Have you seen all the fruit and veggie chips at the stores lately? They’re like potato chips, only they come in flavors that include tomato, sweet potato, and berry. I haven’t tried them yet, but every time I see them I wonder can you really munch on these chips to score a serving of fruits or vegetables?

FatFighterTV got the scoop on two popular brands of fruit and veggie chips – Flat Earth and Terra. Terra says you can get a full serving of vegetables when you eat one ounce of its Sweet Potato chips.

Tara Gidus, RD, Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, tells FatFighterTV there is some nutritional value in Terra chips.

“The sweet potato has the most with 50-percent vitamin A in a one ounce serving. The rest of them have less than 10-percent of any vitamins and minerals, though,” says Gidus. “They may have enough actual vegetable to be considered a vegetable serving, but at 130-150 calories per one ounce serving, that will take a lot of calories to get your recommended veggie servings for the day.”

Flat Earth has similar claims. It says its baked crisps have half a serving of real fruits or vegetables in every ounce.

“The Flat Earth brand seems to have the first ingredients as rice flour and potato flakes,” notes Gidus. “They have dehydrated vegetables or powders of vegetables and also do not have a significant amount of nutritional value with the exception of some Vitamin A which appears to be coming from pumpkin.”

Because of the high fat, calories, and sodium in these fruit and veggie chips, the bottom line from Gidus – eat some in moderation, but don’t substitute them for the real deal.

What do you think of the various fruit and veggie chips?

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Have you seen all those ads for SmartLipo – the new procedure that melts fat? It’s being touted as “the revolutionary alternative to liposuction,” one that is safer and more affordable than the traditional procedure. But a spokesperson for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) tells FatFighterTV, “Patient Beware.”

Here’s what I found out:

The FDA approved SmartLipo in 2006. While traditional liposuction vacuums out pieces of solid fat through a tube, SmartLipo uses a laser to melt fat which is then removed through a tiny incision. The company that developed the technology says the procedure offers the best results with less trauma or downtime.

SmartLipo patients only need local anesthesia. The procedure doesn’t take long – an average of 2-3 hours. And you can go back to work in just two days.

Sounds pretty enticing, right? So why are doctors concerned?

“It is being done by any physician who can buy the machine,” explains plastic surgeon, Ricardo Rodriguez, MD, ASPS spokesperson.

That’s right – some physicians are performing this procedure without proper training. That’s frightening!

The result? Dermatologist, Christopher Moeller, MD, tells me, “We have seen many patients who have been scarred and damaged because the person treating them didn’t know how to do it right. A lot of patients don’t know that the doctor who is treating them or owns the spa or office is actually an ER doctor, family doctor, or obstetrician.”

Rodriguez says when SmartLipo is in untrained hands, the damage to the patient can be difficult or impossible to correct.

SmartLipo is still relatively new, but solid data should be coming out soon. Rodriguez recommends waiting until then to have the procedure.

“Think of it like a new drug whose best dosage hasn’t been worked out yet,” he says. “Too little and you don’t get enough of a good result; too much and you get undesired side effects.”

If you don’t want to wait for the results of research, it’s critical you do your homework. Experts stress you should only have the procedure done by a board certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist who has received additional training in using the device.

If the doctor is not board certified or doesn’t have specific SmartLipo training – Beware.

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The Bread for Life Diet by nutritionist Olga Raz claims you can eat 16 slices of bread every day and lose weight. Can this really be true? Raz developed the diet after researching serotonin – a chemical in the brain that controls our hunger and satiety.

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Raz’s theory for The Bread for Life Diet is that a high-carb, low-glycemic diet of six small meals every three to four hours will increase serotonin levels in the brain. And high levels of serotonin will make you feel full between meals, plus you won’t crave sweets… so you’ll eat less and lose weight without having to count calories.

Here’s the plan:

There are two stages in the diet. The main foods are whole-grain bread products, but you can substitute other comparable complex carbohydrates. Women must eat eight to 12 slices of “light” bread a day; men need 12 to 16 slices. Light bread is defined as 35 to 40 calories per slice.

During Stage 1 of the diet – which lasts up to two weeks – you have to eat all allotted slices of light bread without substitutions. You can have small amounts of sandwich fillings like low-fat cheeses, cottage cheese, and avocados. You can also eat three meals a week that include meat, fish, and poultry. And you’re allowed one serving of fruit and no more than an eight-ounce serving of a dairy product a day. During Stage 2, you can start substituting other complex carbohydrates for the light bread.

The fruit and dairy allotments are much less than what the Dietary Guidelines recommend – considered the gold standard for Americans. The Guidelines say you should have four servings of fruit per day and three eight-ounce servings of dairy products products a day for optimal health.

Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD – a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association – reviewed The Bread for Life Diet. She says, “While applauding vegetables and whole grains, Raz undermines the health benefits of consuming additional fruit, saying their high sugar content causes the dieter to eat them in excess, thus limiting weight loss. No explanation is offered for the restriction of calcium-rich dairy products. Likewise no explanation is given as to why the dieter can consume as much meat, fish and poultry as he or she likes during allowed meals.”

Giancoli notes while scientific research supports high-carb foods raise serotonin levels, and high levels of serotonin make you feel full, the science is less clear that a high-carbohydrate diet will make you lose weight due to increased serotonin from the carbohydrates alone.

As far as not needing to count calories, Giancoli estimates the six meals on a non-meat, fish and poultry day are about 1,200 calories, and will more than likely result in weight loss due to a low-calorie intake. She says there is no telling how many calories the dieter will have during a meat meal.

Giancoli also found the diet lacking in some nutrients, most notably calcium. But she says presumably the multivitamin and calcium supplements are included to fill those deficits.

“Excluding the limitations of fruit and dairy products, The Bread for Life Diet does promote a healthful high-fiber way of eating by putting emphasis on whole-grain foods, unlimited amounts of vegetables, unsaturated oils and lean protein sources,” concludes Giancoli. “The many rules, substitutions and stringency of sticking to six small meals per day may take more planning than most dieters are willing to do. To her credit, Gaz spends much of the book offering excellent behavioral tips on how to combat diet blockades and acknowledges it’s not easy.”

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Energy drinks are all the buzz these days. But is that buzz good for your health? Consumer Reports wants the government to require companies to label the amount of caffeine in the beverages so you know how much you’re getting. Its experts recently tested 12 carbonated energy drinks – 9 regular and 3 low-calorie – for caffeine content and taste.

Here’s what they found:

Caffeine levels per 8-ounce serving ranged from 50 milligrams to 145 mg. Compare that to a cup of coffee which has about 100 mg; 8 ounces of Coke has about 35 mg. Caffeine intake up to about 300 mg a day is considered OK for most adults; children should be limited to well under 100 mg. But most tested energy drinks have more than 8 ounces per can or bottle. Anyone who guzzles the whole container consumes up to 200 mg of caffeine and up to 260 calories.

All the drinks tasted sweet, and many were a bit bitter. Sugar-free versions of Full Throttle, Red Bull, Rockstar, and Sobe had an artificial-sweetener flavor.

Most of the drinks list at least one stimulant ingredient. Green tea and guarana supply caffeine, as does yerba mate, found in Steaz. Ginseng might amplify caffeine’s effects. Other ingredients include taurine, which some studies suggest improves mental performance, and glucoronolactone, which might yield a temporary “sugar buzz.” Celsius and Enviga claim to burn calories, and in a few manufacturer-funded studies, healthy adults worked off about 100 calories more on average after drinking them than after drinking a placebo. (Connecticut’s attorney general has asked Enviga for proof.) Other claims can be nonsensical. Red Bull says it “improves performance, especially during times of increased stress or strain,” but high caffeine levels can actually cause anxiety.

Consumer Reports says an occasional energy drink is fine for most people, but don’t over-indulge. Check the ratings below for calories and caffeine levels per 8 fluid ounces. They are listed in order of caffeine content (to the nearest 5 mg), lowest to highest:

• Archer Farms Energy Drink, fruit punch (Target) – 110 calories, 50 mg caffeine

• Steaz Energy Organic Fuel, berry – 90 calories, 60 mg caffeine

• Enviga Sparkling Green Tea – 3 calories, 75 mg caffeine

• Rockstar Energy Drink – 130 calories, 75 mg caffeine

• Tab Energy Drink – 4 calories, 75 mg caffeine

• Amp Energy Supplement – 110 calories, 75 mg caffeine

• Full Throttle Energy Drink – 110 calories, 80 mg caffeine

• Monster Energy Supplement – 100 calories, 80 mg caffeine

• Rush Energy Drink – 120 calories, 80 mg caffeine

• Red Bull Energy Drink – 106 calories, 80 mg caffeine

• Sobe No Fear Super Energy Supplement – 130 calories, 85 mg caffeine

• Celsius Energy Supplement, lemon-lime – 7 calories, 145 mg caffeine

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Want to add your bike to your home gym? New bicycle trainers let you convert your conventional bike into a stationary one. Pretty cool, huh?

Two clamps hold the rear axle of your bike, and a resistance mechanism presses against the rear tire. When you pedal, the rear wheel spins, but your bike stays in place. You can also adjust the resistance to make your workout easier or harder. Consumer Reports tested two models. Here are the results:

CycleOps Fluid2, $300

This bike trainer uses a bolt-action quick release, which makes mounting the bike and removing it after exercising fairly easy. Our panelists said the stability of this model was very good even when they subjected it to intense pedaling.

Blackburn Trakstand Mag Trainer, $160

Mounting a bike on this trainer and removing it after use was more time-consuming than with the CycleOps and required greater hand strength for a secure fit. Our panelists found the stability was good at low to moderate intensity. During high-intensity pedaling, they found it less stable, with a lot of bike sway.

A note about safety: These models provide very little risk to the user but could be hazardous to inattentive bystanders, curious children, or pets. The main problem is not the stand itself but the spokes of the spinning back wheel and gears and the moving chain of the bike. As with most exercise equipment, it is a good idea to keep bystanders away from the machine during use. If you have small children in your home, you should always remove the bike from the trainer after use.

The smoothness of your ride will depend to a great extent on your bike’s tires; knobby mountain-bike tires would make the going a lot rougher and louder, with more vibration transmitted through the bike frame. Both models were relatively quiet when used with a slick tire.

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