DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and plan to be a doctor working in the area of diet and cholesterol. I'm very happy to see that most restaurants, and now fast food outlets, are putting low-fat, low-cholesterol items on their menus. We teens need to realize that it is important for us to learn how to eat nourishing, well-balanced foods and to lay low on foods high in salt, fat and cholesterol.

My uncle is a doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and knowing that I'm interested in the study of cholesterol, he sent me a few hints for getting rid of most fat when preparing meat dishes. Will you please print this list? It will help many teens to be more conscientious eaters. —Shelly, Willmar, Minn.

SHELLY: Thanks for the useful information. Anything that helps teens has a good chance of being read in this column. The fat on meat is saturated fat and reducing saturated fat may lower cholesterol levels. That's good!

1. Trim visible fat from meats.

2. Remove the skin from poultry, either before or after cooking.

3. Use a fat-separating measuring cup (the spout comes out from the bottom) to separate fat from soup stocks and pan juices. Or refrigerate stocks and juices to solidify fat for removal with a spoon.

4. Refrigerate canned broths before opening. Skim away the fat that hardens on top.

5. Cook stews a day ahead. Then chill and remove the fat before reheating.

SHOULD PARENTS CHAPERONE SCHOOL DANCES?

DR. WALLACE: My daughter will be a high school freshman in September. She and her best friend talk constantly about going to school dances after football games. I'm told by other parents that the Garden Grove school district will not allow parents to act as dance chaperones. I think this is a terrible rule. Concerned parents would make excellent chaperones at no cost to the school. I'm astounded at this rule. I would welcome chaperoning a dance where my daughter would be attending. I understand that you are a former high school administrator and would welcome your thoughts on this issue. —Mother, Garden Grove, Calif.

MOTHER: All chaperones should be school personnel only (teachers, counselors, administrators). They have the authority to deal with problems that might arise. It wouldn't be fair to place a parent in this role. But parents should be welcome to stop by and visit the dance as guests with no disciplinary responsibility whatsoever. The maximum length of the visit? Fifteen minutes! The maximum number of dances parents can visit? All of them if they so choose.

Contact the Garden Grove District Superintendent's office to see if parents can make a short visit at school dances. I would be surprised if the answer was no. Parents were welcome to stop by school dances when I was an administrator in the Garden Grove School District.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.