<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> The July issue of Tuft University's Nutrition Letter tells us that the advice that coffee and pop do not count in your daily intake of water because they are diruetics is propaganda from two associations: One promotes the sales of bottled water, and the other promotes the sales of water filters. A recent controlled blind study demonstrates that any combination of water, coffee, tea, and/or pop produce the same amount of urine per intake, IF those drinking the coffee, tea or pop do so regularly and haven't just started it. It seems the body accustoms itself to the caffeine quickly, though in some people who have sensitive bladders there are substances in tea and coffee that make them more sensitive liquid in the bladder so they empty the bladder more often. One of the docs conducting the study says his mother is 86, drinks hardly anything but coffee all day, and is well hydrated. Good news for me: I hate water. Gives me stomach cramps and tastes terrible to me. Now there's a new one, eh? The same letter lists the most common food sensitivities in order as: milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, soy, tree nuts (almonds, walnuts and cashews), fish, and shellfish. Adults are more likely than children to have sensitivities to tree nuts and shellfish, and less likely to be sensitive to milk and eggs. Of course we all know that celiacs may differ in this. -vance Margaret Stewart's hints for better bathrooms: Convert a Barcolounger into your own special toilet seat. And perhaps you might enjoy having a well-stocked mini-library installed also. Imagine the envy on your friends' faces when they . . . .