Q Is there a healthy diet that can help me lose weight?

Dr. Bourgon: To lose weight, decrease total calories and simple carbohydrates, while increasing your activity level. Appropriate portion sizes and choosing high quality foods (e.g., whole grain bread instead of white flour bread) is an important dietary change to help lose and maintain weight. A two-pound weight loss per week is appropriate.

Q Does this mean low-carb diets are healthy?

Dr. Bourgon: Not necessarily. Not all carbohydrates are bad for you. The nutritional impact of a sweet potato is not the same as a doughnut. A healthy diet requires some carbohydrates. Anyone can follow a diet for a short time. It's better to make life-style changes that you can sustain for a lifetime. It comes down to quality of food choices - what you use to fuel your body. Choose a balanced diet of foods that are whole and unprocessed.

Q How do I know if I am making a healthy choice?

Dr. Bourgon: Look at your plate: One half should be fresh vegetables; one quarter, a protein source low in saturated fat, such as fish, legumes or lean cuts of meat; and one quarter, a whole grain, which does not include white potatoes or white bread.

Shop the periphery of your grocery store. The outside of the store is where you'll find whole foods and unprocessed foods, such as vegetables and fish. The farther you go toward the store's center, the more processed the foods, like potato chips and soda. Buy foods as whole and natural as possible. The more processed it is, the fewer nutrients food has.

Q Is there a link between food and the risk for cancer?

Dr. Bourgon: Absolutely. Studies show that a vegetable-based diet tends to reduce cancer risk more than a high fat diet. Diets high in saturated fats - which are foods from animals, such as dairy products, meat and even vegetable-based coconut and palm kernel oil - may increase incidence of cancer of the breast, colon and uterus.

Q What kind of butters or fats are heart healthy?

Dr. Bourgon: Butter and fat may lead to high cholesterol. On the positive side, not all fats are bad. Our diet in America focuses on foods with omega 6 and omega 9 fatty acids. To improve our health, we want to increase omega 3 fatty acids, found in wild game, fish and, to a lesser extent, flaxseed. Those are beneficial. Trans fatty acids also deserve mention. Trans fatty acids are formed during the hydrogenation process and are thought to contribute to heart disease. Most margarines contain trans fatty acids. Check the labels for the word "hydrogenated" and avoid them. The best advice is to eat a well balanced diet focused on whole foods.