Did you know that you can look up the U.S. Government Toxicology Program’s latest Report on Carcinogens? The list includes nearly 250 known and suspected cancer-causing substances, including chemicals in swimming-pool vapors, toxic additives to gasoline, and the by-products of high-temperature cooking in well-done meats and fried foods.

Now that I’m cooking for a recovering heart-bypass friend (see my earlier blog), I’m even more acutely aware of what’s going into my dishes. What I’m finding interesting is the way the prevailing wisdom of heart-healthy eating has both changed and not changed. Whole grains are, of course, still good (I’m trying to get him hooked on oatmeal; he’s already become a convert to Rudi’s honey whole-wheat bread). Fake fat (think margarine, the long-ago darling of heart-healthy advice) is out; but rather than no fat, monounsaturated fats are in–the kind that lower LDL and raise HDL cholesterol. It’s so nice to make a great salad dressing with excellent olive oil, avocado, and toasted walnuts and know that I’m doing my friend’s (and my own) heart some good. As I keep telling him, all the really GOOD foods are good FOR you (yay dark chocolate!).

What are your favorite heart-healthy foods and/or substitutions? Join the discussion on our forum.

SAY WHAT?! Despite concerns over cloned food (see our story “Cloned-Food Controversy,” January 2008), the FDA has released a statement that says…

“…Meat and milk from clones of cattle, swine (pigs), and goats, and the offspring of clones from any species traditionally consumed as food, are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals.”

Read our coverage of the cloned-food issue and LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.

Ever since I burned my lips this past weekend outdoors in the winter sun, they’ve been incredibly dry and insatiable. I’ve tried moisturizing with natural lip balms and drinking water to hydrate them. It all helped a little bit, but I’ve finally resigned myself to just picking off the dead flaky skin and getting on with my life. Not the best beauty advice, I know. But what really chaps my hide (so to speak) is that I could unknowingly be walking around with the biggest lip crust — gross image, sorry — imaginable and no one would tell me! This happened just this morning. After having a long conversation with a co-worker, I went to the ladies room only to discover that I’d had an entire heart-to-heart while wearing an embarassing armor of scaly mouth skin. Ugh. Word from the wise: Please, the next time I’m walking down the street with visible lip glop, please offer to buy me a lip balm. I won’t take you up on it, promise, but at least you will have done a good deed and I’ll know to pick more effectively.