by Leigh Ann Otte

Happy New Year!

Did you make a resolution to get healthier this year? Well, we could support you in your admirable vow by giving some healthy nutrition tips. But nah. How ’bout busting some bad ones?

That sounded like fun, so we expanded our nutrition myths-and-facts article for 2012, adding even more questionable claims. Here’s a teaser: Of the following, which is the one true claim?

1. Bottled water better is for you than tap.
2. Brightly colored fruits and vegetables have more vitamins than those that aren’t as colorful.
3. The more sugar you eat, the more you crave.
4. Even if you’re not on a low-carb diet, you should keep your carb intake low.

Do you know the answer? Check your work here. If you’re brave, post how you did below!

Feel healthy. Live well. Smile. With our free, upbeat health newsletter.

Leigh Ann Otte is the managing editor of MyFamilyDoctorMag.com and a freelance writer specializing in health and aging. This information is not meant to be individual advice. Please consult your doctor for that. See our disclaimer here.

“Once you announce that you plan to do something, the prospect of doing it becomes more real. At that point someone other than you is expecting something.  Even if that person doesn’t have a stake in your change, it makes a difference to know that someone is aware of your plan.  It’s a form of accountability.  If you don’t do whatever it is you plan to do, someone else will know that you didn’t do it.”

—A User’s Guide to Therapy: What to Expect and How You Can Benefit, by Tamara L. Kaiser, M.S.W., Ph.D., October 2008, W.W. Norton & Co., $18.95

by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Will this be Dr. H by year's end?

Let’s go over my reasoning.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

I am still trying to decide what my New Year’s health resolution will be.  Something I can keep, but have to work and focus on.  A long-term goal with short-term steps and rewards.  I have a few in mind, and thanks for your suggestions Sagan and Judy.

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by  James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

I used to make New Year’s resolutions when I was very, very young.  They were bold and visionary.  I never kept them and forgot what they were by January 2.  Since my late teens, when people would ask me if had made a resolution, I would tell them something like sweat less, age a year or some other nonsense.

Maybe I should compromise and make one good resolution that I try my best to keep.  Something specific and doable.   Any ideas for me? (keep it civil now)  What is your resolution?

If you smoke, may I suggest to stop by the end of 2009?  Many patients I advise to stop smoking give me a frustrated look that implies easier said than done.  I know.  But what if you make it the one thing you resolve to do, your number one priority for 2009?

Here is one incentive.  Dr. Norman Edleman of the American Lung Association says half of smokers die of lung disease.  Have you ever seen anyone with chronic lung disease?  Most of you can imagine cancer, but there are other more long term diseases that slowly destroy your lungs to the point you become constantly short of breath and nothing (including oxygen) relieves you.  Fully half.  I know most of you think you will not be in that half.  Maybe, if you are lucky (sarcasm goes here), you may die of one of the many other associated cancers, or heart disease.

Here are some tips to help you stop.

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