I always cringe when I turn on the TV and see a commercial where outrageous claims are made about a breakfast cereal.

Sometimes, they tell you that replacing meals with cereal will help you lose weight.

The latest ones, for Cheerios, promise to lower your cholesterol.

And while these toasted little carbs are usually dunked in milk, right now they’re in hot water over that claim.

The FDA says the packaging blurbs that claim the cereal can lower your cholesterol levels by 4 percent in six weeks make it sound like a drug. And Cheerios, the agency notes, is not approved as a drug.

I don’t know what the more ridiculous part of this story is: the fact that the FDA is ignoring Big Pharma’s worst offenses and targeting a breakfast cereal, or the fact that anyone really would believe that Cheerios is the right way to lower their cholesterol.

Why the FDA is throwing its resources there is beyond me, especially when you consider the big problems we’re having with food and prescription drugs in this country. The only thing I can imagine is that some of those statin makers are starting to get a little nervous.

After all, lowering cholesterol is supposed to be their game – so I wouldn’t be surprised if Big Pharma quietly put some pressure on the FDA behind the scenes. Those statins are some of their biggest moneymakers, and they don’t want a cheap breakfast food muscling in on their turf.

Now, the fact is loading up on cereal is not a great way to reduce your cholesterol. To me, even a cereal as seemingly harmless as Cheerios is little more than a box of carbs, and most of us don’t need any more of those.

Sure, if you replace one extremely unhealthy meal per day with a less unhealthy meal, you might see some minor improvements – and that’s where cereals get to make these claims.

But you can do so much better by making some real changes to your lifestyle, which is the only way to truly get your cholesterol levels under control.

Avoid carbs, stick to fresh meats and healthy veggies – organic if you can – and move around a little more. I guarantee you’ll see some improvements over time.

Some of you might need a little more help than that – but that’s no reason to turn to some cereal-based diet or, worse yet, medications.

If you find that lifestyle changes alone haven’t quite made enough of a difference on your cholesterol levels, be sure to check out the July issue of Health Revelations, where I’ll have a detailed plan to help you control your cholesterol levels on your own, without drugs or fad diets. Subscribe now and get complete access to our online archives, too.

Now, go eat a real breakfast – but skip the cereal.

Ounce for ounce, there are few things in your home as bad for your body as soda.

And new research is starting to show it’s even worse than we thought.

Soda has already been linked to a host of health problems, from obesity and diabetes to tooth decay and osteoporosis. And now, it’s also being blamed for a horrible condition involving muscle weakness, cramps, palpitations and vomiting.

This condition is called hypokalemia, and it’s caused by a potassium deficiency.

Excess soda appears to cause blood potassium levels to fall to dangerously low levels, according to a study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

Researchers looked at people who drank large amounts of soda – between two and nine liters per day – and discovered this connection. In at least two cases, soda-drinking patients who experienced hypokalemia were hospitalized when their potassium levels fell dangerously.

Potassium is one of our most overlooked nutrients. I’ve found that most people not only misunderstand its importance, but they don’t know how to get it in the proper amount.

That’s because the amount of potassium you need is also related to your sodium intake. Our potassium-to-sodium ratio should be 7-to-1, but for most of us that ratio is reversed as we eat salt-laden processed foods at the expense of this vital nutrient.

Soda can also throw potassium levels out of whack. And when those servings are big enough, you’ve got a recipe for hypokalemia.

But don’t think you’re in the clear just because you drink less soda. To me, even a teaspoon of this junk is way too much. So I’m absolutely horrified when I walk into a convenience store and see giant two-liter cups of sugary poison, meant for gulping down with an extra-wide straw.

Remember, one of the key ingredients in most sodas is phosphoric acid, which has been linked to bone and kidney problems. Not only that, but industrial grade phosphoric acid is used to remove rust – that alone should tell you everything you need to know about it.

I’ve tried, and I can’t think of a single good reason why anyone should ever drink soda – even diet soda. They’re not just empty calories, but empty calories that add up quicker than most people realize.

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who drink soda regularly, it’s time to make some changes – and it’s not as difficult as you might think. Even the most hardcore soda junkies are surprised at how quickly they lose the taste for it once they stop drinking it.

For my money, nothing beats clear, cold water – but I find that when I just have to have that fizz, carbonated water beats cola any day of the week.

Most children already have boundless energy.

But today’s kids are different from those of previous generations, for several reasons.

First, many of them have already been placed on what I call the high-carb Torture Chamber Diet, robbing them of some of that natural energy.

Secondly, many of them are already hooked on caffeine. And recent studies show us that this is one substance they shouldn’t be near at that age.

One study found that kids who have too much caffeine are staying up well into the night, when their growing bodies should be at rest.

Most kids need at least nine hours of sleep per night, but too many of them aren’t getting that. Instead, the study found that they’re sending text messages, playing video games and surfing the Internet.

The study, published in the June 2009 issue of Pediatrics, found these kids – even those who consume caffeinated beverages – are also more likely to nod off during the day.

The researchers looked at 100 children 12-18 years old, and found that a third of them dozed off in school an average of twice a day, while some conked out up to eight times a day. Half of the kids with driver’s licenses said they felt drowsy behind the wheel.

Meanwhile, another study shows what can happen to kids who get too much caffeine.

Researchers in Italy looked at the case of a 13-year-old boy who was admitted to a hospital after chewing two packs of a caffeinated gum. The total caffeine in the gum wasn’t too much by adult standards: roughly equal to three cups of coffee.

But the boy – who had no illicit drugs in his system, by the way – grew agitated and aggressive, which was not normal for him. His heartbeat and breathing rapidly increased, and his blood pressure rose.

The case study, published in the May 30 issue of The Lancet, shows what can happen when someone with no caffeine tolerance – like a child – consumes the stuff.

I’ve got nothing against a couple cups of coffee or tea for most adults.

But kids shouldn’t be near this stuff, especially since they tend to get their caffeine from sugar-laden sodas and energy drinks.

This is the beginning of a lifetime of unhealthy habits and poor sleeping patterns.

I know it’s not easy to control what your teen eats and drinks, but it’s important to know how these things might be impacting their body.

Banning soda and energy drinks might not be the most popular move in your home – but it’s the right one.

There’s some great research going on these days when it comes to allergies and asthma. Too bad it’s being used for the wrong reasons.

The latest discovery concerns a protein that may be linked to allergy-induced asthma. But instead of using this information to help develop a safe and effective natural treatment or better understand the triggers, it’s likely that it will instead become the basis of yet another unnecessary drug.

Researchers say mice without this protein have fewer signs of asthma, according to the study published in May in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

They also found that mice that have the protein but are given a drug to block it show fewer asthma symptoms.

I find it appalling that every new discovery seems to lead to a drug. But it’s hardly surprising in today’s environment.

In this case, several of the researchers involved in the study also have ties to the company developing the drug that was used to block the protein.

You can guess where this is going.

I know Big Pharma likes it that way because that’s how drug makers line their pockets. But how much longer will everyone else play along?

You don’t need meds and their side effects to combat allergies and asthma. You need to understand what triggers your symptoms, and what eases them. For more information on how to heal from asthma, order my book, The Body Heals, 2nd Edition at www.thebodyheals.com.

For example, there’s even a new study out that shows how yoga can benefit asthma sufferers.

The study, presented in May at the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual meeting, found that people who perform basic yoga moves and breathing exercises for two and a half hours per week had a 43 percent improvement in asthma symptoms compared to those in a control group.

Surely that’s a better option than any new drugs and their yet-unknown side effects.

But yoga will only take you so far. What will really help you is better testing and, as a result, better awareness of the cause of your allergies.

These allergens can lurk just about anywhere. One recent study found that some people are allergic to chemicals used in point-of-sale printers, triggering their asthma symptoms.

These are the little printers used just about everywhere to print everything from lottery tickets to credit card receipts.

The study, published in May in the New England Journal of Medicine, followed a Spanish woman who had asthma symptoms while at work – but none on her days off. They were able to link the symptoms to the lottery ticket printer she used at her job.

But many people who develop coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath don’t get the kind of treatment that can link those symptoms to a specific cause. Most doctors are all too happy to just write a prescription for their patients and send them on their way.

Don’t settle for that.

These symptoms are always triggered by an allergen, and that allergen can almost always be identified if you insist on thorough testing.

Find them, remove them from your life – and breathe easier without any of Big Pharma’s meds.