Everyday Health Tips from 6 Top Docs

Good Nutrition

Director of the John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and associate professor of nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University

Dr. Nelson, 49, author of the best-selling Strong Women book series, practices what she preaches. "I cook from scratch, mainly using locally grown ingredients," she says. She stops at the farmers' market almost every day and eats organic meat only occasionally. That may be why she feels such a kinship to Michael Pollan, the writer who has famously argued that it's okay to eat meat -- just a lot less of it. She even keeps a copy of his book The Omnivore's Dilemma on her night stand. "We both believe we've lost track of the goodness of real food," she says.

"Forget about popping lots of vitamins and supplements. Healthy adults who take multivitamins don't get any benefits. I've never taken a multivitamin except when I was pregnant or about to be. Aside from when you're pregnant, the only supplements you should consider are vitamin D and calcium."

"Watch your intake of processed and refined foods -- I do. They have way too much sugar, which adds unnecessary calories. Sugar is touted as being somehow more 'natural' than sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup. This is ridiculous."

"To lose weight, cut calories. It doesn't matter what type of diet you're on -- low carbs, high fat and protein, or low fat."

"A new science called epigenetics is showing how genes can be influenced by environment. For example, a child's genetic likelihood of getting diabetes, heart disease, and obesity is affected by what her mother ate during pregnancy. If a pregnant woman can eat well and gain the right amount of weight, she could keep her baby from being born predisposed to these illnesses later in life."