Blog Posts by Oprah.com

Photo: ThinkstockBy Leslie Goldman

Cheese

1st place: Goat
2nd place: Swiss
3rd place: Cheddar

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As cheese ages, it becomes denser in calories. So while goat cheese may taste decadent, it's typically better for the waistline than hard varieties. Swiss is usually higher in saturated fat but earns points for having five times as much calcium. Third place goes to cheddar: A one-ounce chunk can have as much salt as a serving of potato chips.

1st place: Granola Bar
2nd place: Fruit Yogurt
3rd place: Dried Fruit

Yes, the condensed sugar in dried fruit will deliver a burst of energy, but you'll be hungry again before you know it. Fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt isn't much better: It can harbor five teaspoons of sugar per serving. For a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber, pick a granola bar that's low in sugar and loaded with whole ingredients, like oats, nuts, and seeds.

1st place: Tequila on the Rocks

Photo: ThinkstockIf your marriage falls into a rut-days or even weeks go by without real communication-try taking these four little steps towards a stronger and happier union.

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1. Make a list of the positive and negative traits of both your parents. Then make a similar list describing your partner. What connections do you see?

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2. List the traits you like least in your partner. Then make a list of the traits you like best in yourself. Compare the two and share with your partner.

RELATED: Men vs. Women: Matters of the Heart

3. Think about how you handle frustration. Do you tend to exaggerate your feelings or withdraw and keep them to yourself? If you do the first, you're a maximizer; if you do the second, you're a minimizer. In most partnerships, one person is a maximizer and the other a minimizer, and this is a source of conflict. The way to alter this is for each of you to become more like

Photo: ThinkstockBy Lynn Andriani

Beets

Whether it's their moderate-to-loud flavor, unusual slipperiness or surprising sweetness, some people don't quite know what to make of beets. But Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, co-authors of The Flavor Bible, love their earthy taste and the soft-firm texture they take on when cooked. The best way to make these antioxidant-rich vegetables taste delicious is pairing them with contrasting ingredients. That can be a salty, creamy cheese (e.g., goat or blue), toasted nuts (e.g., walnuts or almonds)-or both. "The creamy and crunchy elements serve as counterpoints to the beets," the husband-and-wife team say.

Get the recipe: Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Arugula

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Brussels Sprouts

A Thanksgiving staple for many, these mini cabbages are bitter and very "vegetal" tasting, in the words of Page and Dornenburg. They also turn gray and stinky, taking on a sulfurous odor, if you overcook them. For

Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio DBy Adam Glassman

Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant and Banana Republic creative director Simon Kneen are collaborators behind a sharp, new retro-inspired line.

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It wasn't a three-martini lunch, but I still got the scoop from these two style forces, who teamed up to create a Mad Men-inspired fall collection for Banana Republic: dresses, separates, and accessories that marry the brand's modern sensibility with 1960s-era sophistication. Sharp pieces like this sheath-with feminine yet fitted cuts-make it easy to look chic at the office. But the collection gets its real panache from accessories:

RELATED: 5 Easy Ways to Extend Your Summer Wardrobe into Fall

Animal-Print Extras
A cheetah-print scarf or leopard-print clutch gives basics instant drama. And yes, you can mix them with florals and geometrics.

RELATED: Jennifer Lopez Spices Up O Readers' Wardrobes for Fall

Belts
For a surprisingly dressy effect, nip the waist of a classic trenchcoat

Photo: Gregor HalendaSure, bookshelves provide efficient storage, but they make reading book titles a pain in the neck-literally. Keep your head upright with the Paperback Wall System by Studio Parade, which has skinny little laminate slats for holding books horizontally.

Paperback Wall System, Studio Parade, available at SUITE New York, suiteny.com

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Photo: Gregor HalendaLike any ottoman, the Rousseau Shoe Ottoman from Lilly Pulitzer Home lets you put your feet up. But when it's time to run, your shoes are within easy reach. Lift the lid to reveal a hidden storage compartment, complete with separate pockets for holding matching pairs.

Rousseau Shoe Ottoman, Lilly Pulitzer Home, $999, available at Neiman Marcus, neimanmarcus.com

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Photo: Gregor HalendaIf you weren't blessed with a green thumb, or just don't have room for traditional potted plants, give Mudpuppy's Air Plant Pod a try. The no-fuss plant requires no soil and little watering, and takes up

Photo: Courtesy of BagguBy Amber Kallor

Carry Something Bright

Yes, you can pull off a Crayola-inspired knapsack after you've graduated from elementary school-as long as it isn't covered in kiddie designs or doodles. (It doesn't hurt that this stylish option is made entirely of recycled cotton.)

$32, BagguBag.com

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Photo: Courtesy of Poketo Carry Something Soft

Nautical summer stripes look ready for fall when they're splashed across durable sweatshirt fleece and trimmed in vegan-friendly faux leather.

$58, Poketo.com

RELATED: 10 Tips for Beating the Back to School Blues

Photo: Courtesy of Need Supply Carry Something Denim

This durable jean pack is ideal for schlepping around heavy legal briefs or textbooks. Plus, the top handle makes it easy to slip over your wrist if you're toting a light load.

$62, NeedSupply.com

RELATED: Start the School Year in Good Health

Photo: Courtesy of Cambridge SatchelCarry Something Neon

This vintage-style backpack, handmade in the United Kingdom, comes in highlighter-like shades

Photo: ThinkstockBy Carol Mithers

Well, there's the old Evolution Did It theory: Men are hardwired to spread their seed; women, to find a mate who will protect the children she may bear. Physical differences may play a role, too.

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According to Lisa Diamond, PhD, an associate professor of psychology and gender studies at the University of Utah, not only do female rats have more extensive brain circuits for oxytocin-which helps mammals to bond-than males but in humans, women show greater release of the neurochemical during sex (especially orgasm) than men.

RELATED: 14 Really Good Sex Questions Answered!

Also, biological anthropologist and Rutgers University professor Helen Fisher, PhD, notes: "The two brain hemispheres are less well connected in men than in women. This gives men the ability to focus on one thing at a time and be very goal oriented, whereas the female brain is built to assimilate many feelings at once, and to connect sex and love much more

Photo: ThinkstockBy Donna Brazile

1. They've got kids. My eight siblings have produced 15 nieces and nephews, and let me tell you: They're a lot of work. Every time we solve a crisis over one's schooling or boyfriend, something else erupts. But I couldn't love them more if they were my own.

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2. They can laugh at anything. My parents taught us to crack jokes through the hardest of times. I sometimes doubt my family would have survived Hurricane Katrina-which scattered us to eight states-if we hadn't been able to find humor in the little things. Like when my dad, a 75-year-old widower, ended up in a shelter in San Antonio, reading palms and chatting up women. When he came home with one, you can bet we laughed at that, too.

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3. They knew me back when. I get embarrassed when my siblings remind me that I ran our family like a dictatorship by the time I was 10. But at least I never have to explain myself. My habits of hoarding pens and