By SAM MCMANIS, Sacramento Bee

As with many a great notion, the idea came to nutritionist Bronwyn Schweigerdt while she was doing something totally unrelated to her work.

"I was rock climbing," Schweigerdt says, "and I was doing one where you're basically horizontal. I'm hanging there upside down thinking, 'There needs to be a female superhero. There needs to be Fiber Girl. That's it!'

Macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss among older Americans, can be regulated by diet, according to Tufts University research published in the journal Ophthalmology.

Take our quiz about foods that can raise or lower the incidence of age-related macular degeneration, or AMD.

It's been a while since we've checked in on our favorite guilty pleasure: the Center for Science in the Public Interest's "Food Porn" statistics. It's a rundown of nutritional horrors that restaurants foist upon diners. Take our highly caloric quiz:

Maltodextrin is a food additive, but don't hold that against it. In fact, many people are downright sweet on it. We've been hearing some good things about this complex carbohydrate, so take our quiz:

1. From what natural source does maltodextrin derive?

a) Potato starch

b) Corn starch

c) Rice starch

We're consuming way too much sugar, according to the American Heart Association. The organization says we should limit our intake of added sugars to no more than 25 grams per day for women and 36 grams for men.

Take our quiz on added sugars, gleaned from nutritionist Monica Reinagel at nutritiondata.com.

That "Freshman 15" syndrome you keep hearing about? Total myth, dude.

Study after study shows that first-time college students gain maybe 4 pounds to 6, tops -- in their first year away from home and without Mom-imposed food-portion control.

But that doesn't mean freshmen (and sophomores and juniors ...) make smart nutrition choices.

Not only do methamphetamine users have to struggle to overcome the insidious chemical effects of the powerful drug, but they also must deal with the perceived hopelessness of their addiction.

So what is it now, you medical experts?

We need to learn how to sit?

Oh, puhleeze. We've been doing it all our lives.

Fair season beckons, which can mean only one thing: fatty foods. On a stick! Take our quiz on the nutrition content (or lack thereof) of the most popular carnival food attractions culled from the book "The CalorieKing 2009 Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter."

1. Which iconic fair treat weighs in with the most calories, at 760 calories?

a) Cotton candy (5.5-ounce bag)

In the dairy case, yogurt choices are so numerous as to be daunting. You might end up making a selection that is low in calcium and high in fat. A Web site run by registered dietitians, Healthcastle.com, recently analyzed the various yogurt-cup options.
Take our quiz on the healthful aspects of yogurt: