At this time of year it seems like every woman is on a diet. Makes sense since summer's around the corner and we all want to be able to wear cute little sundresses, short(ish) shorts and, eek, perhaps even a swimsuit.

The thing is that a lot of us simply don't know how to eat healthily -- whether we're dieting or not. And, since a personal nutritionist is cost prohibitive for all but a lucky few of us, we're pretty much left to our own devices when it comes to figuring out what to eat. Even here at Total Beauty, where looking good and being fit is our business, most of us fall short in the "eating for optimum health" category.

That's why we thought it would be fun to enlist the help of celebrity nutritionist, and natural health/beauty expert Kimberly Snyder in making over our lunches. We asked Snyder, whose diet expertise has worked wonders on all sorts of celebs like Drew Barrymore, Fergie and Channing Tatum, to critique Total Beauty staffers' lunches. We wanted her honest (read: sometimes harsh) opinion on the choices we're making and her professional recommendations for what we should be eating instead.

See the dramatic lunchbox makeovers.

The result? Nine complete lunchbox makeovers. For the next couple of months, Tuesday will be "Lunchbox Makeover" day and you'll get to see what Snyder thought of an individual staffer's menu and find out her suggestions for making the meal more healthful. (She's the consummate pro at this as her new book, "The Beauty Detox" illustrates beyond the shadow of a doubt.)

Did our staffers take Snyder's advice to heart? You bet. Will they forever and always adhere to her every word and suggestion? Probably not, but knowledge, as they say, is power and we're all definitely wiser when it comes to nutrition now thanks to her frank assessments.

So, without any further ado, let's begin with the first "guinea pig"�

The meal: "I'm having a breakfast burrito for lunch. It contains beans, potatoes, bacon, eggs, cheese and salsa. I'm washing it all down with a Sprite Zero."

Kimberly Snyder's Assessment:
"Where do I start? First of all, we don�t want to �wash down� our lunch with anything -- any kind of beverage. It�s better to hydrate between our meals, so we reduce liquids at meals. Having a lot of liquids with our meals dilutes our digestive enzymes with hydrochloric acid and makes digestion longer and more difficult, which can lead to bloating and make it harder to lose weight.

[Your specific beverage], Sprite Zero, contains aspartame, the artificial sweetener that is responsible for about 80 percent of consumer complaints to the FDA (headaches, various health problems, etc.). Our bodies do not know how to break down the chemical compounds (which really aren�t fit for human consumption) that artificial sweeteners are made of, and they are acid forming in the body. The more acidic we are, the faster we age and the harder it is to lose weight. NOT recommended!

In terms of the meal, the burrito contains several types of protein; eggs, and beans, plus dairy, which contains casein protein (which is especially difficult to digest), plus two different kinds of starch; potatoes and the wrap. Combining all of these different foods, which need different processes inside the stomach to be broken down, is like you are purposely trying to make lunch as difficult to digest as possible. It�s important to note that digestion may take 50-80% our total body�s energy and, if we�re wasting energy on digestion, it�s not being used to help re-build skin and hair cells, or to help you be stellar at work.

There�s not enough room to write about the cheese here (please read the chapter in my book on dairy) but [suffice to say that] it is pasteurized and clogging. And the bacon is pretty much synonymous with toxic; it's a heavy, fried animal protein that is way too energy sucking to have at lunch, and will make your afternoon sluggish and drag you down."

Next: See Snyder's changes/suggestions

"Start by hydrating before lunch (30 min or so) and try to drink as little as possible during lunch. Start lunch with some sort of raw vegetable-- a salad of sorts or at least a few celery or carrot sticks. If you love the idea of a burrito, let�s change the contents so that it will be easier for your body to digest. It should contain salsa, onions, spinach, mushrooms, peppers and black beans. "

Next: Assistant Editor Jane's lunch gets appraised

The meal: A Smuckers "Uncrustables" peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Lays Baked Original chips, Fresh & Easy sweet iced tea.

Kimberly Snyder's assessment: "Hmm, OK, OK let�s just dive in from the top! Let�s make the switch from peanut butter to almond butter. Almonds are a healthier and more beautifying nut, without the pesky risk of aflatoxin mold, which may be present on peanuts at various levels. The jelly isn�t such a great option either-- when fruit is heated and processed like that it becomes acidic in the body, and there are usually processed sugars added into it on top of the natural fruit sugars.

[Of course with PB&J] we have the food combining issue of eating so many food groups at once- protein (peanut butter), starch (the bread) and fruit (jelly). Let�s take a hint from our wild animal friends, who eat much more simply than we do, and eat each food group at once. Why? Eating so many food groups takes a lot of work to digest. While we can certainly do it, it can waste a lot of our energy and make for a very groggy afternoon, and [it also] ties up energy that instead should be used to cleanse the body and elevate our beauty!

'Sweet' iced tea is scary and dreadful for the skin, as it is usually laden with a ton of inflammation-causing sugar. Maybe Jane can make her own iced tea and sweeten it with stevia, xylitol or another natural sugar (never use artificial sweeteners). Or better yet, stick to water or sparkling water with lemon!"

Next: See Snyder's changes/suggestions

Why don�t we switch to an avocado sandwich instead [of the peanut butter and jelly] or a grilled veggie wrap? If Jane really loves nut butters, almond butter on celery sticks [would work] as a snack later on. The baked potato chips aren't horrendous, and would actually combine decently with the sandwich, but if Jane wants an A+ she would go with a green salad instead of the chips.

Next: Senior editor Sarah's lunch is appraised