SERRA SAN BRUNO, Italy (Reuters) - Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins has yet to show the form of last season that would make him top favorite for the Giro d'Italia, according to Juan Jose Cobo, the last non-Team Sky rider to beat the Briton on a Grand Tour.

"He's not necessarily the strongest rider," Spaniard Cobo told Reuters before Tuesday's fourth stage where Wiggins lost 17 seconds as the peloton split in the final kilometers.

"Personally I think (Italian) Vincenzo Nibali is equally likely to win."

Wiggins dropped from second to sixth overall on Tuesday, 34 seconds adrift of Italian Luca Paolini. Nibali is in fourth and last year's winner Ryder Hesjedal of Canada fifth, 31 and 34 seconds off the pace respectively.

Cobo, who toppled Wiggins and his Sky team mate Chris Froome to win the 2011 Tour of Spain, believes Wiggins may not be at his best, while others have shown they are in great shape.

"If Bradley had the same level as in last year's Tour then he's probably unbeatable but that's not at all clear yet this season," he said.

"Nibali has been very strong in all the races he's done this year and Wiggins hasn't yet had a chance to show his hand.

"Hesjedal has been very active in a lot of races too, and yesterday (Monday) when he attacked on that last climb, he showed he's got really good form," he added.

"That was very impressive, and he's the most recent winner of the Giro. He's somebody who has to count."

Wiggins has not won a race this season, while Nibali has taken the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race ahead of Froome and the Giro del Trentino, Italy's key warm-up race for the Giro d'Italia, ahead of Wiggins.

"Bradley is a favorite, but one of several, not the top candidate," Cobo said. "He's not been up there yet, but we'll see what happens."

STRONGEST TEAM

Cobo, who raced against Wiggins in last year's Tour de France but as part of his build-up for the Tour of Spain, his big target of the year, said Sky were the strongest team collectively in the Giro.

"When it comes to the third week, they'll be the ones who really matter, they'll make the running," he said.

Cobo said although he beat Wiggins in the 2011 Tour of Spain, wrenching the lead from him on the Angliru, Spain's toughest single climb, the Briton had not been in his top condition then.

"He was coming back from a lot of injuries and a bad crash in the Tour de France. It's nice to have done it, I won't forget that I beat him but you have to keep it in perspective," he said.

Racing injured after he crashed and hit his knee in the reconnaissance of Sunday's team time trial, Cobo was dropped on Tuesday's final climb of the Croce Ferrata early on.

"I was hoping to do well, perhaps even a top-10 result but with this injury, that's not going to happen," he said.

"My best option now is a stage win and to work for (Spanish Movistar overall contender) Benat Intxausti (who lies third behind Rigoberto Uran and Paolini). I'm not going to be beating Wiggins in this year's race, that's for sure."

(Editing by Sonia Oxley)

IRS agents singled out dozens of organizations for additional reviews because they included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their exemption applications, Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups, said Friday. In some cases, groups were asked for lists of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said.

The agency led at the time by a Bush administration appointee blamed low-level employees, saying no high-level officials were aware. But that wasn't good enough for Republicans in Congress, who are conducting several investigations and asked for more.

"I call on the White House to conduct a transparent, government-wide review aimed at assuring the American people that these thuggish practices are not under way at the IRS or elsewhere in the administration against anyone, regardless of their political views," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

White House spokesman Jay Carney declared it was indeed inappropriate for the IRS to target tea party groups. But he brushed aside questions about whether the White House itself would investigate.

Instead, Carney said the administration expects a thorough investigation by the Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration. The inspector general has been looking into the issue since last summer, and his report is expected to come out next week, the IG's office said Friday.

Carney said he did not know when the White House first learned that tea party groups were being targeted.

Lerner acknowledged it was wrong for the agency to target groups based on political affiliation.

"That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That's not how we go about selecting cases for further review," Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association.

"The IRS would like to apologize for that," she added.

Lerner said the practice was initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati and was not motivated by political bias. Agency officials found out about the practice last year and moved to correct it, the IRS said in a statement. The statement did not specify when officials found out.

About 75 groups were inappropriately targeted. None had their tax-exempt status revoked, Lerner said.

The IRS is an independent agency within the Treasury Department that enforces the nation's tax laws. Revelations that the agency was targeting political groups because they were affiliated with a movement that is critical of President Barack Obama could become a new headache for the White House.

"The admission by the Obama administration that the Internal Revenue Service targeted political opponents echoes some of the most shameful abuses of government power in 20th century American history," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Many conservative groups complained during the campaign that they were being harassed by the IRS. They accused the agency of frustrating their attempts to become tax exempt by sending them lengthy, intrusive questionnaires.

The forms, which the groups have made available, sought information about group members' political activities, including details of their postings on social networking websites and about family members.

IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman told Congress in March 2012 that the IRS was not targeting groups based on politics.

"There's absolutely no targeting. This is the kind of back and forth that happens to people" who apply for tax-exempt status, Shulman told a House Ways and Means subcommittee.

The IRS said senior leaders were not aware that specific groups were being targeted at the time of the hearing.

"While we acknowledged centralization of these applications last year, the IRS did not acknowledge the use of names as part of the process earlier because the details were not initially known to senior leadership and (the inspector general) has been reviewing the situation," the IRS said in a statement. "Their work is now far enough along that it was appropriate to address the issue when it came up during (Friday's) tax conference."

Shulman was appointed by President George W. Bush. His 6-year term ended in November. President Barack Obama has yet to nominate a successor. The agency is now being run by acting Commissioner Steven Miller.

Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., chairman of the Ways and Means oversight subcommittee, requested a trove of documents from the IRS on Friday, including all communications containing the words "tea party" and "patriot."

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., said Friday he will hold a hearing on the matter has not yet set a date.

"The IRS absolutely must be non-partisan in its enforcement of our tax laws," Camp said. "We will hold the IRS accountable for its actions."

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have also promised investigations.

Treasury spokesman Anthony Coley said the department will support the inspector general's investigation.

"The Treasury Department expects all individuals and organizations to be treated fairly by the IRS. Anything less is inappropriate and unacceptable."

There has been a surge of politically active groups claiming tax-exempt status in recent elections conservative and liberal. Among the highest profile are Republican Karl Rove's group, Crossroads GPS, and the liberal Moveon.org.

These groups claim tax-exempt status under section 501 (c) (4) of the federal tax code, which is for social welfare groups. Unlike other charitable groups, these organizations are allowed to participate in political activities but their primary activity must be social welfare.

That determination is up to the IRS.

Lerner said the number of groups filing for this tax-exempt status more than doubled from 2010 to 2012, to more than 3,400. To handle the influx, the IRS centralized its review of these applications in an office in Cincinnati.

Lerner said this was done to develop expertise among staffers and consistency in their reviews. As part of the review, staffers look for signs that groups are participating in political activity. If so, IRS agents take a closer look to make sure that politics isn't the group's primary activity.

As part of this process, agents in Cincinnati came up with a list of things to look for in an application. As part of the list, they included the words, "tea party" and "patriot," Lerner said.

"It's the line people that did it without talking to managers," Lerner told The AP. "They're IRS workers, they're revenue agents."

In all, about 300 groups were singled out for additional review, Lerner said. Of those, about a quarter were singled out because they had "tea party" or "patriot" somewhere in their applications.

The IRS statement said that once applications were chosen for review, they all "received the same, even-handed treatment."

Lerner said 150 of the cases have been closed and no group had its tax-exempt status revoked, though some withdrew their applications.

"Mistakes were made initially, but they were in no way due to any political or partisan rationale," the IRS said in a statement. "We fixed the situation last year and have made significant progress in moving the centralized cases through our system."

"I don't think there's any question we were unfairly targeted," said Tom Zawistowski, who until recently was president of the Ohio Liberty Coalition, an alliance of tea party groups in the state.

Zawistowski's group was among many conservative organizations that battled the IRS over what they saw as discriminatory treatment. The group first applied for nonprofit status in June 2009, and it was finally granted on Dec. 7, 2012, he said one month after Election Day.

"It is suspicious that the activity of these 'low-level workers' was unknown to IRS leadership at the time it occurred," said Jenny Beth Martin, national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, which describes itself as the nation's largest tea party organization. "President Obama must also apologize for his administration ignoring repeated complaints by these broad grass-roots organizations of harassment by the IRS in 2012, and make concrete and transparent steps today to ensure this never happens again."

___

Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Jim Kuhnhenn in Washington and Steve Peoples in Boston contributed to this report.

___

Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap

These are just a couple of examples of the emergency cases Dr. Karen Halligan has seen involving household items that seem harmless until an animal decides to munch on them.

Hundreds of pets undergo surgery every year to remove small articles of clothing and other objects from their stomachs and intestines, said Halligan, author, TV consultant and director of veterinary services for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Los Angeles.

"It's very common in private practice and in large institutions to be removing non-food items out of dogs and cats," she said.

It also can be very dangerous.

Ingested clothing and fabric items, for instance, won't show up on X-rays. Within 48 hours, a pet that has consumed a piece of clothing will develop symptoms like vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, fever and depression.

If caught early, a vet can remove the item from inside the animal and everything will be fine. If not, the pet's intestines will start to die because blood can't get through, Halligan said. Removing the intestine is an option if the obstruction is eventually found.

If left untreated, the problem can be fatal because of dehydration or bacteria leaking into the stomach, causing peritonitis.

"We had one Great Dane. Three times we had to cut him (open) for his mother's shoulder pads. He loved his mother's shoulders pads," Halligan said.

And surgeries to remove or dislodge things that pets swallow are not cheap.

"We are talking $2,500 to $5,000 at the least," Halligan said.

Socks are probably the most popular pet-pilfered pieces of clothing across the country. They're especially irresistible to pets after they've been worn. "It's the scent that attracts them," Halligan said.

One of Halligan's older clients came in with his toy poodle and said the dog ate one of his tube socks.

"I was skeptical. I X-rayed, and it didn't show up. But he was absolutely certain. He was adamant," she said.

Halligan said she made the dog vomit and "sure enough, we pulled a foot-long tube sock out of this miniature apricot poodle, and the dog was fine."

X-rays quite clearly show many other things pets swallow.

In March, Tim Kelleher's 13-year-old Jack Russell terrier got sick and he rushed him to the vet. X-rays showed the dog had eaten a pile of pennies.

Dr. Amy Zalcman at BluePearl Veterinary Partners in New York used a camera attached to a net to fish 111 pennies out of Jack's stomach. Scooping up five at a time, it took a couple of hours.

Letting the coins pass could have killed Jack because pennies made after 1982 contain toxic zinc.

Zalcman didn't check the dates on the pennies, "but many were corroded, suggesting that they were being digested," she said.

Jack goes jogging daily and eats the best holistic food on the market, but he's got a voracious appetite and is always licking things off the floor, Kelleher said.

The day the long-legged, broken-coat terrier ate the pennies, Kelleher had left a sack with a few bagel crumbs on his desk. While going after it, Jack knocked over a jar of pennies. As Jack licked the crumbs off the floor, he slurped up the pennies too.

Kelleher thought he had "Jackproofed" his apartment. But just a few days ago, the dog ate a whole bag of hamburger rolls after pulling it off a kitchen counter.

While some human foods are fine for pets, others, like chocolate, can be deadly to dogs and cats.

For those who keep flower bouquets in the house, eating just one lily can kill a cat. Preservative packets for the water in the vase also can make animals sick if they drink it.

In seven years of emergency veterinary medicine, Zalcman has removed a variety of items from pets, including jewelry, condoms and a new No. 2 pencil with an eraser. Some of her colleagues have retrieved forks and blades, she said.

In Halligan's 24 years as a vet, the most unusual object she had to retrieve from a dog's stomach was a Mickey Mouse hat.

"You could see the plastic parts on the X-ray," Halligan said.

___

Online:

http:://www.dochalligan.com

http://newyork.bluepearlvet.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Settlers at Virginia's Jamestown Colony resorted to cannibalism to survive the harsh winter of 1609, dismembering and consuming a 14-year-old English girl, the U.S. Smithsonian Institution reported on Wednesday.

This is the first direct evidence of cannibalism at Jamestown, the oldest permanent English colony in the Americas, according to the Washington-based museum and research complex.

A recent excavation at the historic site revealed not just the remains of dogs, cats and horses eaten by settlers during the cold "Starving Time" of that year, but also the bones of a girl known to researchers simply as "Jane."

Jane probably was part of a relatively prosperous household, possibly a gentleman's daughter or maidservant, said Smithsonian forensic anthropologist Douglas Owsley, who analyzed her bones after they were found by Preservation Virginia, a private nonprofit group.

Her back molars had not yet erupted, putting her age around 14 years, and there was a lot of nitrogen in her bones, indicating she ate a meat-rich English diet, Owsley said in a telephone interview.

It is not known whether Jane was killed or died of natural causes. The Smithsonian said there is no evidence of murder.

After her death, in a year when many Jamestown colonists starved, Jane's body was hacked apart by a butcher or butchers who barely knew what they were doing. She may have been chosen because others in her household were already dead and there was no one to bury her, Owsley said.

UNSKILLED CHOPPING

"There was very clear post-mortem dismemberment that involved chops to the forehead, chops to the back of the head that cracked the skull open," the scientist said.

"A puncture to the left side of the head was used to essentially lever and open the ... head to remove the brain. There are cuts all over the face and on the mandible, inside as well as out."

By 1609, Owsley said, the settlement was effectively operating under siege, with many of the male colonists killed by hostile Native Americans after venturing out.

Those who remained inside Jamestown's confines were often women, children and the sick. Those who dismembered Jane might well have been women, he said.

The cuts were "very tentative, hesitant," Owsley said. "This is not someone who's skilled in terms of kitchen work or butchery, and yet they know, out of sheer need, that this is what they have to do."

The brain, tongue, cheeks and leg muscles appear to have been eaten, with the brain probably consumed first because it decomposes soon after death, the Smithsonian said in an online announcement.

Scholars have speculated that extreme drought, hostile relations with the local Powhatan Confederacy and a lost supply ship made the Jamestown colonists desperate enough to eat humans. Writings had suggested it, but no hard physical evidence existed until now.

William Kelso, lead archeologist on the project, and his team discovered the girl's remains last summer.

"We found a deposit of refuse that contained butchered horse and dog bones," Kelso said. "That was only done in times of extreme hunger. As we excavated, we found human teeth and then a partial human skull."

(Reporting by Deborah Zabarenko; Editing by Marilyn W. Thompson and Xavier Briand)

The drugs, known as leukocyte growth factors, will be the subject of a Friday meeting of an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Treatment with Amgen's Neupogen and Neulasta, Teva's Tbo-filgrastim and Sanofi's Leukine, may decrease death rates from radiation exposure, according to FDA staff documents released ahead of the meeting.

Neupogen, which like the other drugs in the class is given by injection, has been tested in monkeys exposed to radiation by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Maryland.

Friday's hearing was prompted by data from the trial showing that the drug reduced mortality following lethal irradiation of the animals.

Amgen spokeswoman Ashleigh Koss said the company provided additional nonclinical data from studies using the drugs in radiation-exposed animals, and an overview of literature case studies of their use in victims of radiological accidents.

She declined to comment on whether Amgen planned to participate in any future trials of Neupogen or Neulasta as treatments for radiation exposure.

The Amgen drugs, currently used to reduce the risk of infection for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, had 2012 sales of $5.4 billion.

(Reporting By Deena Beasley)

Beyond their often spirited repartee in the hearing room, Representative Van Hollen ofwas among the most fervent in trying to oust Republicans across the country in the 2012 election for their support of the budget plan championed by theRepublican. Mr. Ryan excoriated ' own budget priorities as the 's vice presidential nominee.

Yet ifis going to find the grand fiscal accord that has proved so elusive, these two longtime antagonists will play a central role. On both the politics and policy of the budget, Van Hollen and Ryan are bellwethers of their respective conferences. As much as any two people in Congress, they would be critical in rallying their colleagues to get a deal that has the tax increases Republicans abhor and the entitlement changes Democrats equally detest.

While their political fights have been intense, the two men harbor a personal affinity and respect for each other, in no small part due to their similar dispositions. Both are amicably wonkish former congressional staffers. Both are rising stars within their own parties Ryan is a potential 2016 presidential contender while Van Hollen is widely regarded as the favorite to replace House minority leader(D) ofshould she retire.

If there's going to be any movement on a "grand bargain" this summer and signals from the president and leading lawmakers in both parties indicate there will be another attempt to fashion one many expect the legislation to originate in the Senate. The path to passage there is more clear-cut.

But if such a bill were to land in the House, it would be Ryan and Van Hollen who would shoulder the responsibility for either supporting or sacking it. Rank-and-file members "want to know, is that policy going to work?... It's tough for normal members to know how effective or not effective" any politically uncomfortable grand bargain might be at actually fixing the nation's fiscal problems, says , president of the Commission for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Politically, the two men will play similar roles. On the right, Ryan has been a liaison between the GOP leadership and the party's fractious, more junior base of conservatives on setting a strategy on spending issues. It would almost certainly fall to him to fight for any sweeping fiscal deal among the chamber's most conservative members.

"He's pretty critical in bringing these young guys along because he's respected, and he's been at it so long," says formerof , a centrist who was himself considered a dealmaker in the House.

Van Hollen, too, has carved out a niche as the go-to source for House Democrats on budget issues. "People absolutely turn to him, increasingly, for advice on budget and related fiscal matters," says Rep. Gerry Connelly (D) of Virginia.

But will these two budget warriors reach an accord? Ryan has shown a willingness to make tough calls in the past. He voted for the bailout of financial institutions, has been a longtime sponsor of comprehensive immigration reform, and broke with two of his closest colleagues in the GOP leadership to vote for the year-end "fiscal cliff" tax deal. He recently lunched withand Van Hollen to discuss financial issues and said his budget was an "invitation" to a broader discussion with Democrats.

"Ryan, within the Republican Party, [has] taken on this image of being the kingmaker both intellectually but also politically," says , a congressional historian at Prince-ton University. "In the end, for a real deal or a real drama, you need a 'Nixon goes to ' moment, and he's the one who could do it."

While Ryan may have to endure a proposal with more tax increases, Van Hollen's challenge will be acquiescing to reforms to sacred Democratic programs likeand .

Perhaps boding well for such talks is that Ryan and Van Hollen have already gone through multiple rounds of fiscal negotiations: Both understand all the pressure points. "In some ways, the answer is hiding in plain sight," Van Hollen says. "On the other hand, it's been very difficult to get there."

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NASCAR officials were discussing Wednesday what penalties to levy against Kenseth and Joe Gibbs Racing, multiple people familiar with the inspection told the AP on the condition of anonymity because no decision has been made.

The engine, which is supplied by Toyota Racing Development out of Costa Mesa, Calif., failed because one of the eight connecting rods did not meet the minimum weight requirement. While it could be a quality control issue that did not provide Kenseth any advantage, NASCAR would still hold JGR and the No. 20 team responsible.

Penalties could include a loss of points for Kenseth, a fine for crew chief Jason Ratcliff and suspensions of six weeks or more for Ratcliff and other members of the JGR organization.

The failed inspection comes on the heels of NASCAR penalizing Penske Racing for using parts it said were unapproved in the rear suspension of its cars at Texas. NASCAR docked 25 points each from defending champion Brad Keselowski and teammate Joey Logano, fined the crew chiefs $100,000 each and suspended seven Penske employees for six races.

Penske Racing's appeal is scheduled for May 1.

NASCAR is far stricter about engine infractions and severely punished the last violator, Carl Long, who was found to have an illegal engine at the 2009 All-Star Race. Long was docked 200 points which would be about 50 points under the current points system fined $200,000 and suspended 12 races.

His suspension was reduced to eight races on appeal, but Long is unable to pay the fine and can't work in the Sprint Cup garage until he settles his debt with NASCAR.

Kenseth drove the No. 20 Toyota to his second win of the season Sunday in Kansas, where he held off Kasey Kahne of Hendrick Motorsports in the closing laps. It is standard procedure for the race winning engine to go back to Concord for a thorough inspection.

Katherine Bowyer Gallagher has pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession of stolen property. The Marin Independent Journal reports (http://bit.ly/ZglPfA ) sentencing for the 31-year-old is May 15.

Lewis was identified by the California Highway Patrol as Hugh Anthony Cregg. The 62-year-old was staying at a Holiday Inn Express in Mill Valley on Feb. 21 when the Toyota Corolla he rented was stolen with his laptop inside.

Lewis says he left the car idling to go into the hotel for a receipt. Authorities say a CHP officer later spotted Gallagher in the stolen vehicle.

Lewis is the frontman of Huey Lewis and the News.

LONDON (Reuters) - Jenson Button could be thankful at least that McLaren allowed their drivers to race each other in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix, even as he accused team mate Sergio Perez of dangerous and 'dirty' driving.

The 2009 world champion looked for positives after he and his Mexican team mate cleared the air at a hastily-arranged meeting with McLaren management after Sunday's race.

"We have sat down and discussed it and hopefully we have all learnt from the race... it could have all ended in a very different way for both of us," Button told reporters.

"It's great that we don't have team orders and are allowed to fight," he added.

"I think he will learn," Button said of Perez. "I think it's good being in a team like this that will be very open with comments and say what they think to the drivers, face-to-face. We've all done that, so that's important."

Perez and Button raced nose-to-tail and wheel-to-wheel, with the Mexican bumping the rear of the Briton's car in one heartstopping moment for the McLaren pit wall, as he tried to find a way past.

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh said he had come under considerable pressure from both sides of the garage - which he described as divided between 'Team Button' and 'Team Perez' - to intervene but had refused to do so.

"'Team Button want to beat 'Team Perez'. They'll be saying 'this is hurting us' and that's normal. We like that dynamic," explained Whitmarsh.

"Right down to the mechanics, they want their car to beat the other car. That's how we work as a race team and it gives certain tensions in the system. But I think that's the right way to do it."

WEBBER FURY

The memory of this year's controversial Malaysian Grand Prix remains fresh, even if McLaren have always maintained that their drivers are free to race each other - within reason.

In Malaysia, Red Bull told world champion Sebastian Vettel to stay behind team mate Mark Webber to the chequered flag because they were worried about tyre wear. The German ignored the order, overtook and won in an action that enraged Webber and triggered a media storm.

In that same race, Mercedes told Nico Rosberg to stay behind team mate Lewis Hamilton because they feared the cars could run out of fuel. Their German complied and missed out on a podium place, despite feeling he was faster.

"I had a lot of noise in my ear from people suggesting I should stop them racing, we didn't," said Whitmarsh of Sunday's incident. "I think it was the right thing in the long term for both drivers to know they are racing each other and be competitive," he added.

"We've seen it a couple of times this year, and the driver behind is always going to believe he was quicker, he's always going to be aggrieved.

"Those guys are out there fighting and you can't suddenly decide halfway through a race 'Oh, by the way, I didn't mean it. don't fight because it looks uncomfortable for me'"

Whitmarsh said he was unlikely to issue any such command any time soon, even if he had explained to Perez later that he had gone too far.

The team boss also praised the 23-year-old for his fighting spirit, however, and the 'spark' he had shown.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

Although you'll come face-to-face with lots of indulgent goodies,that doesn't mean every temptation will be "special." A "special" foodis worth its calories, even if it causes you to gain weight. These typesof foods are unique and may not be available during the rest of year.

So,if you're feeling a little overwhelmed with the abundance ofseasonalofferings, here are my tips on how to trim your intake. Thatway, you'llleave room for being a little naughty and nice to yourselfwith a morespecial treat.

-- Have a light snack before you go to a party so that you're notstarving when you get there. If you go to an event when you're hungry,it will be difficult to make sensible decisions.

--Don't be fooled by dressed-up candies and cookies around your home oroffice. They're probably the same sweets you've managed to avoid allyear. They won't taste any better; they'll just look nicer.

--Be a buffet browser. Scope out the different types of foods offered onthe buffet table before you fill your dish. If something special awaitsyou at the end of the table, you'll want to leave some room on yourplate and in your stomach.

-- Eat s-l-o-w-l-y.Savor the flavor, temperature, and texture of the food you eat. It takesabout 20 minutes before your brain registers that you're getting full,so . I call this "low lights-soft music" eating. Taste every bite.

--If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation, and perhaps select wine,champagne, or a light beer. Whiskey, like vodka or gin (especially whendoubles and triples are poured at parties) can really pack on thepounds. What's the safest way to slash calories from alcohol? !

--Drink lots of water, club soda, or seltzer. Add lemon or lime and asplash of your favorite fruit juice for some added flavor. This willhelp provide a feeling of fullness and help keep you hydrated. These arethe best fluids toand keep food moving through your system.

--Remember the word, "sample." Don't choose large portions of food thatwill make you feel bloated and guilty before you even get back home.Smaller servings, even if they're high in calories, will provide yourbody and mind with foods that bring comfort, not discomfort.

--Don't forget to stay active. Take advantage of winter activities likeshoveling snow, snowboarding, or skiing. For activities closer to home,enjoy a brisk walk with your kids, or put on some holiday tunes anddance around the kitchen! You or cleaning the house vigorously before company arrives. You could alsoget physical by climbing on and off a step stool to get out the chinaand pots and pans from the top shelves. And if all else fails, just jumpup and down when you open your presents.

Andmost of all, remember that you are special, and you deserve the attentionand care you tend to readily give to others. When it comes to creating ahappy and healthy holiday season, your goal should be to give andreceive, so be sure to put yourself on your list!

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN,has been owner of BTD Nutrition Consultants, LLC, for more than threedecades and she is the author of Read It Before You Eat It. As arenowned motivational speaker, author, media personality, andaward-winning dietitian, Taub-Dix has found a way to communicate how tomake sense of science. Her website is .