Q: The label on my olive oil says that it contains saturated fat. Isn?t olive oil a monounsaturated fat?
A: Actually, all fat is a mixture of different types of fatty acids. These fatty acids are the 'building blocks' of fat. For simplicity's sake, we refer to different sources of fat by the primary type of fatty acid in them. We say that saturated fat is in meat, cheese and ice cream; trans fat is in hydrogenated shortenings and French fries; monounsaturated fat is in olive oil and peanut butter; and polyunsaturated fat is in safflower oil and sunflower seeds. All of these foods, however, contain a mixture of fatty acids. We refer to them by the most common fatty acid, because the highest amount indicates the kind of effect the food is most likely to produce. Although we describe foods simplistically in this way, what matters most is how much saturated and trans fat you consume each day from all sources. Consequently, you still need to think about the amount of undesirable fats in more healthy fatty foods, like olive oil. Fortunately, these healthier fat sources like olive oil increase your daily sum of saturated fat much more slowly. Less than 14 percent of the fat in olive oil is saturated fat, unlike beef, in which 50 percent is saturated fat.

Q: I'm trying to stop cleaning my plate at every meal, but my husband feels that I'm wasting food. Is there a healthy compromise?
A: You can follow internal hunger signals for how much to eat without wasting food. Paying attention to these signals is considered an important part of healthy eating and weight control. Many people, however, have grown up with the idea that cleaning their plate is the key to avoiding food waste. But you should realize that eating more than you need is also wasting food. To really avoid any waste, you need to put less food on your plate. That's the bottom line, and it should please everyone. To do this at home, you can prepare less food. When eating out, order smaller portions, skip extra courses, or get an appetizer and a salad or soup instead of a traditional main dish. When there?s less food to start with, and you still can't eat it all, there won?t be much left behind. Another strategy is to practice saving food for future meals. You can either serve the food in the same form, or add it to soups, casseroles, salads and sandwiches. To follow this plan, you can make or buy the same amount of food, but serve yourself a much smaller portion than usual. If you are hungry after eating this amount, have more. When you are satisfied, store the remainder for another meal. Leftovers can make a quick healthy meal on busy nights when you might otherwise turn to fast-food restaurants. They can also make good take-to-work lunches.

Q: Does the vegetable called jicama have any nutritional value? How is it prepared?
A: Jicama (the 'j' is pronounced like an 'h') is a root vegetable that looks like a cross between a turnip and a potato. You can peel it, slice it into strips and serve it raw in salads or with a lowfat dip. You can also cook it by steaming, stir-frying, or oven roasting. Jicamas have a mild flavor and crunchy texture. You should choose smaller ones because they're less woody. They should be free of bruises. A whole cup of raw jicama contains only about 50 calories. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of dietary fiber.