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Rhubarb, 3 Ways
Tweet Share on Facebook April 1, 2013 CommentHave you steered clear of rhubarb in the produce aisle because you only know it mixed with strawberries in a pie, or you thought it seemed more like decor than a delicacy? Before zipping your shopping cart by this the rhubarb section, I plan to stop you in your tracks. That's right people, it is time to stop and smell the rhubarb.
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Fortified Junk Foods Are Still Junk
Tweet Share on Facebook April 1, 2013 CommentOne of the disquieting trends in modern nutrition—and frankly, there are quite a few—is the contention that fortification makes any food a good food.
A time-honored example is breakfast cereal. Who hasn't heard a sonorous announcer conclude a television commercial by declaring that some kids' cereal that would otherwise seem a lot like a bowl full of jelly beans is "fortified with 11 essential vitamins and minerals—part of a complete breakfast!"
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Grocery Store RDs Offer Money-Saving Tips
Tweet Share on Facebook March 29, 2013 CommentWe've all been there. Fueled by a New Year's resolution or inspired by the upcoming bikini season, we load our grocery cart up with fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, only to take it all home and throw the bulk of it away days later as it turns limp and stale in our kitchen. Is it any wonder that the most common misperception about healthy eating is that it costs too much? "Many people simply overestimate how much food they will need or cook in one week," says Cindy Silver, a corporate dietitian for Lowes Foods. "They over-purchase and then life happens, leaving them with too much in the fridge, especially perishables." One of Silver's top money-saving tips is to re-purpose perishable foods by wrapping, dating and then freezing the food just before it turns bad and needs to be tossed.
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Second-Hand Junk Food
Tweet Share on Facebook March 28, 2013 CommentIn my regular battles against the unhealthy new normals of our modern-day, "Willy Wonkian" dietary dystopia, one of the common arguments I hear to oppose any sort of food regulation is that, unlike from tobacco smoke, no one ever got sick from second-hand junk food.
I disagree.
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Why You Should Eat Eggs All Year
Tweet Share on Facebook March 28, 2013 CommentIn the 1980s, people treated foods that contained cholesterol as if they carried a disease, not realizing that trans and saturated fats were more harmful to their bodies than cholesterol itself. Eggs are one of the best and most affordable sources of high quality protein available to us. This protein-rich, satisfying food can also help you lose weight by keeping you full at only 70 calories per egg.
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Foods Nutrition Experts Can't Live Without
Tweet Share on Facebook March 28, 2013 CommentI find it funny when a patient becomes bored while trying to eat healthy. (By the way, that same patient never complained about eating a plain bagel and cream cheese each morning for years before we met.) For many, there seems to be a strong disconnect between eating healthy and loving what they are eating.
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New Ways to Lower Cholesterol with Diet
Tweet Share on Facebook March 27, 2013 CommentIf you're among the 14 percent of American adults with high cholesterol, you've no doubt received the standard diet advice: lose weight; limit your intake of cholesterol-rich foods like eggs, butter, cheese, red meat and shellfish; and lower your intake of saturated fats from animal foods and hydrogenated plant oils.
[See Plant-Based Diets: A Primer.]
This standard advice is problematic. For one, many people find that cleaning up their diets of saturated fat and cholesterol isn't a surefire way to improve their lipid profile, unless significant weight loss follows. (It's common to replace those saturated fats with excessive carb portions; when that happens, cholesterol levels may not respond as favorably as one might hope.)
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The One-Day Diet
Tweet Share on Facebook March 26, 2013 CommentWhether you're trying to lose the few pounds you gained this winter, or simply need some creative ideas to get your shopping cart—or dinner plate—in shape, there's no need to purge your pantry, eat unusual foods or completely overhaul your eating regimen. And despite what you may have heard, you don't need to fast, juice or otherwise "detox" to lose weight and improve your health.
[See Why Juice 'Cleanses' Don't Deliver.]
To help you get a food and nutrition pick-me-up and infuse new life into your eating routine, why not follow this no-fail "one-day diet" plan. Rather than being a so-called diet you go on and off of, this plan is more of a sensible, specific course of action you can turn to on any given day—for example, after a weekend of overindulging, when you feel stressed or when you simply want to take off, and keep off, a few stubborn pounds. There's no need to implement all of these strategies at once, so pick and choose the ones that work best for you, whether you're home or on the go, traveling or enjoying some vacation time.
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Favorite Foods and Drinks from Expo West
Tweet Share on Facebook March 25, 2013 CommentA few weeks ago, I attended the Natural Products Expo West, which is the world's largest natural and organic food and product tradeshow. It can be a bit overwhelming with over 3,000 exhibits at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, but it is a lot of fun! I saw many products using chia seeds, quinoa, seaweed and kale and wanted to share some of my favorites with you!
[See Mango or Papaya? Spinach or Kale? Food Face-offs]
Here are my top five favorite finds:
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Easter Candy Face-Offs
Tweet Share on Facebook March 25, 2013 CommentThe Easter bunny is just a hop, skip and jump away from filling our baskets with candy and our kids' teeth with cavities—not to mention tightening our skinny jeans! It's no surprise that your kids love sugary foods (don't you?), and they probably can't make it through the grocery store this week without grabbing handfuls of pastel-colored goodies. The holiday sugar rush can derail even the most nutritious of parents—those who typically earn gold stars for household sugar-control throughout the year. Whether you're a famously nutritious parent year-round, or someone who takes a free-for-all approach to the holidays, consider these Easter candy face-offs:
