DEAR DR. BLONZ: I eat well and exercise regularly, but despite these good habits, I have noticed weight gain around my middle. It's very bothersome to me. Is this just part of getting old? I can't improve my diet much more, and am frustrated at this bulge. Nothing has really changed except the shape of my body. -- S.S., San Dimas, California

DEAR S.S.: There is a natural decline in the amount of energy (calories) the body requires as the years go by. Couple this with the typical decrease in activity as we age, and it's easy to understand the impact on the shape of our bodies. The slowdown in calorie burning is gradual, and it represents a problem for those who continue to ingest the same daily calories that they always have, or even more.

The body needs energy to operate, and there are three basic categories of body energy. First and foremost is the resting metabolic rate (RMR). These calories represent the energy needed to keep the body ticking. This is our caloric "cost of living," and it represents about 60 to 75 percent of our daily caloric requirement. Next is the energy used for activity, which amounts to about 15 to 30 percent of the caloric requirement for the average individual. Finally we have the thermic effect of food (TEF), which is the energy burned as a direct result of eating. It represents about 5 to 10 percent of daily calories. Weight tends to remains stable as long as we consume the number of calories our body requires.

An older body, however, will burn fewer calories than a comparable younger body, even if both ate the same and had the same level of physical activity. A study in the February 2005 issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that the decline associated with aging is not solely a function of the fact that we tend to lose lean body mass (muscle, organ weight and bone) as we age.

No question, it is best to remain active, as this will help slow down the slowdown. Staying active not only burns the calories associated with the activity, it also helps maintain your muscle mass. Muscle is active tissue, and similar to the way an eight-cylinder car burns more gas at idle than a four-cylinder car, having more muscle mass burns additional calories even when you are at rest. Studies in the February 2006 Journal of Physiology and the August 2007 Journal of Applied Physiology provide independent confirmation how the TEF component of our daily calorie requirement is greater in those with regular exercise habits.

If you will allow a personal observation, I noticed a couple of years ago that there was -- slowly but surely -- getting to be a bit more of me. So I added 15 minutes of aerobic time to my three-times-a-week exercise sessions and that helped me to regain control of the trend.

We all need to keep up with our activities and find a way to make exercise a fixed part of our routine. There should be an aerobic element as well as resistance exercises. If you have health issues, you can touch base with your physician. If you have any physical limitations or concerns, consider speaking with a certified trainer at a gym to develop a personalized program.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I have a question about dried berries. I was spending a pretty penny for dried blueberries to put on my cereal every morning until a friend told me that desiccated berries have no antioxidant value. Can you comment on this? -- R.L., El Cerrito, California

DEAR R.L.: Dried berries and berrylike fruits, including blueberries, cranberries, currants and cherries, are all great and healthful foods. They have considerable nutritive and antioxidant value; I don't know where your friend got his or her information. I add either fresh or dried fruit to my cereal every morning. It's a great way to start the day.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: This is a bit embarrassing, but I am uncertain who else to ask. I have heard that drinking one's own urine several times a day will produce beautiful skin. As weird as this sounds, there are books claiming it's a legitimate treatment. But my understanding is that urine is a waste product and should be eliminated by the kidneys. I have a relative who is planning to do this, and I am concerned for her health. -- P.R., Los Angeles

DEAR P.R.: You are correct that urine is a waste product, containing substances that the body is purposefully eliminating in its attempts to maintain balance. Urine is mostly water, but it will also contain breakdown products from hormones, metabolic waste, drugs, toxins and other foreign substances. Drinking urine would also pose a risk of additional bacterial contamination for anyone suffering from an infection, as urine can be one route by which the byproducts of the infection are shown the way out.

I found mention of the idea of cosmetic benefits from drinking or even washing with urine, but this doesn't make it true. Aside from being totally gross to Western sensibilities, there is no objective evidence in support of the idea. Let us say, for the sake of argument, that there is some unidentified beneficial element in urine. If you consume it to get this "good," it would only come along with the bad and the ugly. You would also be creating an additional burden on your system, as it all has to pass through and find its way out again, taking more of the body's water as it heads out the door.

If you are in good health, well hydrated and not on any medications, the consumption of urine might not cause a problem. But getting away with something is not evidence of its benefit. So while there may be circumstances in which it might not make you sick, on the whole this is a circumstance where the flush is the winning move. You will find a more in-depth treatment of this topic at tinyurl.com/5r6dev.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: Please tell me if doing the following can cut down the horrific quantity of fat grams in pork shoulder. One database says it has 29 grams of fat in a 1/3-pound serving! I roasted it slowly and then took it out of the pan immediately to drain, removed all visible fat, then sliced and refrigerated portions. The next day, I removed more fat made visible from chilling, and also removed connective tissue around the fat. I then warmed the meat in a dry pan and pressed the warmed pieces between paper towels to soak up more fat. I repeated until the roast was gone. Can you assure me that I did reduce the fat grams per serving? Or is this just wishful thinking? -- J.T., Richmond, California

DEAR J.T.: Please don't consider the fat content of pork shoulder to be "horrific." This cut can be quite flavorful, but it involves longer cooking times that reduce the level of fat. There is fat in and around the muscle fibers in the shoulder cut, but once visible fat is trimmed and you go through an appropriate preparation like roasting, braising or grilling, the levels drop significantly. Your diligent steps all worked toward that end.

There are a number of databases out there that can provide a nutritional breakdown of foods, but you have to be sure to select the correct listing, or the information can be misleading. I have provided these links to better explain. According to the USDA database (ndb.nal.usda.gov), a 4.8-ounce serving of pork shoulder that has been roasted, including both the lean and the fat -- see full info at tinyurl.com/oqeysm7 -- contains 29 grams of fat, an amount that had rightfully given you pause. That, however, is not what you served. Now look at the amount of fat in a 4.8-ounce "lean only" serving, that is, one in which the fat drippings are not included in the calculation. This -- tinyurl.com/nktjlll -- lists the amount of fat at 18 grams per serving.

I recently had some delicious, not-too-fatty pork shoulder in Memphis, Tennessee, while there for the annual meeting of the Association of Food Journalists. During my days in that marvelous city, I had the chance to enjoy excellent barbecue using pork shoulder and just about every other cut of meat imaginable. There was also a memorable meal at Gus's Fried Chicken; it had been a long time since I'd had fried chicken.

There should be no problem enjoying fat-rich foods as long as the serving size is reasonable and you have a plant-based diet as a foundation. A healthful diet gives you that flexibility to make room for all the wonderful foods that please your palate. If you want to have an occasional meal that uses pork shoulder, or another fat-marbled cut, be sure to cook it properly -- you have that down -- and don't overdo it with the serving size. Surround it on your plate with healthy greens and grains. For example, at Gus's, I had fried chicken with servings of collard greens and coleslaw. With all rich meals, my goal is to eat slowly -- savoring each bite, enjoying the serving -- then filling up on the greens and grains. Great stuff: a real win-win!

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.