There are hundreds of diets around. Some are little more than ancient, tattered, many-times-copied sheets of paper, handed from friend to friend. Others are written up in big, fat hardcover books. These might cost as much as a nice meal at a family restaurant. Or you might find them for less than a buck on the discount rack. Some diet plans are touted on television. The commercials often feature a formerly-fat celebrity who bleats joyfully about the merits of the plan.

Some diet plans involve meetings, where a group discusses their problems with food. The support dynamics of a group may inspire you to greater achievement. Many diet plans include packaged meals to purchase. You may or not enjoy these meals, and you may or may not find them cost-effective. And there are so many more…

But what is really the best diet for you?

Don’t try to be someone else, or measure up to someone else’s ideal weight. Your ideal weight may be totally different from that of your best friend… or your sister… or your boss… or even your most hated rival. You need to find the correct weight for you and your body type and your lifestyle.

I will work with the information you give me when you sign up as a member of Chef Deb’s Health Club, to come up with a size and weight that is perfect for you.

Everyone is unique. When we are children, it is natural to admire someone, usually older, and try to be like them. If you aspire to be a singer, you tend to collect and listen to the works of your favorite singers, and you try to imitate them. Later on, you develop your own style. If you want to be an artist, you painstakingly copy the style of your favorite painter or cartoonist, then eventually find a style of your own.

Everyone’s talking about it. Cookbooks abound, and restaurants feature it. Everyone has heard of it, but they don't necessarily know much about it. What is it?

The Mediterranean diet is, generally speaking, the way of eating in this region of Europe, by some of the healthiest people in the world. This includes Greece, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. There is a good deal of overlap with Middle-Eastern food.

Features of the Mediterranean diet include an emphasis on fresh ingredients, with lots of vegetables, beans, fruit, grains, and nuts. The main oil used is olive oil, which is known to be one of the best. Unlike very low-fat diets, this one can contain as much as 35% fat. But not just any fat — the healthy fats of olive oil and nuts.