Your e-mails: 'Vital Signs'

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(CNN) -- As part of the "Vital Signs" segment on "Paula Zahn Now," CNN.com users sent in their tips, tools and methods for staying healthy. Here is a selection of their responses, some of which have been edited for clarity and length.

Perry Sar of Montreal, Canada
All you need is a pair of running shoes, a pair of shorts and the open road to life of good health. Oh, and don't forget plenty of fruits and vegetables...Cheers! I'm off for my run.

Betsy Evans of Minnetonka, Minnesota
Always begin with a good breakfast. This is the foundation for your day. Combine carbs, protein and fat for a balance of energy and nutrition.

I found that moderate exercise, along with a diet that combines fat, protein and carbs at every meal and avoids trans fats, helped me lower my cholesterol by 16 points.

Kirsten Moody of Gardiner, Montana
One of the most important things one can do to stay healthy these days is to avoid -- as much as possible -- prepared foods.

So, I buy my own ingredients to make spaghetti, for example. This includes organic canned tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and free-range ground turkey. It takes more time to cook this way, but I think this is one of the reasons my family and I enjoy good health. It's tempting to buy the pot pies, tamales and all the other items at Costco and other stores, but they are full of junk. Cook your own food! And eat healthy fats. That is another way to keep your body in good working order. Organic butter, coconut oil and olive oil are conducive to good health, but people have been given erroneous information about fat in our country. Our low-fat, high sugar, highly processed, soda-drinking culture is killing us.

Jim Goethel of San Diego, California
Every morning I make a smoothie with orange juice, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, and soy protein powder. I exercise regularly (cardio and resistance), and I try to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. When I feel drained or like I might be coming down with something, I try to take a nap. Finally, [I take] lots of vitamin C when I don't get enough sleep and acupuncture treatment when I can afford it, which works wonders for my overall energy levels and helps eliminate pain.

Elizabeth Ford of Cleveland, Ohio
I stay healthy the old-fashioned way. I follow the food pyramid as closely as possible (avoiding fats) and stay active. I have discovered it isn't hard to burn more calories than you take in; it just requires a little motivation. If you are just going down the block, walk instead of drive, take the stairs instead of the elevators, and join group sports or activities. Laughing is another great way to burn calories.

Deborah Pridemore of West Palm Beach, Florida
Numerous mugs of green tea, walking and meditation everyday help me keep a handle on stress. There are everyday stresses that we cannot escape, such as work, bills, older parents who need help, grown children with their own problems, but we can choose how we deal with these.

Closing down and internalizing will only turn you into a volcano which will eventually erupt into possible heart disease or cancer.

Walking helps to release some of this pressure, meditation helps it to flow and the green tea is just soothing.

And of course having a good friend to talk to helps, too!

Amanda Houck of Lincoln, Nebraska
I lost 10 pounds in the past year doing nothing more than stopping my soda habit. I miss it still some days, but it's worth it. I'm too lazy to do anything else -- and I admit it.

Michael Bartosiak of Decatur, Texas
I am 53 years old and do not diet. I have learned self-control. Everything in moderation is my motto. I do not restrict myself from eating anything. I also find time to work out daily, and I stay busy on the weekend. Keeping active keeps the body burning calories and is also good stimulus for the mind. People who deprive themselves of pleasures only want them more. Again, moderation and physical activity are the keys to a long life.

Tama Filipas of Portland, Oregon
A little over a year ago, after struggling with allergies of all kinds for many years, and that got worse as I got older, I tried giving up wheat in all forms for one week.

I found out wheat is in a lot of things we're unaware of, and in almost everything that I love. But it made a huge difference in how I felt -- many of my breathing troubles eased tremendously, and it was obvious I was allergic to wheat, something I'd suspected for a while. A lovely side benefit of giving it up, though, was weight loss. The pounds fell off. I went from a size 12 to a size six in three months and felt terrific. I still keep it up, but my rule all along has been if it felt like I would die without a slice of pizza, I would eat a slice of pizza.

Jason Mosier of Isla Vista, California
I surf everyday. I wake up in the morning and look out the window to see if it's windy or not. If the waves are really good I'll surf multiple times a day, sometimes for over three hours each session.

Laura Sams of Atlanta, Georgia
The raw food diet has eliminated basically [my] use for medication. My allergies are gone; I have boundless energy and sleep really well. No caffeine, no alcohol and fresh fruits and vegetables every day make a world of difference.

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