Ah, vitamins. There is a great debate regarding vitamins: should you take them, or might you be over-compensating in some areas? Since we all know that we can't trust the FDA anyway, why do we even bother paying attention to what they recommend? Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made, and most will live a long and healthy life if we give it what it needs to thrive. Yeah, and we've all confessed to having a sweet tooth/family that won't get on the healthy-eating bandwagon/loving fried foods. The sad fact is that most Americans are deficient in many vitamins and nutrients, and should be supplemented. While it may be arguable what exactly should be recommended levels (take for example the ever-increasing "recommendations" of Vitamin D; I have read that part of the reason the daily recommendation levels are going up is because the original numbers were based on the thought that most Americans are getting 2 hours of sun per day and now they are adjusting the figures accordingly. Yeah, like who does that, without sunscreen?) and you may or may not be getting "enough" by taking a multivitamin, the research has been done and unless there is an underlying condition, you will not overdose on a vitamin or mineral by taking a multivitamin. There are, however, some basic tenets of getting the most out of your vitamins. For example, did you know that you have to take calcium with magnesium (ratio 2:1), and on an acidic stomach, such as with vitamin C or orange juice? Did you know that if you take your iron with your calcium, it can be bound up and you won't get much good from having taken an iron supplement? For most people, it's quite simple enough to get enough iron in the diet by red meat (in moderation, right?), which will also give some key B vitamins--both of which will help with anemia and lethargy. One big thing that you should be aware of is that meat that is corn-fed, sometimes known as feedlot beef, is much higher in Omega 6 fatty acids than the Omega 3's. Our bodies need both, but in balance, and free-range beef has a good balance. So go ahead, have a steak, and then follow it up with your Vitamin IC! For the record, the same is true for farm-raised fish/shrimp/etc. with the imbalance of Omega 6 fatty acids. If you are going to supplement with fish oil, which is HIGHLY recommended if you are getting your vitamin D from sun exposure (will help prevent skin cancer, heart disease, etc. if you have enough Omega 3's), be sure to get the wild-caught, preferably deep water fish oils. This will help to ward balance out those O-3's if you can't find/afford the grass-fed stuff! All this said because I have a vicious sweet tooth, and as mentioned previously, we're trying to put a bun in the oven and I don't always eat like I know I should. Now, if I could remember to take those prenatals with my vitamin Milky Way!

My MIL, my source for so much Jewish knowledge, says that bugs that fly of slither aren't kosher. However, locusts meet the criteria...but it also depends upon the culture too. In our area of the world we don't knowingly consume locusts as part of our diet, so we wouldn't consider them as kosher. But in some world regions they are eaten (usually roasted or pickled) and they're okay there. (But personally, ick.)

The previous owner of the cell phone number I've had for 22 months racked up debt all over town. I've gotten more calls for him from creditors than I have people I know. I always inform the creditors of the situation and ask to be taken off their list, but they persist until I come totally unglued after another call. I've also gotten a number of computer calls with no one at the other end. I usually type the full number into Google and it takes me to a site to complain about these calls. It doesn't help but it makes me feel better that I'm not alone. :-) Jodi-

Glenda, do you have some fresh ginger? Finely chop up some and mix into some warm tea. It's an Asian home remedy. Ginger warms up your stomach and calm it down. It also helps your digestive system. Just be careful not to use it too much, then, you'd have the opposite effect... constipation.