The guy's guide to good health: use this head-to-toe guide to out a happy and healthful existence

breath: If you forgot to stock up on mouthwash or breath mints before a hot date or an important meeting, sugar-free yogurt may do the job, according to researchers from Tsurumi University in Japan. They found that bacteria and volatile sulfide compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide (which is responsible for stinky breath), decreased in 80 percent of volunteers after six weeks of eating about 3 oz. of sugar-free yogurt twice daily. Not only were they more kissable, but they had less plaque and symptoms of gum disease, too.

teeth: They may taste sweet as sugar, but raisins fight the bacteria that lead to tooth decay, plaque and gum disease, according to researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago, who presented their results to the 2005 General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

hot heads: Mad as hell? Anger raises your chances of getting injured, according to researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia. And the more furious you feel, the more you're at risk. "People who describe themselves as feeling 'irritable' have a 30 percent increased risk for getting injured, while those who feel hostile, angry or mad have double the risk of injury," says lead researcher Daniel Vinson, MD, MSPH, a professor of family and community medicine.

To control your fury, visualize serene experiences or images. Try deep breathing while slowly repeating a calm word or phrase such as "take it easy." Meditative exercises like yoga or tai chi can boost your mood, ease tension and calm you down. "Meditation cultivates inner peace and serenity and improves our ability to approach life from a place of balance and calm," says Shirley Archer, author of Pilates Fusion: Well-Being for Body, Mind, and Spirit. To get started, Archer suggests the following steps:

* Choose a quiet place where you're not likely to be interrupted.

* Sit with good posture, and put your hands on your thighs or clasped in your lap.

* Close your eyes.

* Focus on your breath. Be aware of inhaling and exhaling and the pause between breaths.

* Feel your breath traveling through your body, in the nostrils and into the lungs.

heart: When you crave a treat, bypass fries, chips or beer. Instead, reach for these heart-smart snacks:

* Fresh grapes are loaded with antioxidants that prevent hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).

* Several studies have indicated that unsalted almonds may reduce "bad cholesterol."

* Sunflower seeds and cashews are a good source of vegetable protein, which can lower blood pressure.

* Walnuts contain omega-3 fats that may protect against irregular heart rhythms.

* Go ahead and have that chocolate bar. Cocoa--whether you eat or drink it--can lower blood pressure.

* Wash it down with a hot cup of green or black tea to help lower bad cholesterol and prevent arterial plaque buildup that causes atherosclerosis.

lungs: So you decided to "cut back" on cigarettes. Don't kid yourself: light smoking still means high risk when it comes to lung cancer. People who smoke between one and five cigarettes a day are almost three times more likely to die of lung cancer than those who've never smoked. What's more, people who smoke fewer cigarettes tend to inhale more.

Fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of lung cancer by as much as 40 percent. A compound called "phytoestrogens"--abundant in apples, blueberries, spinach, carrots, and broccoli, as well as whole grain and soy products--gets the credit. "Researchers discovered that men and women who had a higher intake of phytoestrogens from food had a reduced risk of developing lung cancer later in life," says Abby Kallio, a registered dietician at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. "But this doesn't give smokers a green light. It means stop smoking and then eat more fruits and vegetables."

back: Prone to backaches? You might be able to lay off pain-relieving meds once and for all if you try gentler alternative remedies, such as acupuncture, acupressure, meditation or massage therapy, according to research from the Mayo Clinic.

* Acupressure, in particular, has been shown to provide more relief than physical therapy.

* Exercise, particularly walking and swimming, can speed healing, but skip the weight room until the pain is gone. Strenuous lifting, pulling, pushing or twisting will aggravate pain.

* Take a gentle yoga class. A recent study of adults with persistent low-back pain found that after 12 weeks, those who practiced yoga had better back function than those who tried standard therapeutic exercises, with less than half the amount of pain medication.

beer belly: Have you been packing on the pounds around your middle and have love handles? Uh-oh. Men with a high waist-to-hip ratio--that is, a classic "beer belly"--are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than guys with flatter stomachs. To find out if you need to whittle your middle, take these steps: