DR. BRONNERS LIQUID SOAP--STILL ON TOP, BUT WITH THIS CAVEAT

This natural soap, which suds up from the saponification of the oils of olive and coconut, was developed by the late Dr. Emanuel Bronner, who was a chemist and supposedly a rabbi.

However, a search reveals he might not have been a practicing rabbi.

How do I feel? Probably the way Art Carney's character on The Honeymooners, Ed Norton,  a sewer worker, felt when  he dressed up for a masquerade as Francois De La Brioschi, who Norton erroneously thought built the sewers of Paris, only to find out that Brioschi actually condemned them!

LUNDBERG RICE CAKES--VIRTUALLY UNCHALLENGED

Take the "rice cake challenge"--pick up a bag of your typical store-bought rice cakes, then do the same with any Lundberg package.  It's about 50% heavier!  Kinda like picking up the $1.99 pint of ice cream, then picking up Ben & Jerry's or Haagen Daaz.

All of the Lundberg varieties are winners. Here is a sumptuous way to enjoy: spread with a schmeer of cashew nut butter, then top that off with either rasberry or strawberry jam.....bliss!! Okay, mixing fats, long-chain carbs and sweets is heavy on digestion...so what?  When you're going to binge, splurge, eat to relieve stress...it doesn't get any better than this.

ESSENE CINNAMON RAISIN SPROUTED BREAD--SLAMMIN'!

Here's another gustatory delight, one of the best products, within the means of most.

Essene Bread is sprouted before being ground into flour.  The cinnamon-raisin offering is unique in that it's more like a bread-cake hybrid.  The more you chew it, the sweeter it becomes, unlike addictive foods that make your mouth water initially, but then become unpalatable if you keep chewing.  For an excellent explanation of this, I refer you to Dr. David Kessler's superb book, The End Of Overeating.
For a hearty snack or meal replacement that will hold you over, try this combination (one of the few original ideas I've ever had):

• spread a slice with a layer of cashew butter, then top it off with a dollop of kim-chee ( spicy pickled cabbage)

It's got everything going on--the sweet moist bread, the richness of the nut butter, and the crunch and spice of the kim-chee cutting through.  Awesome!

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