Q: I am 20 years old and have been doing strength building exercises for about a year. I would like to start cutting down my diet, but I heard that restricting my calories is not good to do until I reach 24 or so because this is when the brain main development stages stops, and that this cannot be safely done while my brain is at this stage. I was just wondering what you knew about mind-body issues like this one?

A: I have never heard of this for ages older than 16. I rarely recommend that a teenager tries to diet to lose weight unless they're significantly overweight because they're still growing at that point and a restrictive diet can hurt their growth. But at age 20 you're done with most if not all of your growth and I don't see any reason why you should not be able to cut a little fat if that's what you want to do. Don't alter your diet too drastically and don't starve yourself and you should have absolutely no negative side-effects healthwise. The single simple adjustment to your diet I would recommend is replacing most of the starchy carbs like breads, rice, and pasta with vegetables (other than potatoes or corn). Also check out my Nutrition article if you haven't already. Good luck with your cut!