Calorie counting makes a comeback

Kevin Kopjak doesn't care much about carbs, fat, sodium or high fructose corn syrup.

He generally reads only two things on a nutrition label: the portion size and the calories. He says the strategy has helped him lose and keep off 100 pounds.

New diet books abound

One plan advises you to follow it three times a week. Another allows no snacks - except on certain days. And a third advocates for eating up to 20 percent less.

All the philosophies in the latest bunch of diet books promise to help you shed the winter weight.

Helping to weigh the value of body-fat monitors

WASHINGTON - Depending on which Japanese conglomerate you believe, either I have the body of a 25-year-old or I'm pushing 70. Which is disconcerting either way, because I was a mess when I was 25, and I'd prefer to let 70 wait its turn.

But according to the statisticians at such companies as Omron and Tanita, my "metabolic age" lies at one of those extremes.

Variety advised when picking artificial sweeteners

Mary Poppins knew this secret: We are born with an innate preference for sweetness. As she often sang, "A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down."

Women needed for UMass study

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst's School of Public Health and Health Sciences are seeking healthy postmenopausal women to participate in a study of dietary flaxseed to see if it can lower a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.

Healthy switch

A simple change may do you good:

Switch from potato chips to sweet potato chips.

Checkup

BLOOD PRESSURE

Statins seem to help reduce blood pressure levels in people without heart disease, according to a recent study that examined whether statins, known for their ability to lower cholesterol levels, might have a similar effect on blood pressure.

Health Briefs

Today through May 19

SUBSTANCE ABUSE - An education group for family and friends of people dealing with psychiatric and/or substance abuse issues meets Tuesdays, from 4 to 5 p.m., Conference Room B, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Northampton. 582-2503.

Healthy lifestyle puts Shutesbury woman in spotlight

SHUTESBURY - Colleen Kelley, an athlete and environmental educator, is featured in the current issue of a national magazine as one of five women over 40 who exemplify healthy lifestyles.

Bike Week shows that cycling can save dollars, makes sense

When trees start leafing out each year, Colleen Kelley starts bicycling to work 12 miles each way several days a week, and she keeps biking between Shutesbury and Amherst until the leaves change color in the fall.