Party Pleasers

1. You won't need sugar with your tea if you drink Jasmine tea or the lighter-bodied varieties like Formosa Oolong, which have their own natural sweetness. They are fine for sugarless iced tea, too.

2. Calorie-free club soda adds sparkle to iced fruit juices, makes them go further, and reduces calories per portion.

3. A differen flavoring for tea: Instead of sugar, dissolve old-fashioned lemon drops or hard mint candy in your tea. They melt quickly and keep the tea clean and brisk.

4. Most diets call for 8 ounces of milk and 4 ounces of fruit juice. Check your glassware. Having the exact size glass prevents overpouring.

5.Surprise! If you sweeten breakfast cereal with sugar, you may want to switch it to a pre-sweetened variety. Ounce for ounce, plain and pre-sweetened have about the same calories, so you save by not having to add sugar.

6. Seeds and nuts, both shelled and unshelled, keep best and longest when stored in the freezer. Nuts in the shell crack more easily when frozen. Nuts and seeds can be used directly from the freezer.