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Bethanne Patrick: Exactly, which is so easy to do sometimes.

Carolyn O'Neil: It's about kind of knowing what you're getting into. And also the toppings a lot of times -- let's say its pancakes. Try having maybe some cinnamon and sugar on top instead of whipped butter and whipped cream and powdered sugar. Even applesauce -- I think applesauce on top of waffles and pancakes gives it -- it sort of moistens it up and it's delicious. You know so many things like this. And instead of the hash browns, what about sliced tomatoes? That's very popular in some areas, a grilled tomato half, some plain grits. Again, the hash browns are fine, but know that a big serving is going to be a lot of calories -- because if you've ever made hash browns you know they're made on top of that grill with extra fat.

Bethanne Patrick: Exactly. Now, going on towards the lunch hour -- if you like Italian lunches, especially offices often order pizza or Italian style family lunches, what is best to order there? A slice or two of pizza? A salad? What can you do with the pasta?

Carolyn O'Neil: Well you know, we've been hearing so much about the beauty and the health of the Mediterranean diet, and certainly Italy is included in there. So let's sort of close our eyes and imagine we're in Tuscany for a moment, and you know there are certain choices on an Italian menu in the United States that are -- or just sort of the classic modern things -- that are just maybe too cheesy. You know what I mean? They just really rack on the cheese, which is where the calories come from. If you go to Italy, you'll see that they don't use as much as we do here. Starting off with a minestrone soup, you know that Italian vegetable classic is really great. Not only are you getting lots of great vegetables, but studies have shown that if you have soup first, it kind of, you know, fills you up a little bit and then maybe you won't need to eat two slices of pizza or three slices of pizza -- you might be happy with one. And again, yes, olive oil is healthy and certainly used in Italian restaurants. But do avoid an oil spill -- it is fat, it's got just as many calories as butter, but it is heart healthy. But again, know that olive oil -- you know, when you sit at the table a lot of times and you're waiting to order and there's that little bowl of olive oil often with maybe some seasonings in there. You dip in the bread and the bread is like a sponge, and you can consume as many as 500 calories before the waiter or waitress even comes to take your order. So again, the parmesan things are battered and fried and topped with cheese, so you don't have to be a dietician to know there's going to be extra calories there. The lovely sautés of, maybe it's a chicken and it comes with gorgeous vegetables, and sure some pasta, but like a side of pasta that you can really enjoy. So there's flavor, flavor, flavor from balsamic vinegar, again from the beautiful olive oils that you can use a little bit of. And then artichokes, and capers, and lemon -- these are things that are classically used in Italy and they're great on the taste buds and also easy on the waist line.

Bethanne Patrick: Well, now speaking of other things that are hard on the waistline, when you go out to get great authentic Mexican food -- which is popping up all over the place. Guacamole and sour cream are full of fat, they can defeat a diet. What should you order at a Mexican restaurant to avoid gaining weight but still indulge in those wonderful flavors?

Carolyn O'Neil: You should stay away from the more Tex-Mex kinds of things. You know that con queso dip, which is that cheese dip that we all love. But it's about fifty calories for every tablespoon sized dip in the bowl and often you're using a fried tortilla chip. So again, I'm not saying no, but just know what you're getting into. Starting off with a gazpacho or a black bean soup, these would be some good choices. Again, the black bean soup with lots of fiber, the gazpacho, extremely low in calories, high in taste. Watch that mindless tortilla chip munching -- be aware of that basket. You know, have a few with a little bit of that fresh salsa, terrific. And you asked about sour cream and about guacamole. Avocado, which is the principle ingredient in guacamole, is terrifically nutritious. I mean, it's got so much, so I encourage people to enjoy that. But then again, it has fat in it. It's healthy fat, not just good for our hearts, but it's also shown to be really good for our skin, it has monounsaturated fat. But then again, use it as an accessory, accessorize with that delicious guacamole or the delicious avocado -- not as the main event, a big bowl. And the beans in a Mexican restaurant, you want to stay away from the refried beans, because you can just tell from the description, extra fat has been added. But the pinto beans or the black beans, those are there to enjoy with some of the rice, a very nutritious choice. They fill you up and you're getting lots of fiber. And often there's chicken on the menu and a quesadilla, which is fried -- share that as an appetizer and go easy on the sour cream toppings.