, does."I enjoy making loaves of this Chocolate Zucchini Bread for my friends," she writes, "but I feel as if I'm killing them. Can you reduce the fat and calories and still produce a nice moist loaf?"The recipe was very satisfying to reinvent. Our version has the original's tender crumb, crunchy nuts and rich, chocolaty flavor, but only one-third the fat. It was so good, in fact, our staff tasters unanimously agreed that we have indeed created a loaf to die for.Streusel-topped apple bread was an old favorite in Louise Watson's family.

IT WAS AT a McDonald's in Towson that I took a savage bite of a Quarter Pounder With Cheese, raised the remaining chunk of bun and gray beef high in the air and shouted: "To the great Caesar Barber!" Frankly, the response was not exactly deafening. The man to my left continued to gnaw on his chicken sandwich and stare straight ahead, as if people were always thrusting food to the heavens and shouting toasts in his presence. At the table to my right, two little kids and their mom stared at me, but they didn't seem ready to toast Caesar Barber, either.

My family never celebrates Father's Day in a restaurant or b surprising Dad with breakfast in bed; he is happiest tending the coals, fueling the fire and feeding his loyal subjects.While Dad reigns as king of the grill, my crowning glory comes from slimming down the quintessential American barbecue.Through the years his highness has collected a wide assortment of gifts for the grill: a wrap-around golfer's apron, a fish mitt, a burger basket and a chef's hat with pig ears emblazoned with "PIG OUT" across the front.

In a scientific breakthrough that rivals the Salk vaccine and the first manned space flight to many, reduced-fat Oreos will soon appear on supermarket shelves all over this great country.Oreos, of course, are the most perfect cookies God ever put on the planet.But since so many Oreo lovers tend to be swollen and pear-shaped, Nabisco is coming out with a new Oreo that contains a good deal less fat.As everyone knows, the problem with Oreos is that you can't eat just one, or even two, at a sitting.

Of all the stories written in the Bible, none is more dramatic than that of Shavuot, the celebration of the receiving of the Ten Commandments and the Torah. This year it begins on the evening of May 18. As with most Jewish holidays, this one has many food traditions. They center on the idea that white symbolizes purity, that the Torah is pure and thus white foods should be served on this occasion.Traditionally, Jewish homemakers prepare dairy dishes for Shavuot. Foods such as creamed soups, blintzes and cheesecake are the special foods.