My husband Peter reads a lot about the brain. He tells me that, according to a recent article, a fat-free or low-fat diet can be bad for the brain. The article suggests that brains deprived of fat can lose cells.

Once more, we have to pause to process information that contradicts what we have been told. For years we were advised to avoid fat at all costs. Does this latest recommendation mean that our friends who brag about their low-fat diets are shrinking their brains?

Peter and I are the outliers here. We never gave up fat. There is NO substitute for butter as far as we're concerned. But, as I reminded Peter, there is still strong evidence that fat is bad for your heart.

"Yes," he replied. "But I can get a heart transplant. I haven't heard about anyone who transplants brains."

Point taken.