New Home Mortgage

      Are you ready to buy a home?  

     You should be able to get the right mortgage.  Likewise, seek out the right lender and acquire the right price.

     Avoid bad fees. Attempt to manage the home-buying industry.  Negotiate the most cost-effective way to finance your home.

     Plenty of people will need to get a mortgage.  Mortgage is for individuals unable to pay up front, directly (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/mortgage.html)

     Paying "up front", means you are unable to pay cash. Buying a house in cash means it requires 100% down.  The seller will lower the price, and as the buyer you will be sans lenders.

     If buying it in cash is a dream, it’s important to find a loan that meets your needs.  Your needs include your budget.  There are different types of mortgages:

1.  Conventional Mortgage- 

     a loan that is not subsidized by the federal government. There are two types of conventional loans: conforming and non-conforming.  

a) A conforming loan is bound by maximum loan limits which are set by the federal government. These limits vary by geographic area.  

b) A non-conforming loan in general can’t be sold or bought.  Loan bartering is restricted on non-confirming loans due to the principle amount or underwriting guidelines.  

2.  Government-insured loan- 

   lenders are less concerned with the risk of repayment.  This sort of loan is supported by the government.  The government guarantees repayment to the bank should you default on your mortgage payment.

3.  FHA- Federal Housing Authority-  

     this type of loan has more lenient requirements. Credit prerequisites and down payment are minor in comparison to other loan types available. It is necessary for the buyer to acquire the loan in order to purchase or refinance a primary residence. FHA loans tend to be more popular with first-time homebuyers.

4.  FHA 203k loan- 

     this Federal Housing Authority loan is designated with regard to home improvement and home purchase, together.  A 203k loan is guaranteed by the FHA, which means lenders take less risk when offering this loan.  There is a minimum and maximum applied in conjunction with the repair costs.  The total value of the house is rated a few different ways, but the lesser of the values is taken into account(https://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/sell-your-house-fixer-upper/).

5.  Veterans Affairs loan- 

     this option is available to veterans, reservists, active duty military, and surviving spouses of veterans. A VA loan is typically considered the best loan option  at one's disposal because it requires no down payment, no private mortgage insurance.

6.  USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) loan- 

     these are for those individuals purchasing a home in a eligibly rural suburban community. Affordable interest rates apply. To be eligible means the neighborhood has to meet population size requirements.

7.  Good Neighbor Next Door program- 

     this is sponsored by HUD(Housing and Urban Development).  This loan is provided for housing aid for law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers.

     When acquiring a loan, or mortgage, you will need to have a fixed rate, or an adjustable rate.  Fixed rate applies to buyers seeking a lower payment over a longer period of time. Fixed rate are stable, with a consistent monthly payment amount.  Adjustable rates are subject to change after an initial grace period.  One month can be completely different than the payment for the following month.  

     In conclusion, plenty of mortgages are available.  Check your credit report before applying for a home loan. You'll have room in order to fix the problem area.  Acquire your financial goal and work on saving a large down payment.  Try to resolve any history of late payments before you approach a mortgage lender.  Arrange and compare all of the loans available to you.

You'll be ready to buy a house soon

Plant Structure

     Fall is here.  What's falling?  Plants are adapting to the annual environmental temperature change.  Plants are beautiful. Study the plant form.

     The plant body has a hierarchy of organs.  Plants, like most animals, and have organs composed of different tissues, which in turn are composed of cells. A tissue is a group of cells with a common function, structure, or both. An organ consists of several types of tissues that together carry out particular functions. There are a few observable features of the plant structure.

     The three basic plant organs are the roots, stems, and leaves. 

     The basic morphology, or form, of vascular plants evolutionary history as terrestrial organisms is that they inhabit and draw resources from two different environments.  Plants are, simultaneously, above ground, and below ground. Plants must absorb water and minerals from below the ground.  At the same time, plants must also absorb carbon dioxide and light from above the ground. 

     The evolutionary solution to this separation of resources was the development of three basic organs: roots, stems, and leaves. They're organized into a root system and a shoot system.  The root and shoot system is connected by vascular tissue.  Vascular, or plant tissue transports nutrients and water throughout the plant. The xylem transports water, mostly.  The phloem transports nutrients, mostly.  Vascular tissue runs continuously throughout the plant. (http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Vascular_tissue)

     The root system is made up of the subterranean bulk of the plant.  Roots are branching organs which grow downward into the soil. Branching occurs irregularly and not from nodes as in stems.
     The shoot system is composed of stems and leaves. With few exceptions, angiosperms (magnoliophyta, flowering plants), and other vascular plants rely completely on both systems for survival.

(https://www.britannica.com/plant/angiosperm)

     Bluebonnets are examples of angiosperms.  Roots of plants are typically non photosynthetic and would starve without the organic nutrients imported from the shoot system. The shoot system depends on the water and minerals that roots absorb from the soil. 

     There are two different kinds of plant shoots.  There are vegetative shoots and the reproductive shoots.  In angiosperms, the reproductive shoots are flowers.  Flowers are composed of leaves that are highly modified for sexual reproduction. 

     The scientific study of plants is called botany (https://www.botany.org/bsa/careers/what_is_botany.php).

     The structure of a plant is very interesting. The season is changing and plants are seemingly decorating for the holidays.

Internet Entrepreneurship

     Entrepreneurship is a risk-taking behavior that results in the creation of new opportunities. Traditionally, entrepreneurship results in the founding of many small businesses that offer new jobs and other benefits to local economies. The internet provides an additional array of entrepreneurial possibilities for small businesses.

     Statistics via emarketer.com:

-2016- Total Retail Sales globally, $22.049 trillion.

-6.0% increase from 2015.

-Predicted $27 trillion by 2020.

-retail ecommerce sales by 2020, will make up 14.6% of total retail spending.

-2017 retail ecommerce sales of North America will rise 15.6% $423.34 billion.

-North America, the world’s second largest regional ecommerce market, will see consistent double-digit growth through 2020.

(Emarketer.com)

     The new array of entrepreneurial possibilities for small businesses on the internet play a great role in our economy.  Small business is a vital life line in our U.S. economy.  It is important. 

     "The President has committed his days in office to improving the business climate in the U.S., including for small businesses. During his time in office so far, he has signed Executive Orders calling for the rollback of regulations he says are stifling economic and business growth. He also unveiled a tax reform plan that would drop the corporate tax rates to an average of 15 percent(National Small Business Week 2017, President Donald Trump)."

     What constitutes a small business as opposed to a regular business?

     A small business-
has fewer than 500 employees, is independently owned and operated, and does not dominate it's industry.

     It's your time to open a small business.  Most entrepreneurs open a small business for a few key reasons:

1.  Become your own boss.

2.  Control your families future.

3.  Fulfill a dream.

     There are cities primed for startups. They offer the perfect business environment based on a five-year business survival rate, length of the average work week, startups per capita, average growth of business revenues, and average growth in the number of small businesses, industry variety, and entrepreneurship index. 

     These cities, primed for small business, include access to resources such as venture investment per capita, financing accessibility, share of college-educated population, prevalence of investors, high-education assets, human capital availability, and working-age population growth.  Finance rates are great in these cities based on business costs, which include office-space affordability, labor costs, corporate taxes, and cost of living.

 The list of best cities to startup is available, businessinsider.com.

     Dream of opening a franchise, a brand new startup, a lean startup, or an internet business.

     Online franchises are great.

     A franchise-
is when one business owner sells to another the right to operate the same business in another location.

     For example , American Business Systems- franchise.  This franchise has stood 20 years as America's leader in Medical Billing.  It has unparallelled training and support.  Profits have 100k potential.  The employees can work from anywhere.  The opportunity is full-time or part-time. This franchise requires a minimum of $25,990, cash.

     Another online franchise opportunity is, Top Ten Percent.  TTP will let you collect royalties.  They're seeking candidates to become Area Representative Franchisees.  You'll receive 50% of all franchise fees and on-going monthly fees paid by the unit franchisees in your territory.  The hours are passive or on a  part-time basis.  This franchise requires a minimum of $45,000, cash.

     Startups are nice.

     A startup-
is a new temporary Venture that is trying to discover a profitable business model for future success.  

     Checkout Swipe-labs.  This startup company is the social product studio that was acquired by Uber.  Checkout Betterworks, too.  This is a marketing data startup.  Also, checkout Punchbowl, the digital invitations platform.

     Startups are awesome, but have you researched lean startups?

     Lean Startups-
use things like open source software, while staying small and striving to keep operations as simple as possible.  In essence, lean startups spend their time on iteratively building products or services to meet the needs of early customers, the customers that aren't amassed, yet.   Market risks are reduced and it is able to sidestep the need for large amounts of initial project funding.  Expensive product launches are dodged.

     Internet entrepreneurship-
is the use of the internet to pursue an entrepreneurial venture.  There are a few different models.  There is a long list of individuals, though.  You can pass on names from Zimmerman to Zuckerberg (wikipedia.com)

     Internet entrepreneurship through the advertising model-
creates a website attracted to visitors, and then advertisers pay to be displayed on it.

     "An advertising model is the strategic use of an advertising medium, with the goal of reaching a specific target audience. An advertising medium is the type of media or vehicle the advertising is placed on. Understanding the target market helps to create an effective message and helps to determine the appropriate advertising medium. In order for a model to be effective, you must clearly understand the advantages and limitations of each medium (your business.azcentral.com)."

     Internet entrepreneurship through the subscription model.
-website offering value that visitors are willing to pay to view.

     "But along with the increasing success of subscription-based businesses comes the cautionary tale of the failure to adapt. Take, for instance, the decline of movie rental giant Blockbuster. Faced with Netflix’s budding success, Blockbuster failed to recognize the changing needs of the modern consumer. By the time it rolled out its 'no late fee' campaign, the last nail had already been hammered in place. In 2010, just 10 years after the arrival of Netflix, Blockbuster was worth just $24 million with $1.1 billion in losses (entrepreneur.com)."

     Internet entrepreneurship through the intermediary model-
creates a website that collects a fee for bringing buyers and sellers together.  This isn't the most sought after route, but it still exists.

     Internet entrepreneurship through the transaction model-
creates a website to sell something that customers are willing to buy.  There is an endless list of these companies.  Every company that is buying and selling, is partaking of the sort online, too.

     Entrepreneurs create opportunities.  Provide and become part of the the wave of Internet entrepreneurship.  There is long line.  Be prepared to wait.

SwegiGonbup

Power your Exercise

     If you don't workout, obviously, protein intake won't help you.  The entire point of leveling up your power, via protein consumption, is to push harder.  

     Push more weight.  Faster. Recover. Repeat. Perform. 

     It is difficult to workout and experience increases without a diet change.  Let's compare a guy at a gym that works out regularly while eating normally, to a guy at a gym that also supplements his diet. 

     Eating healthy and eating often is the way to gain muscle. A well balanced diet full of whole foods is an optimal way to obtain the nutrients and antioxidants needed to support weight training.  If you require more muscle, that is more pure muscle, then supplement with protein. You can take in two or three meals worth of protein in the time it takes you to drink one shake.

     The keys to supplementing are dose and speed of injestion.

     Some supplements multiply huge mass increases. To put on muscle, and tone up, you need protein. Protein is made of amino acids. Amino acids come from our daily diets.  

     Supplement your current amino acid intake, and also supplement your protein intake. Then, work hard exercising.  There are quite a few supplements to browse through. Let's analyze proteins, first.

     Protein occurs naturally in fish, red meat, chicken, etc.  It is recommended to take in one gram of protein per one pound of body weight.  Amazingly enough, some shakes will suffice.

     Proteins are vital in everyday life. 

"The dynamic process of life maintenance, replication, defense and reproduction are carried out by proteins (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK6824/)."

     There are different types of proteins.

Whey protein- 

     Whey protein is the most common protein.

Whey protein isolate-

     Whey protein isolates are awesome in order to power pack your pre and post workout. They are absorbed quickly.  Whey can supply the nutrients that muscles need to recover and grow, after bouts of catabolism. Isolate is pure, 90 to 95 percent pure protein.

Casein protein-

     Casein protein takes anywhere from 5-7 hours to fully breakdown which keeps your body absorbing and utilizing the nutrients even while you sleep.

Hydrolysate protein-

     Hydrolysate proteins provide highly absorbable peptides with the highest anabolic protein absorption rate.

     Hydrolysate proteins are much better on the digestive system than whey concentrates. This protein can be used both before and after workouts.

Soy protein-

     Soy protein is loaded with glutamine. Glutamine helps with muscle recovery.

Milk protein isolate-

     This isolate contains both casein and whey proteins.

Egg albumin-

     Albumin and egg whites', amino acid profiles' are great.  Egg albumin builds lean muscle mass.

(https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/protein-types-best-for-you.htm)

     When are the best times to supplement?

     Pre-workout.  

     Supplement at least 10 minutes before you workout.  Start with a high quality protein powder blend.

     All resistance exercises breakdown muscles.  This is also called catabolism.  It is possible to minimize, or suppress, excessive breakdown of muscles.  Take amino acids 30 minutes prior to training. 

Protein powder digestion rates:

     Whey- fast

     Soy and egg- medium

     Casein- slow

     Whey protein isolate is nearly pure protein. There is virtually no lactose contained in it.

Caffeine-

     Despite the criticism, caffeine is an excellent pre-workout extra.  A cup of is coffee okay, but caffeine anhydrous is excellent.  Because of the adenosine, athletes will pack in more reps and experience less muscle soreness. Caffeine should be consumed 45 to 60 minutes before exercise in order to get the best results.

Creatine powder-

     Strength gains and increased lean body mass is the result of creatine supplementation. Creatine increases the body's ability to rapidly create ATP.  For optimal results, creatine should be taken before and after workouts.

BCAAs-

     While you are working out, the ultimate power up is sipping water and sipping on BCAA (branch chain amino acid) fuel. BCAAs spare glycogen storage, and allow you to work out longer. BCAAs shorten recovery time during training and after training.

Sports drinks-

     Performance sports drinks boost stimulation of the central nervous system, thereby lowering required effort of exercise. Lifting the same amount of weight feels easier. Sports drinks, with approximately 30 grams of sugar, enable you to finish strong.

Post workout-

     The post workout is also known as gassing up. Refuel with the proper protein powder blend. Drinking a protein shake after your workout is critical to delivering amino acids to your tired muscles.  Kick-start muscle recovery and flip the switch on the muscle making machinery. Improve your training results.  A combination of whey, soy, egg, and casein in a post workout protein drink is perfect.

Eat-

     Two hours later, follow up your post workout protein shake with a protein and carbohydrate whole food meal.  Naturally build up the amino acids used during the workout. Glutamine is one of the amino acids  that has been depleted.  Glutamine is a major fuel for immune cells, so lower levels can put you at an increased risk of illness, like cold or flu. 5 - 10 grams of glutamine after your workout will suffice.

Carb boosts-

     Carbs are great after your workout. This is the time that you want to turn to a source of fast-digesting high-glycemic carbs, like an engineered mixture containing dextrose, and other sugars. You can simply blend in 40 to 60 grams of fast-digesting carbs into your recovery shake.

    None of this will improve your physique unless you are best buds with an exercise schedule. Supplements are complements, or enhancements to healthy living.

     Take a deep breathe, turn on your music, and get to it.

     Push more weight.  Push it faster. Speed up recovery.  Increase your reps.

     Perform. 

Gonbup comics

Gonbup comics

The Cell Cycle

     Cell cycle- (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/mobileart.asp?articlekey=7107)

     A cell is the basic unit of life.

     How do we make new cells?

     A cell is a microscopic structure containing nuclear and cytoplasmic material enclosed by a semipermeable membrane and, in plants, a cell wall; the basic structural unit of all organisms.  We have prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells.

     A prokaryotic cell possesses a simple structure with no nuclear envelope and usually a single circular chromosome. A eukaryotic cell possesses a more complex structure, with a nucleus and multiple linear chromosomes consisting of DNA complexed to histone proteins.

     Cell reproduction requires a copy of the genetic material, separation of the copy, and cell division. In a prokaryotic cell, the single chromosome replicates, each copy moves toward opposite sides of the cell, and the cell divides. In eukaryotic cells, reproduction requires mitosis and meiosis to ensure that a complete set of genetic information is transferred to each new cell.  In eukaryotic cells, chromosomes are typically found in homologous pairs.

     Functional chromosomes consist of a centromeres, telomeres, and multiple origins of replication. The centromere is the point at which the kinetochore assembles and to which microtubules attach.  Telomeres are the stable ends of chromosomes.  After a chromosome is copied, the two copies remain attached to the centromere, forming sister chromatids.

     The cell cycle consists of the stages through which a eukaryotic cell passes between cell divisions.  It consists of:  G-subzero, Interphase, G-subone, A-phase, G-subtwo, M-phase, Prophase, Prometaphase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase, and Cytokinesis.

     "The cell cycle governs the entire life of a cell, including growth, division and death. There are defined phases of the cell cycle, during which the cell grows, duplicates its DNA and eventually divides into two new cells (http://sciencing.com/cell-cycle-20206.html)."

     At the end of the cell cycle the chromosomes line up in the center of the cell.  Sister chromatids separate and become independent chromosomes, which then migrate to opposite ends of the cell.  The nuclear membrane reforms around chromosomes at each end of the cell, and the cytoplasm divides.

     Mitosis results in the production of two genetically identical cells. Progression through the cell cycle is controlled by interactions between cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases.

     Sexual reproduction produces genetically variable progeny and allows for accelerated evolution.  It includes meiosis, in which haploid sex cells are produced, and fertilization, the fusion of sex cells.

     The major events of meiosis include: Meiosis one, Prophase one, Metaphase one, Anaphase one, Telophase one, Cytokinesis, Meiosis two, Prophase two, Metaphase two, Anaphase two, Telophase two, and Cytokinesis.

     Genetic variation in meiosis is produced by crossing over and by the random distribution of maternal and paternal chromosomes.  The result of meiosis is the production of four haploid cells that are genetically variable.

     "Genetic variation can refer to differences between individuals or to differences between populations. Mutation is the ultimate source of genetic variation, but mechanisms such as sexual reproduction and genetic drift contribute to it as well (https://geneed.nlm.nih.gov/topic_subtopic.php?tid=48&sid=50)."

     Grasping mitosis and meiosis requires more than simply memorizing the sequence events that take place in each stage, although these events are important.  The key is to understand how genetic information is apportioned in the course of cell reproduction through a dynamic interplay of DNA synthesis, chromosome movement, and cell division.  These processes bring about the transmission of genetic information and are the basis of similarities and differences between parents and progeny.

Douglas McGregor Theory X and Theory Y

     In our present society, we work at jobs with many different individuals.  Organizations have managers.

     We have to cope with taking orders, at some point, so that the job is consistent.  Some people that give the orders are managers.  Are you, as a manager, able to do the job without getting stressed out, or over worked?  Your performance is a stepping stone.  Career paths are long, and arduous.  The paths are clearly cut, though. Managerial positions have been researched.  Many books are available on the subject of how to be the best manager possible.

     You have heard of Douglas McGregor.  

     Douglas Murray McGregor-

1906 –1964, a management professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management.  He was president of Antioch College from 1948 to 1954. In 1960, he published the book, The Human Side of Enterprise.  It had a profound influence on education practices (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_McGregor).

     Mr.  McGregor models his works after Hawthorne and Maslow. The Human Side of Enterprise, advances the thesis that managers should give more attention to the social self-actualizing needs of people at work ( https://www.amazon.com/Human-Side-Enterprise-Annotated/dp/0071462228).
McGregor insisted that managers shift their view of human nature away from a set of assumptions he called Theory X and toward ones he called Theory Y. Managers shouldn't be hard on their workers.

     Theory X-
X Managers believe workers approach their jobs only to dislike work, lack ambition, are irresponsible, are resistant to change, and prefer to be led rather than to lead. 

     McGregor considers such thinking inappropriate. It is degrading, and unfair to group everyone in this manner.  D. M.  pushed for Theory Y.

     Theory Y-
Y Managers believe people are willing to work, capable of self-control, willing to accept responsibility, imaginative and creative, and capable of self direction.

     According to McGregor Theory X, X Managers are likely to agree with:

-A good paying, secure job is enough to satisfy most workers.
-Most people are afraid to learn new things in their jobs.
-Most people dislike work.
-A manager should closely supervise and direct the work of subordinates.
-Most people tend to resist change.
-Most people work only as hard as they have to.
-Most people are happiest off of their job.

     According to McGregor Theory Y, Y Managers are likely to agree with:

-A manager should help and coach subordinates in their work.
-Most people like responsibility in their jobs.
-Managers should let subordinates control the quality of their work.
-Most people are creative.
-Workers should be allowed to set their own job goals.
-Most workers really care about the organization they work for.
-A manager should help subordinates advance and grow in their jobs.

     Douglas McGregor's X Y theory is similar to the Hawthorne studies because it has suggested that work behavior is influenced by social, and psychological forces.  Work performance may be improved by better human relations.

     Douglas McGregor's X Y theory is also similar to Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of human needs.  There is a hierarchy of human needs. The concept of self-actualization and the potential for people to experience self fulfillment in their work is important.

     Have you looked at Stoneyfield's focus on the triple bottom line of profits, people, and planet.  Maybe you should check yourself on the facets of hypercompetitiveness.

     Hypercompetitiveness produces false feelings of power, churned self-perception, and thin self-worth.  You find yourself in a position where you hate to lose an argument.  Everything is turned into a contest. Hyper competitiveness produces an unsatisfied feeling with the competition unless you win.  In turn, you begin to reason if it will help you when, taking actions to obstruct your opponent is okay.

     Although competitiveness is highly valued in many business situations, hypercompetitiveness forces individuals to ignore ethical boundaries in their attempts to come out on top.  They may even take actions that are unfair, damage society, or are simply illegal.

     What types of businesses are influenced by the two?   Theory X managers produce, while Theory Y managers produce, propagate longevity, and provide standing quality.  Both of these theories can be sifted, purifiied, and diluted into behaviors that are accepted as good/right, bad/wrong.

     Theory Managers have to cope with giving orders, at some point, so that the job is consistent.

  

Sucrose State of Mind.

     Is sugar always on your mind?

     It could be, because it is an ingredient in everything you eat.  In sad times and happy times, sugar is there.  Sugar can be the best part of a celebration. 

     Valentine's Day is approaching.  What will you give your honey?

Roses are red

violets are blue

sugar is sweet and so are you!

(Author: Unknown)

     Why is sugar sweet?

"All sugars are sweet because they contain OH groups with particular orientation that can interact with the taste receptors for sweetness on our tongues (http://butane.chem.uiuc.edu/pshapley/GenChem2/B4/index.html)."

     How many different ways have you had sugar?  Sugar can be manipulated into works of delectable art.  Sugar products have their own isles in supermarkets.  It is possible to say that you can't go shopping without picking up a product with sugar in the ingredient.

"At the neurobiological level, the neural substrates of sugar and sweet reward appear to be more robust than those of cocaine (i.e., more resistant to functional failures), possibly reflecting past selective evolutionary pressures for seeking and taking foods high in sugar and calories.  The biological robustness in the neural substrates of sugar and sweet reward may be sufficient to explain why many people can have difficultly controlling the consumption of foods high in sugar when continuously exposed to them(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23719144)."

     Basically, sucrose/table sugar is recognized as a drug that effects everyone causing addictions in adults and children.

     These sugar addictions can lead to downward spirals in your health.  Sugar crashes take place. A sugar crash is defined as low blood sugar that occurs after a sugar high.  The condition is reactive hypoglycemia (RH). RH works along side serotonin.  Serotonin is a key neurotransmitter linked to well-being, and bodily equilibrium.  This neurotransmitter brings on symptoms such as depression, anxiety, irritability, confusion, and exhaustion. Hypoglycemia has been linked to phobias, self-isolation, suicidal thoughts, rage, and violence.  

Sugar high-
a sudden and brief burst of energy supposedly experienced after the consumption of food or drink with a high sugar content (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sugar_rush)

     Individuals are hooked on acquiring a sugar high. There are done healthy alternatives, though.

     Always remember your food groups. Choose wisely.

- Vegetable Group: 2.5 cups total for five servings each day. Choose a variety of vegetables of different colors, including dark green and orange.

- Fruit Group: 2 cups total for four servings each day. Choose a variety of fruits of different colors.

- Milk Group: 3 cups each day. Yogurt, milk, and cheese (low-fat or fat-free versions are best).

- Meats and Beans Group: 5.5 ounces total for two or three servings each day. Lean meats, chicken, eggs, nuts, dried beans/ peas, and fish.

- Oils: six teaspoons or servings each day. Choose mono- and polyunsaturated oils.

- Discretionary Calories: a small amount. An allotment of 100 to 300 calories can be used on foods with fats or sugars, like dessert.

Sucrose- a crystalline disaccharide, C(12)H(22)O(11), the sugar obtained from sugarcane, sugar beet, and sorghum.

     Sucrose isn't the sweetest thing out there. Syrup is 1.5 times sweeter than table sugar.  Sugar isn't a state of mind.  You can choose to stop your sugar addiction.

     In moderation, sugar is ok.  Eat healthy, live healthy, be healthy.