DEAR DR. BLONZ: Is there a way to lessen or control the diuretic effects of alcohol on the body? On the rare occasion that I have drinks with friends, I am then up all night urinating, which takes all the fun out of it! Would eating salty foods help while drinking? Thank you so much. -- A.D., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR A.D.: The best fix would be to adjust your rate of intake. That reality notwithstanding, alcohol affects how much urine the kidneys produce before forwarding it to the bladder to await elimination. The amount of alcohol is key here, more so than the volume of fluid. (For more on the amount of alcohol in standard drinks, see b.link/glg2ayr.)

Adding salty foods, such as seafood that's naturally rich in sodium, would add a new twist to your scenario. Our bodies are designed to eliminate excess sodium and must dilute it to a tolerable concentration for elimination, which explains why sodium chloride (salt) increases thirst. (This, incidentally, is the reason we cannot satisfy thirst by drinking seawater, as its sodium is at a higher concentration than our body can make or tolerate; it increases thirst, rather than satisfying it, setting the body back even further.) For more on sodium, see b.link/qxc2rfg.

You can imagine where things might head if you then seek to quench a salt-bred thirst by consuming alcoholic beverages. Even if you drink water, your body will still need to produce urine to eliminate the excess sodium. A logistical consideration would be to plan on a low-sodium/alcohol-free period before bedtime; a couple of hours might be sufficient, but you will need to determine what works best for your system.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I have recently discovered the benefits of baking vegetables wrapped in parchment paper. They are incomparable in flavor. I wonder why parchment paper is rarely mentioned in recipes. Is it safe to eat food cooked in this nonstick paper? Thank you. -- H.W., San Diego, California

DEAR H.W.: Parchment paper is made from cotton fiber and wood pulp. The paper is odorless and flavorless and can be used in baking, as a pan liner or to wrap foods for cooking. Parchment paper provides a moist-heat method to cook foods and preserve flavors "en papillote," which is French for "cooked and served in paper." It is unclear to me why this technique doesn't get more play in the United States.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: What you eat is obviously involved with gas in the intestines, but it seems to remain a problem no matter what I try. I once went to a specialist in natural medicine and tried various dietary shifts with no success. I now think that food may have less to do with my gas, so I am looking for a greater understanding. -- E.H., Oakland, California.

DEAR E.H.: Foods are the first thing people think of when dealing with intestinal gas, but other factors may need to be considered. These include dietary supplements, medications -- especially antibiotics and laxatives -- as well as shifts in eating time, ongoing stressors during the day, the speed at which you eat and the inadvertent swallowing of air that often takes place during the rushed consumption of foods (also giving credence to parental advice to not talk with your mouth full).

As foods affect people differently, a variety of foods can appear on a particular person's "gas" list, including dairy products, beans, other legumes and certain grains, cereals, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Whatever the food, it's usually a poorly digested carbohydrate that becomes the gas-causing ingredient. Beans, lentils and other legumes are notorious for gas because they contain carbohydrates the body does not completely digest.

When less digestible components enter our large intestines, they become the main course for the microbial flora, and gas is often produced as a byproduct. Your eating routine can play a role. If you were to have a portion of a gas-producing food such as beans on an empty stomach, it is likely to produce more discomfort than having that same serving slowly as part of a mixed meal. Discomfort would also be less if legumes were a regular part of your diet.

As mixed meals take longer to digest and absorb, combinations of protein, fat and carbohydrates slow the rate at which food travels through the digestive system, and this can reduce the rate of gas production and its effects. This explains why having single gassy foods, where the flora can go one-on-one with the problem-causing material, creates less pleasant results.

It's known that some people tolerate large servings of foods that cause excessive gas in others. It's unclear how much of this is due to differences in digestive ability, how often we eat the food or even such factors as whether we're relaxed or anxious, the speed at which we eat, medications being taken or how completely we chew.

If you are constantly bothered by gas, start keeping a food diary. On days when your problem is most bothersome, note the foods you have eaten, the meal conditions and even your state of mind. Often, a pattern will emerge that can give you hints about ways to eat, methods of preparation or serving sizes in which foods are better tolerated. In addition, over-the-counter food supplements may help you with a couple of the more troublesome carbohydrates. Given that health problems with the digestive system can also be an issue, instances of persistent problems should be brought to the attention of your health professional. For more on intestinal gas, see the article at b.link/h42kupm.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: Some time ago, I became interested in assuring myself an adequate supply of soluble and insoluble fiber. I bought reasonable quantities of oat bran, wheat bran, wheat germ, flaxseed and Grape-Nuts. I thoroughly mixed a cup of each of these five items in a large bowl and poured the mixture into a perfectly sized jar. Whenever I have a bowl of Cheerios, Shredded Wheat or Wheaties, I sprinkle a rounded tablespoon of the fiber mix over my breakfast choice. Am I doing myself some good? P.S.: I enjoy reading your weekly column in the East Bay Times. I always learn some valuable information. Thank you! -- J.B., Walnut Creek, California

DEAR J.B.: Thanks for your kind words, and my compliments on your breakfast strategy. You are doing yourself, especially your digestive system, a favor by keeping fiber a staple in your diet.

The average diet contains only about half the fiber we need. Research suggests an increased fiber intake (a total of 25 to 30 grams per day) can help prevent heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, diverticular diseases, certain cancers, constipation, diarrhea, weight gain, hemorrhoids and ulcerative colitis. This is quite impressive when you consider that dietary fiber isn't even absorbed. The list of benefits does not stop there. Findings now reveal how dietary fiber can boost the health of our microbiome and its ability to facilitate the production of health-promoting metabolites like short chain fatty acids. For more on fiber's benefits, see b.link/ggk6hj5.

To put some numbers to your formula, five cups of your mix will have 115 grams of dietary fiber (oat bran: 14 grams; wheat bran: 25 grams; wheat germ: 15 grams; flaxseed: 46 grams, and Grape-Nuts: 15 grams). There are 16 tablespoons in a cup; 80 tablespoons in five cups. Dividing 115 by 80 shows that your tablespoon will add 1.4 grams of dietary fiber to the cereal, which will have about three grams of its own, giving you a total of 4.4 grams of fiber for the dish. (I used nutritionvalue.org for these calculations.)

Be aware that because some fiber-rich foods can also contain healthy fats, it's best to keep items such as wheat germ and flaxseed (especially if ground or cracked) in a sealed container in the fridge.

If you are looking for other ways to boost the fiber in your cereal, adding fresh or dried fruits can help. A cup of blueberries, for example, will add another 3.6 grams, along with a host of beneficial phytochemicals. They are my favorite when in season, but I turn to sliced bananas, other fresh berries and dried cranberries when they're not. I try to have a bag of frozen organic berries ready for times I cannot get to the market. For a list of high-fiber options in the various food groups, see b.link/9phgsfc.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.