(However, I do wonder if this might actually be true for my favorite friend food—corn chips! If I could list these delectable treats under the healthy food category, I’d crunch my way through the day and be one very happy camper, indeed!)

Yet, it’s mea culpa time so, for my second confession of the day, I wouldn’t even consider the doctor’s contention that, because pigs dine mostly on vegetables and grains, “eating pork chops can give you 100% of the recommended daily allowance of vegetable product.” In truth, I’ve been a vegetarian for over 20 years.

Now, admitting my dining preferences isn’t a call to anyone to forgo meat in your diets. However, there are several benefits to eating more vegetables on a daily basis. My friend, Magnolia Miller, over at The Perimenopause Blog, shares some great recipes aimed at diminishing the belly fat that plagues so many of us older gals. Her recommendations are delicious, packed with veggies, and you can find them under the “recipe section” on her blog.

One of my favorite blogs, Midlife with a Vengeance, is constantly providing us midlife gals with cutting edge information on health and wellbeing. A researcher at heart, Gregory Anne Cox shares her tips for eating right, taking supplements to ward off disease, the right kinds of exercise, etc. Wander on over to her site and take a look—you won’t be disappointed and I guarantee you’ll learn a lot.

And last, but definitely not least, is a wonderful website aimed at vegans and vegetarians, In a Vegetarian Kitchen. Even if you’re an omnivore, you’ll love these recipes. Nava Atlas is the author of a number of cookbooks filled with nutritious and satisfying treats. (No worries that your family will complain of eating rabbit food and leave the table hungry .) One of my all-time favorite cookbooks is Nava’s Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons. I had a few friends over for lunch this week, served up her “Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup” and gratefully accepted the rave reviews. Believe me, Nava’s recipes are stick-to-the ribs delicious!

You can also check out my interviews on Feisty Side of Fifty Radio with Magnolia, Greogory Anne, and Nava as they share their insight and information on aging with health and wellness.

So, even though the “doctor” in my earlier post proclaimed: “What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables and grains. So steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system,” I’d advise you to check out these sites, try their recipes, eat your veggies as they come from the earth (not from a cow), and see how you feel. Forget the doctor and do what granny said. You’ll lose weight, recharge your energy, and kiss your muffin-top good-bye!