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SNACK ON THIS, GET SLENDER

When it comes to weight loss, some calories do count more than others. In a yearlong study of overweight people on a reduced-calorie diet, those enjoying soup each day lost more weight than people who ate the same number of calories in other foods at lunch or snacks. The reason the soup-eaters lost more is likely because a nice, warm bowl of it has a low ratio of calories to ounces. In other words, the soup takes up more space in people's bellies, and those who ate it felt less hungry later and ate less other food over the course of the day. What won't work: Cream-based soups. Choose soups with a base of low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, and varieties loaded with vegetables, kidney beans, lentils or brown rice to keep you satisfied and help you trim down. Those who ate two servings of low-energy dense soup per day (as part of a reduced-calorie diet) lost an average of almost 16 pounds in a year. People who ate their calories in energy-dense snack foods lost an average of 10.5 pounds. Don't love soup? Other foods with a low calories-to-ounces ratio include air-popped popcorn and fresh produce.

FIVE FOODS THAT TAKE YEARS OFF YOUR SKIN

Perhaps the only food you associate with skin is a little whipped cream on Saturday night. But plenty of other foods can help protect it so you look and stay younger: 1. Legumes, avocados, soybeans, nuts and egg yolks. These contain biotin, and a lack of this chemical can lead to dry skin and brittle hair and nails. 2. Salmon. The carotenoid that gives this fish its pink colour, astaxanthin, also improves your skin's elasticity. And it's full of the good fat - DHA-omega-3 - that makes your skin and hair look younger and healthier. 3. Green tea. Its polyphenols act to protect you against sun damage and to help thicken your epidermis, your body's primary barrier to the outside world. 4. Pomegranates. In addition to thickening your epidermis and helping to produce more collagen and elastin (what keeps your skin firm and springy), they contain antioxidants that seem to accelerate wound healing. 5. Tomatoes. The nutrients in these reduce the chance you'll get sunburn (but you still have to use sunscreen). It might be due to their lycopene content, but we really don't know the active ingredient. So if there's a choice between a lycopene supplement and the real tomato, choose the product from the vine.

WHAT TO EAT FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR

That overachieving fruit you may know as the pomegranate has been showing up in everything from cereal to smoothies to salmon and chicken sauces. Its most recent - and best - appearance: On produce shelves, in its fresh, whole form, now through January. Break open the apple-sized fruit, and find hundreds of juicy seeds inside, plus a slew of nutrients that have antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and even antimicrobial properties. Here's how all those "anti" prefixes are positives for you: * These fruits help you fight cancer: In lab studies, pomegranate extract triggered the death of both prostate and breast cancer cells. * They keep your blood pressure down. Pomegranate juice dropped systolic blood pressure in hypertensive people. * Pomegranate decreased blood sugar levels in animals. Never had a fresh pomegranate? Here's what to know: Only the juicy seeds are edible. If you eat like us, put a napkin on; pomegranate juice will stain anything it gets on. The best way to separate the edible parts from the rest of the fruit is underwater. Score the outside of the fruit, submerge it in a bowl of water, and break it apart. The pith floats, so you can skim it off. Pour the rest through a colander and you have the sweet and tangy seeds to use however you want. We recommend sprinkling them onto oatmeal or yogurt, or tossing them into salads or savory recipes.

HOW PHOTOS MAKE YOU HEALTHY

This holiday season, pull out the family photo album. See how much you look like your parents when they were young - or even how close you look to your 18- to 21-year-old self, when your metabolism operated at its prime. This flashback can help clue you in to what your size and shape should look like now to ward off weight-related illness. The closer your weight is to when you were 18 (for women) or 21 (for men), the better for your health. That's assuming you weren't already struggling with weight issues at that age. If so, check out pictures of your parents or grandparents at that age. Most people gain weight between the ages of 21 and 60. Too much of it, of course, significantly ups your risk of diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer (typically with 17-, 25- and 35-year lags, so you can change before the lag catches up with you). Weight gain isn't the only health clue to look for. See if your shape has changed. Starting as a pencil or a pear and growing into an apple - even if you're at the same weight - isn't good. Fat around your middle is associated with insulin resistance, inflammation and aging of your arteries (which leads to heart disease, stroke, memory loss, impotence and other problems) and a propensity toward cancer. That's why your waist measurement is such an important number to know (it should less than 32.5 inches for women; 35 for men).

HOW NOT TO GET SICK (EVEN IF EVERYONE ELSE IS)

What's the smartest way to avoid the cold that's going around your office? Do some emotional housekeeping by tossing your negativity. Cold viruses have a harder time taking hold in people who have a positive outlook. This, and washing your hands frequently, are almost as good as your mom's chicken soup. While emotional chicken soup is useful, you need to supplement positive thoughts with solid, cold-killing habits. Follow these sniffle-stopping tips: * Wash your hands frequently. * Avoid spending time with people who are newly sick; they are most infectious during the first few days of illness. * Avoid touching your nose, mouth or eyes. * Get plenty of rest.