1) What about avocados? I know they don't contain any cholesterol, but they are high in fat so I have avoided them. Now, however, I am reading that the kind of fat they do contain may be useful in lowering cholesterol. Do you have any further information on this?

2) I love avocados and have heard that the different varieties have different health benefits and some are less fattening than others. Please can you tell me about different varieties and which are best.

I recently received an alarming e-mail regarding the dangers of eating Canola oil. Apparently it is made from rapeseed, which is supposedly highly toxic and has been shown to develop cancer in rats. The e-mail also referred me to an article by a Tom Valentine called "The Canola Oil Report." I located the report, read it, and quite frankly, threw out the remaining canola oil I had in the kitchen. Is there any truth to this article? And if there is, surely this is criminal.

I recently had lab work done that identified a vitamin D deficiency. My level was eight and my doctor says that 30 is considered a normal level. I was then prescribed a vitamin D2 pill to help bring my levels up. I just read something that said vitamin D3 is the preferred type to use as a supplement and that 30 isn’t considered the “normal” level anymore, that the number should be closer to 40 or 50.

A few questions: Is it better to use D3 or D2? What level is considered normal? What are the effects of vitamin D deficiency?