What comes to mind when you think about that old grill out in the backyard? Images of your dad wielding a huge spatula, flipping burgers and sliding hot dogs around the grill? Maybe steaks or barbecue ribs on occasional family reunions or summer holidays?

I used to think of the grill as that big greasy black thing on the deck that charred meats and made them totally unhealthy. Then one summer, I learned that it is possible to use a grill and keep foods healthy.

My change of heart began when I realized that using the oven in the summer would heat up my kitchen and the whole house. To keep the extra heat out of the kitchen, I decided to try the grill for more than just the occasional hamburger or hot dog. With a bit of research and practice, I realized that grilling could be healthy way to prepare a variety of foods. Learn more - Healthy Cooking on the Grill

Poll:What's your favorite food to cook on the grill?

• Hamburgers
• Hotdogs
• Vegetables
• Steaks and chops
• Fish and seafood
• I don't use a grill
• View Results

Daily Nutrition Tip

_{Photo © Shane Gardner}

Eating a healthy diet is important for feeling good and for looking good, but it isn't always easy to choose the right foods. Are you confused about what makes a diet healthy?

Start by learning how to choose foods that fit your lifestyle. Soon you will be eating better, feeling healthier and looking great.

More About a Healthy Diet:

• Nutrient Density
• Finding Healthy Foods in the Grocery Store
• Easing Into a Healthy Diet

Daily Nutrition Tip

_{Photo © Pat Herman}

Some days you come home from work and the last thing you want to do is cook a meal. So, do you go to the fast food restaurant and grab something to take home, or maybe order a pizza? That's OK now and then, but most of your meals really need to be healthy.

Cooking meals from scratch can be time-consuming, but choosing foods that are easy to cook and buying the right equipment helps to making the process easier. If you find you are relying on fast foods for your family too often read some tips for making healthy and easy meals.

Poll:What's your favorite meal making time-saver?

• Buying fast foods ready to eat.
• Buying frozen dinners.
• Stopping at a deli.
• Making meals ahead of time.
• Something else.
• View Results

Daily Nutrition Tip

_{Photo: George Doyle/Getty Images}

I like fish and most seafood in general. Fish is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, especially the oily ocean fish like tuna and salmon.

The American Heart Association urges almost everyone to eat at least two servings of fish each week. I think that is a great idea for must of us, however, there may be times when it isn't such a good idea to eat too much fish. Find out the health benefits of fish and when eating fish is too risky - Good Fish, Bad Fish

Poll:Which fish is your favorite?

• tuna
• salmon
• halibut
• cod
• trout
• herring
• tilapia
• catfish
• some other type of fish
• I don't eat fish
• View Results

Daily Nutrition Tip

_{Photo © Justin Sullivan / Getty Images}

The University of East Anglia is conducting a study on the health benefits of chocolate. I think I would move to England just to be a part of this study, but I don't meet the criteria - that is, post-menopausal, diabetic and under the age of 70.

The chocolate used in the study will be high in flavonoids and will also contain soy. The researchers are hoping to find out if consuming this special chocolate will reduce the participants' risk for heart disease. That could be important for aging ladies because the hormonal changes associated with menopause means less heart-health protection.

I hope the study will have positive findings. In fact I hope all research on the flavonoids in chocolate have positive findings. I kind of like the idea that a piece of chocolate a day may keep the heart attacks away... Do you qualify for the study?

Daily Nutrition Tip

_{Photo © Ann- Kathrin Rehse}

According to the Journal of Food Science, Turkish researchers found that probiotics, similar to those found in yogurt, improve the usually lackluster texture of low fat ice cream.

The researchers fount that certain probiotics combined with a prebiotic substance called inulin, survived in the frozen ice cream and improved the overall texture.

This is very cool because it potentially means that low-fat ice cream could be delicious and even a little good for you. Ice cream is such a popular treat, but many people want to cut the calories and fat from regular ice cream and most low-fat ice cream lacks the richness of full fat ice cream.

Daily Nutrition Tip

_{Photo © Larisa Valenzuela}

I really like the Mediterranean diet because it includes a variety of healthy foods so it is low in saturated fats and high in fiber. Learn how to change an unhealthy diet to a healthy Mediterranean diet.

Daily Nutrition Tip

_{Photo © Andy Sotiriou/Getty Images}

One common way to cut calories is to use artificial sweeteners. When I was a kid most diet sodas had saccharin (of course they also had little tabs that we pulled completely off the can). I thought saccharin tasted just terrible. Then aspartame came along and pretty much replaced saccharin.

Today, aspartame is being nudged over by Splenda, which is made from sucralose. A lot of people think sucralose has a better flavor than either saccharin or aspartame. Learn more about sucralose.

Poll:Do you use artificial sweeteners?

• Yes
• No
• View Results

Daily Nutrition Tip

_{Photo © Mario Tama/Getty Images}

You probably know that you need to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, but do you know how big each of those servings are? A reader asks about the size of a serving of fruits or vegetables.

Daily Nutrition Tip

_{Photo © Stasys Eidiejus}

About.com Nutrition Forum member guy2kx asks:

"I normally only ate two meals a day in the past. I would wake up around 11 AM and eat lunch as my first meal, and then have dinner at 7:30pm for six days a week. During the other one day, I would actually wake up at 8am and eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner for that day.

Now, I understand the idea of metabolism and how eating less normally will cause my body to be adjusted to the lower daily calorie intake (only lunch and dinner).

If I want to lose weight under the prior conditions, (six days eating only lunch and dinner, since I wake up later) and one full day of three meals, would I have to take in less calories than then the days I only have lunch and dinner, since my body's metabolism is acclimatized to that low of a caloric intake?"

Read the rest of this post and my answer in the About Nutrition Forum.

Related Resources

• How to Stick to Your Diet
• How to Get More Fruits and Vegetables in Your Diet
• Nutrient Density

Daily Nutrition Tip

_{Photo © Tara Bartal}