Dear Yvonne,
Given the state of the economy, I’m already planning ahead for Valentine’s Day, and I want to take advantage of the after-Thanksgiving sales. I was wondering what I could get my girlfriend without breaking the bank. Any ideas would be really appreciated.
                                      -Lance

Dear Lance,
While many advertisements would have you think that expensive gifts, like jewelry, are going to make you her prince for the day, lots of ladies are a bit easier – and easier on your wallet – to please. “Think of me” gifts, with a sexy/romantic note, are one way to win her over without putting yourself in debt. For example, get her a pretty sun catcher to hang in her window with a note stating that you hope she’ll think of you every time she sees it. This will let her know that you want to be on her mind. Framing a picture of the two of you will give her a warm glow in reinforcing her confidence in the relationship. Get something that compliments what you love about her most. For example, if she has amazing locks, get her a pretty clip to pull up her hair, with presentation key, for example, let her know it has greater appeal in allowing you to better nibble on her neck. 

If you want to go for something traditional, give the tried and true gifts, only with a spin. A bouquet of flowers can be professionally preserved so that she’ll always have them around. Chocolates that are homemade from a gourmet store are going to be more appealing than ones from traditional candy makers. 

Remember packaging is a way to make a so-so gift much more special. Just the right wrapping paper and bow - basically presentation - will go a long way and shows that you’ve put a lot of thought into the gift. That’s what’s going to be priceless come V-day. And if a woman ends up giving a guy a hard time because something isn’t expensive or lavish enough, then you may want to rethink why you’re involved with her. Nobody should have to be that hard to please.
Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”

Caffeine has become a necessity for all different types of individuals. Whether jump starting your day, staying late night hours at work or just going about your typical day, everyone seems to rely on caffeine in this fast-pasted society we live in. Although in the past, caffeine has gotten a bad rap; recent studies show that caffeine may actually be good for you.

Caffeine is a drug that is naturally produced in the leaves and seeds of many plants. Caffeine is defined as a drug because it stimulates the central nervous system, causing increased alertness.  Most experts agree that moderation and common sense are the keys for eating or drinking caffeine-containing products. Moderate caffeine consumption is considered to be about 300 mg, which is equal to 3 cups of coffee.
 
Here are some surprising health benefits of caffeine:

• Mental Performance: If you are falling asleep and need a boost caffeine can definitely help you.

• Mood: Studies have shown that when people consume caffeine, they felt an increased well being, happiness, energy and sociability.

• Physical Performance: Caffeine helps the body burn fat instead of carbohydrate and dulls the perception of pain, which can both boost endurance.

• Headaches: Most headache medications include caffeine. When you get a headache the blood vessels in your brain expand; caffeine causes blood vessels to constrict which helps relieve pain.

• Diseases: Caffeine has been said to protect against gallstones by showing that caffeine can reduce the size of the crystallized stones. Caffeine can also protect against Parkinson’s disease.  This disease results when levels of the brain chemical, dopamine fall, interrupting nerve signals from the brain to muscles. caffeine increases the expression of dopamine receptors in the brain

• Antioxidants: Many caffeine-containing beverages, most notably tea and more recently coffee, have been found to contain antioxidants. Antioxidants have been known to help prevent heart disease and cancer.

Due to the ever growing consumption of caffeine, manufacturers have been producing more products containing caffeine in them. So if you’re not a coffee addict, here are some surprising boosts of caffeine:

• Edys Grand Espresso Chip Ice cream,(4 oz.) 45mg
• Haagen-Daas Mocha chip, regular or light, (4 oz.) 30-40mg
• Crackheads Candy,(1 package)120mg
• Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Bar, 20mg
• Sumseeds Sunflower seeds,(1 container)140mg
• Swiss Miss Mocha Cappuccino,(1 packet) 25,mg
• chocolate milk,(8 oz.) 2-7mg
• Mountain Dew,(12 oz) 54mg
• Red Bull, (8 oz.) 80mg
 
Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and the creator of The F-Factor Diet™, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being.  For more information log onto www.FFactorDiet.com.

A mother has defended feeding her 18-month-old daughter a diet of French fries - even though the child weighs as much as a four-year-old.

Angela Boswell, 33, from Manchester, England, insisted Courtney, who weighs 30 pounds, will grow up to be healthy.

The youngster occasionally extends her diet to take in chocolate, crisps, cereal and Coca-Cola - but steers clear of her greens.

You are sitting at your desk when all of a sudden your body demands chocolate. You try and focus on your work, but you can’t get chocolate off your mind. A voice in your head begins to chant, “I want chocolate!” forcing you to march over to the vending machine and buy yourself a chocolate bar.

Cravings like that are all too familiar for many of us. And when the craving is strong enough - words like “healthy” and “diet” go right out the window. So how do you tame your cravings without packing on the pounds?

The trick is not to ignore the craving - you’ll just end up obsessing even more. Instead, give in to the craving, but make a smarter choice. Below are the five most popular cravings and my top picks for alternatives that won’t sabotage your middle.

CRAVING WRONG FOOD HEALTHIER CHOICE

Salty Potato Chips Light Microwave Popcorn

Sweet Cookies Gnu Food’s Flavor and Fiber Bar

Fat Hamburger Turkey burger with sliced avocado

Creamy Ice cream Low-Fat ice cream

Chocolate Snickers Bar 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate

1. SALTY: When you want something salty and crunchy, potato chips fit the bill. Unfortunately, a 2oz. bag of Lay’s potato Chips has 300 calories and 20g of fat. WOW! Instead, opt for a bag of microwave popcorn. Try Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop Butter Flavor. Seven cups have only 120 calories, and 2g of fat, plus a whopping 7g of fiber that will help to keep you full all afternoon long.

2. SWEET: Cookies are sweet and chewy but also loaded with fat and calories. Three Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies have 160 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 1 gram fiber. One oatmeal raisin cookie from Au Bon Pain contains 230 calories, 8 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber. Instead, grab a Gnu Food’s Flavor and Fiber Bar. These sweet and chewy bars not only taste amazing, they contain only 130-140 calories, less than 2 grams of fat and have a whopping 12 grams of fiber per bar!

3. FAT: Men love red meat. When you crave a burger, your body isn’t just looking for protein, but fat too. Unfortunately, the fat found in chuck is saturated - the kind of fat that clogs your arteries and raises your cholesterol. So swap your beef burger for a turkey burger made from skinless breast, which has about 6 grams less fat per ounce (do the math - that will save you almost 24 grams of fat for a 4 oz. burger). To address the fat craving, add some sliced avocado to your turkey burger. Avocado is a monounsaturated (the good fat that lowers your cholesterol), so this is one burger you don’t have to feel guilty eating.

4. CREAMY: When you crave something cold and creamy, nothing but ice cream will do. The problem is that premium ice cream is loaded with fat and calories! One cup of Ben and Jerry’s Chubby Hubby contains 660 calories and 40 grams of fat! To put it into perspective, a Big Mac has 570 calories, and 32 grams of fat. The good news is that through advancements in processing, low fat ice cream now tastes as rich and creamy as regular. So swap the premium stuff for a cup of Edy’s Slow Churned Light Ice Cream Peanut Butter Cup which has only 260 calories and 12 grams of fat.

5. CHOCOLATE: When your brain craves chocolate - there simply is no substitute. Only the real thing will do. To eat chocolate without gaining weight, the trick is to do it the way European’s do. They go for the dark stuff. Instead of milk chocolate bars loaded with sugar, caramel and nuts, opt for a bar of premium dark chocolate that has at least 70% cocoa content. Dark chocolate contains less sugar than milk and because the flavor is so strong you don’t need to eat as much to feel satisfied. Also, the darker the chocolate, the higher the antioxidant content. And the good thing about antioxidants is they help protect you against cancer.

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and the creator of The F-Factor Diet™, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being. For more information log onto www.FFactorDiet.com

A man faces up to 20 years in jail for selling chocolate laced with Viagra through the mail as a food supplement.  The French news agency AFP says Tibor Liska pleaded guilty to selling some 12,000 packets a month of sildenafil, which is sold under the brand name Viagra, mixed with chocolate and herbs.  

The “food supplements” were sold under the name “Boom” between March 2006 and November 2007 in the United States, Australia, Colombia, Switzerland, Russia, Argentina, Japan and Slovakia. The supplements were billed as being plant-based and didn’t mention that they contained Viagra.

What do you think?  Leave your comments below.