Fairy godmother of flat bellies?

I don't believe in miracle foods. There is no fairy godmother diet that, unaided, waves away unwanted bulges or health issues. As fitness expert Jonathan Ross writes, "We have to not allow our imaginations to run wild every time someone promises us they have found the unicorn." (Catch him pulling the rug out from under the recent acai berry health craze.) After all, in just the past decade, the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet, the Lemonade diet, the Fat Free diet (to name a few) have all had their time in the spotlight, which fades.

That being said, I bought the Flat Belly Diet! Cookbook last month.

Though marketed as a "Not a single crunch required" diet, I believe this New York Times bestseller has some merit. All of its recipes incorporate monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs, found in foods such as olive oil, avocados and dark chocolate (this diet clearly targets women). The meal plan's creators at Prevention Magazine claim MUFAs are the "anecdote" to excess belly fat. While I'm still not sure simply filling my stomach with these foods will flatten it, I can say this cookbook offers simple, tasty meals that make you feel good and healthy. (For those of you who are thinking, "How can fat in my diet be a healthy?" please read)

So far, the book's snapper with pesto is a favorite recipe. I substituted cod for snapper and after making a foil packet around each fish fillet, tossed in olives, along with the recommended seasoning, spinach, red peppers and pesto before folding the foil closed. After baking for about 12 minutes, the flaky fish is ready to eat... and to work on flattening that stomach.

Healthy encounter of the first kind

For many of us seeking fitness, pizza is banned from our diet most days. As a zero-calorie supplement, tune into this weekly blog for a quick slice of any and all subjects related to health and fitness, including trends, research, injury remedies, exercising tips and tasty recipes (such as a healthy pizza). I'll also be sharing personal snippets about my training for upcoming runs. Not only a health nut and blogger, I am also a senior journalism and English major at the University of Florida. I'm minoring in Italian to boot, so if anyone reading this knows the language, feel free to leave a comment in Italiano! I would love the practice. In addition to studying and pounding pavement, I also enjoy wakeboarding, whitewater canoeing and spur-of-the-moment dance parties with my four roommates.