Ever heard the joke about the guy asking his physician, “Doc, I don’t smoke or drink. I eat right and exercise. Will I live longer?” with his doctor replying, “No – it’ll just seem that way.”

Trendy nutrition advisories from various government agencies appear periodically and shake up our comfortable life style with more “don’t” than “do” directives. But here are some eye-openers that just may brighten your day:

• Dietary cholesterol is no longer a concern. A panel of nutrition experts recruited by the Obama administration says it’s official: no need to limit your cholesterol – in fact the new guideline says “An egg a day – it’s Okay.”
• To keep that blood sugar under control and that heart pumping away, drink three to five cups of coffee a day. Hurray! I love my “cuppa.”
• Stop blaming moo cows for those emissions that boost the planet toward global warming. In fact eating less red meat and poultry is advised and that should make for a happier barnyard.
• Stop boiling that pacifier that bounced on the floor to sterilize it. Just pop it in your mouth, swish with some parental saliva, and you’re good to go. This startling (and somewhat gagging advice) comes from pediatricians who encourage mom and pop to expose their offspring to more germs to get their immune systems rolling. Recall the “Ya gotta eat a little dirt to grow up healthy” from years ago? Turns out its true – all part of the “Hygiene Hypothesis” which is the latest trend in immunology circles.
• If you want to avoid kiddies getting peanut allergies? You guessed it – give them peanuts early on and they’ll thank you for it when they’re all growed up.
• Now one piece of this HH theory suggests that we all should junk our dishwashers and start scrubbing that sink full of yesterday’s, todays’, and tomorrow’s dirty dishes by hand. Ugg. Of course this advice comes from men researchers which makes me wonder just how many times they’ve dunked their research pinkies in the suds and scoured away. Again, exposure wins over avoidance, so grab that dishrag and tackle all that grease and grime to stay healthy.

Wow! I feel better already.

P.S. I’m keeping my dishwasher.