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In order to avoid identity theft it has been proposed that consumers should have complete control of their personal data. This is something the Jack Dunning (who runs a blog on the subject) has concluded. And he should know, he has spent 35 years selling consumer's personal data to the junk mail industry.

And there have been some advances. Commercial institutions and businesses are taking better care of our data. Data breaches in the industry are less common but problems do still occur and there appear to be a number of ingrained habits which need working on.

There appears, at first sight, to be much movement on the horizon regarding identity crime, identity fraud and identity theft. But on closer inspection, identity theft legislation could be seen as ineffective especially when dealing with sophisticated criminals and organised gangs. Rules and regulations which have been drawn up can have too many exceptions for businesses and institutions. This can make the regulations worthless and unmanageable.

As with many things it appears that in the realms of identity theft there is too much sorting out of problems once they have arisen rather than dealing with prevention in the first place. Even institutions which have a very public persona and easily readable and detailed data collection rules and regulations, can fall foul to identity theft. Criminals do not even have to be very determined in order to steal your identity.

Postal services, for instance, can mistakenly deliver mail to the wrong address, and even with the current threat of identity theft and increasing identity crime, some of this mail can contain sensitive personal data including name, address, date of birth and other personal details. The problem is made worse when one considers that this type of delivery is often unsolicited.

The credit and charge card companies that often are perpetrators of this particular misdemeanour are also the ones that are on the receiving end of complaints regarding identity theft. They are also liable for the rectification to the victims of identity fraud. It may seem churlish to point out, but wouldn't life be better if the credit card and charge card companies at least practised a system whereby sensitive data is protected rather than disseminated?

For further information and resources on identity theft, internet crime and online security visit the New Identity Theft website operated by Eric Hartwell.

All across the web you'll see advertisements touting debt consolidation as an easy ticket to financial freedom, and if you're struggling financially then their promises can seem very enticing indeed. However, what the marketing people don't often tell you is that unless you use consolidation wisely it can actually make a bad financial situation even worse. You could end up with even greater debt problems, and even run the very real risk of losing your home.

Having said that, there's no doubt that debt consolidation CAN work for you, so long as you use it wisely. So what should you be considering before committing yourself to taking out that loan?

The first and most basic factor to weigh up is whether or not you can get a loan at a low enough rate to make it worthwhile. The basic premise behind consolidation is that you're attempting to lower your monthly repayments in total. If, after adding up all your current credit commitments you find that a loan you're offered can clear them all and yet result in a single lower monthly figure then it's worth seriously considering. If poor credit or other factors mean your loan is more expensive and won't give you a considerable or even worthwhile monthly saving, then debt consolidation might well be a seriously bad move.

The reason for this is that you're likely to be moving unsecured debt such as credit cards into secured debt, which necessarily means you're potentially putting your home at risk. If you fail to keep to the repayments, you may find you'll enter into the nightmare of repossession and eviction, even if your debt is only a fraction of your home's value.

With unsecured debt, on the other hand, while the consequences of defaulting can be severe in terms of credit rating damage and even insolvency, your home won't normally be put at risk. Debt consolidation is therefore a risky move unless you're certain that it will in fact result in a sensible repayment figure that you can keep up with.

The other major risk of consolidation is that by clearing your current debts, and hopefully having a little extra spare cash each month, you might be tempted into using all those lovely empty credit card accounts to treat yourself after the worries and struggles of your recent financial hardships. This is, obviously, a terrible mistake - but it's one that it's all to easy to make.

In the worst cases, you could find yourself running up new unsecured debts which you need to service, all the while having the new secured consolidation debt hanging over you as well. To avoid this, it's absolutely essential that you cut up your plastic to stop you being tempted to use it, and also to contact the card issuers and tell them to close the accounts down to remove all possibility of running up new debt. If you need to use plastic for payment convenience, consider a secured (prepaid) card or a debit card instead.

None of this should discourage you from restructuring your finances with a consolidation loan if you can determine for sure that the benefits will ease your financial burden, but always bear in mind that consolidation has risks as well as rewards.

Martin is a personal finance writer working for Debt Sorter, where you can read more about debt consolidation and other ways of dealing with debt problems. Visit to get debt help today!

Now there is a simple, common sense eating and food plan for life that not only promotes easy weight loss, but also jumpstarts your energy and builds up your fitness and health.

This health supporting and weight loss plan is not one of those latest and greatest yo-yo diets which boasts fast weight loss and hides the fact that once you resume your old eating habits, the weight returns and with a vengeance.

Contrary to what you may think or what you have experienced in the past, just because you have always been Chubby Girl doesnt mean that you have to carry around those extra layers of fat for the rest of your life.

If you follow this daily food plan, you will not only fill up on those foods that promote healthy weight loss, but will also provide you with the best nutrition for human health.

What more could you want? Learn how to get down to your ideal weight while you nourish your body with the most power-packed foods that promote lifelong fitness and health and prevent life-threatening and life-robbing diseases.

Furthermore, instead of thinking about what you have to give up or sacrifice, you think about what you get to add to, not subtract from, your daily food plan and meals.

What foods do you get to add to your daily food plan?

You get to add:

10 fruits a day
10 vegetables a day
Whole grains, like whole oats and brown rice
Whole beans, like kidney beans, black beans, lentils, split peas, garbanzo beans
Raw, unsalted nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans) and seeds (sunflower and pumpkin)
Raw, fresh homemade fruit and vegetable juices

Do 10 pieces of fruit sound like a lot of fruit to eat in one day? It may be a new concept to you, but it is doable and enjoyable. Do you have to eat that much fruit? Of course not. This is your plan, your goals, and your life. These are merely guidelines from which to build an eating plan for you that is both nutritious, slimming, and tasty.

The fact is that on most days, I eat at least 10 pieces of fruit throughout the morning and stop eating fruit about 30 to 60 minutes before lunch. I also snack on fruit if I get hungry about 4:00 in the afternoon or in the evening a couple of hours after dinner if I eat dinner early enough. If I eat that much fruit in the morning, do I eat anything else for breakfast? Yes, you guessed it! How could I have room for anything else? I dont, and that is exactly the point.

If you fill up on enough of the nutrient-dense, health-supporting foods, then you have no room for health-robbing foods that are high in fat, cholesterol, white sugar, white flour, chemicals, and are loaded with empty calories. With enough fruit in the morning, you are full and satisfied and lose your desire, and often times cravings, for anything else. If you get hungry in the later afternoon, reach for a piece or two of fruit instead of the usual snack food.

No deprivation. No sacrifice. No hunger. Just effortless good nutrition.

Lunch for me is almost always a very large, green, vegetable salad (the largest bowl in the stacked bowls of four) with a minimum of 10 different vegetables. And I actually count them just to make sure. Its like a game to me.

See? There you have it. By 1:00, I have already eaten 10 fruits and 10 different vegetables, and I still have the rest of the day to fill up on more of the same good food. It is doable.

Remember, if you change your thinking, then you can change your habits.

Along with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, it is easy to add whole, cooked grains and beans to your daily diet. Fruit, nuts, and seeds make excellent snack foods.

And now that you are full with only the most nutritious foods, lets explore which foods are not good for you and, in fact, deplete your body and your health.

Once you fill up on the good-for-you foods, it is easier to avoid:

All animal products (yes, all of them, whether they moo or baa or oink or cluck or flap their fins and tails) All dairy products (cows milk, cheese, ice cream, butter, and yogurt) The five deadly whites:

oWhite sugar
oWhite flour
oWhite salt
oWhite rice
oWhite oils (all processed oils such as canola, corn, vegetable, safflower, soybean, rapeseed, and even olive oil)

Refined, processed, canned, packaged, manmade, fast, and junk foods, snacks, and drinks

Hydrogenated and trans fats (found in fried foods, margarines, mayonnaise, candy, chocolate, peanut butter, salad dressings, baked goods, cookies, chips and many packaged foods)

Pop, coffee, and alcohol

Remember the principles of learning new eating habits:

Think addition, not subtraction.

Think get to, not have to.

Think daily deposits into your health account, not unlike deposits into your bank account.

Think building up and preserving your health account by avoiding withdrawals.

Think the gift of health, fitness, energy, inner joy, activity, fun, and purpose.

Think reward; not sacrifice.

Dr. Leslie Van Romer is a health motivational speaker, writer, and lifestyle coach. Visit http://www.DrLeslieVanRomer.com for more inspiration.