Try `olive' the good stuff to fill up

Can't stop munching? Tear off a piece of chewy, whole-grain bread. Now dip it (not drench it) in the best olive oil you can find. Savour every flavour. And consider your snack-fest done. See, olive oil contains oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that helps control your appetite. Upon reaching the small intestine, oleic acid triggers the production of oleoylethanolamide (OEA), another fatty substance, that finds its way to nerve endings that then tell the brain: "Hey. Stop eating! You're full!"

Get a similar effect with these strategies:

Work off your appetite. Regular aerobic exercise may make you less hungry.

Fire up your omelette. Adding a little red pepper to your morning egg whites could decrease the amount you eat later in the day.

Have a stick. People who chew gum after lunch have fewer hunger pangs, fewer cravings for sweets and eat fewer snacks. Sleep! Not enough Z's increases your appetite. Tired and hungry isn't a pretty combo. Next time you want to snack, see if you can hit the sack instead.

How to get stuff done: A new program of hope therapy may help teach you how to set a smart goal, devise strategies for working toward it and learn to believe you can achieve it. These steps make you more hopeful, which in turn helps you achieve what you're dreaming of. When people did eight sessions of this type of therapy, they also had less anxiety and had better self-esteem.

So what's a SMART goal? It needs to fit every letter of the acronym:

Specific: Not "lose weight," but "lose a pound a week for the next six weeks."

Measurable: As in "walk for 30 minutes every day," not just "walk more."

Attainable: Losing 20 pounds in 1 week? Uh, try again.

Relevant: The results need to be rewarding to you.

Time-based: Saying, "I want to quit smoking" lets you off the hook for quitting today, but if you want to quit smoking before your ski trip in December, today is the day you have to get started.

Then, figure out how you'll make it happen. And give yourself credit for the little steps – those are what get you there.

SUGAR FIGHTER: Camomile tea not only helps keep blood sugar stable (at least in the lab), but also guards against the tsunami of damage that high blood sugar can do.

Too-high levels of blood sugar can scour your arteries, and weaken junctions and allow nicks between cells that encourage an ugly pileup of inflammation and plaque. What follows can be a heart attack, stroke, memory loss, impotence, wrinkled skin and more. But camomile can change all that.

If you don't like tea (and even if you do), there's plenty more you can do:

Fill up on broccoli. It's rich in a compound called sulforaphane, reputed to cut blood sugar damage to arteries.

Spice things up with cinnamon. This favourite spice may turn on insulin receptors and help your body use glucose better. Cloves and allspice also may help prevent diabetes damage.

Say yes to spinach. People who fill up on this green have lower rates of diabetes, possibly because of its magnesium content.

GREEN FEELS GOOD: Your knees love it when you go green. We don't mean environmentally green – although they appreciate it when you take the stairs or ride your bike instead of taking the car (strong leg muscles keep your joints healthy).

We mean eating green – filling your meals with this colour can go a long way to prevent arthritis. Reach for:

Leafy greens. A flavour-filled salad or side dish could mean one less knee replacement surgery in the world. The vitamin K in leafy greens – cabbage, spinach and Swiss chard, as well as broccoli and asparagus– reduces your risk of joint damage. People who have the highest levels of K are less likely to develop the bone spurs and cartilage damage common in osteoarthritis. But ... if you're on a blood thinner, check with your doctor about whether K is safe for you.

Green tea. Potent compounds in green tea – EGCG and ECG – may help battle cartilage and collagen destruction in arthritic joints. They're also powerful flavonoids, known as catechins, that fight inflammation and some of the underlying mechanisms that mess with knees in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Bonus: Sipping it before you do that knee-preserving workout may help you burn fat faster.