Are between-meal snacks making you fat? Fruits and veggies make a wonderful low-cal, low-cost alternative. Foods that are readily available are our first snack choice, so pick up a bag of baby carrots, some fresh peaches, or cut up some mango slices to ward off a snack attack. If you think that's too expensive, compare the cost of a bag of chips, a bottle of soda, a package of nuts, or a candy bar. Another trick: Place them on the top shelf of the fridge, on your desk at work, and carry them with you in the car. For other suggestions: www.healthyhawaii.com.

— Drs. Jay Maddock and Bill Reger-Nash

SAVE THE PLANET

LIVE VIRTUOUSLY BY GOING FREEGAN

Former consumer Raina Kelley has gone Freegan for 30 days — and she's telling the world about it in her Newsweek blog. Going Freegan means spending money only on food (organic and local, when possible) and medicine; recycling and composting; not wasting; taking only eco-friendly transportation and reducing her energy use by 50 percent. Read about her adventures at www.newsweek.com.

FINAL WORD

"My mind is like a bank account, and every investment I make seems to grow with a steady rate of interest."

Ann Patchett | In this month's Real Simple magazine