DR. WALLACE: A couple of months ago, you encouraged a girl to eat her broccoli because it's the best vegetable she can eat. My parents read your column and now my mom prepares broccoli at least twice a week and forces me to eat it. I don't really hate it, but it's not one of my favorites. Maybe I'll enjoy it more if I know exactly how good it is for me. Please fill me in. Also, which fruit ranks as No. 1? — Zachary, Corpus Christi, Tex.

ZACHARY: Good old broccoli is a powerhouse of nutrition. One cup supplies 90 percent of the daily requirement for beta-carotene; 200 percent of Vitamin C; significant amounts of niacin, calcium, thiamine and phosphorous and 25 percent of needed fiber. Also, broccoli is one of the vegetables that may protect against certain forms of cancer. And all this for only 45 power-packed calories per cup!

Trust me when I tell you not to complain when mom serves it twice a week. You should be thanking her.

All fruits are wonderfully nutritious, but cantaloupe and strawberries are the best!

BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT

DR. WALLACE: You told a 17-year-old girl who wanted to get married at the end of her junior year in high school to wait until after she graduated before "tying the knot." I strongly second that motion. My husband was 19 and I had just completed my junior year when we got married. I had plans to return to night school to earn my diploma, but things didn't work out that way.

I don't regret marrying my husband, and we love each other very much. But when I think of the many, many things I missed in my senior year including the prom, senior yearbook, and, of course, graduation, I wish that I had waited that extra year.

I am looking forward to my 4-year-old daughter going to proms and, hopefully, graduation parties before she says, "I, Janet, take thee..." — Angie, Rome, Ga.

ANGIE: Thanks for sharing your experience. It's important for teens to hear it from those who have "been there and done that."

HAVE A PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCE

DR. WALLACE: I'm in the seventh grade and really like all of my classes and teachers except one. One of my teachers is always picking on me. He calls on me in class discussions and if I don't have the right answer, he makes a smart remark like, "Start doing all your homework and stop watching television and you'll get a better grade in this class." That makes the class laugh, but makes me feel terrible.

I'm a good student and always have been. I'm getting A's and B's in all my other classes, but I'm only getting a C from him. I think I deserve better. I've talked with him after class and asked him to stop picking on me, but all he said was, "I'm not picking on you. It's all in your mind." My brother had the same teacher last year. They had a huge argument and my brother was suspended for two days. Is it possible the teacher is mad at me because of my brother?

How can I get him to stop picking on me and give me the grade I should be getting — at least a B? - Maria, Las Cruces, N.M.

MARIA: Most problems like this can be resolved with a parent-teacher-student conference. Have a parent arrange such a meeting. If for some reason this fails to work, have a parent arrange a meeting with your principal. An efficient principal can solve your problem.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.