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Potatoes: An Important White Vegetable
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2013 CommentWe've been told that the more color a fruit or vegetable displays, the more nutrients you'll find within. Although this may be true for some produce, "White Vegetables: A Forgotten Source of Nutrients" – published this month in the American Society for Nutrition's journal Advances in Nutrition – reminds us that when it comes to veggies, we ought to pay attention to white.
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Is All Processed Food Unhealthy?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 14, 2013 CommentIf you asked me to define “processed food” a few weeks ago, I would have invoked Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s response when asked to define hard-core pornography: “I know it when I see it.” Moreover, I generally considered it something that “other people” consumed. (Not terribly unlike how I regard hard-core pornography, incidentally.)
It was therefore quite a wake-up call when I recently compiled the results of my family’s weeklong food diaries for submission to the American Gut project. After documenting every bite that entered each one of our mouths for a week, I had to complete a questionnaire that required me to analyze the results. One question asked what percentage of our carbohydrate intakes came from “processed foods.” The questionnaire then offered examples of what carbs the researchers considered to be processed. Among them: cereal, bread, pasta. Uh-oh.
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Mastering Food Obsession
Tweet Share on Facebook May 13, 2013 CommentI was privileged last week to join Mika Brzezinski, along with her co-host Joe Scarborough, on MSNBC's Morning Joe program, to talk about Mika's new book, "Obsessed." I am further privileged to appear throughout the book, in very good company, apparently as something of a vicarious consigliore. Mika and I met face-to-face for the first time on the set of the show.
Mika's book is all about food obsession. But more particularly, it is about the intensely personal side of food obsession. Mika tells her own story, and her struggle to maintain the perfect, slender, on-air appearance for which she is known.
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Red Wine Vinegar, 3 Ways
Tweet Share on Facebook May 13, 2013 CommentIf your white pants are so eager to be worn that they're practically yelling, "wear me now," then you're probably anticipating a legendary Memorial Day weekend. Who doesn't love barbecue, food and celebration?
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10 Dishes to Make in Your Slow Cooker
Tweet Share on Facebook May 10, 2013 CommentI'm a busy mom of two, working full time and trying to keep up with sports practices, school functions and business meetings. While I love to collect recipes and dream of home-cooked meals, I have to face the reality that cooking takes precious time. That's why I love to read these magic words in a recipe: "Throw it all in a slow cooker, cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours."
The slow cooker is, quite simply, my hero. With so little effort on my part, it delivers a delicious-smelling house when I return home from work, a yummy home-cooked meal waiting to be dished out, an easy clean up and a kitchen that has not been over-heated by the oven.
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On Mother's Day, Preserve Tradition and Health
Tweet Share on Facebook May 9, 2013 CommentWhat memories roam through your mind when you think about Mother's Day? My head is filled with recollections of cooking in the kitchen with my boys, intertwined with thoughts of the years I grew up baking with my own mother and grandmother.
My mom is 91 years old. She's as sharp as a brand-new chef's knife and as sweet as nectar. At this point, she's not able to do the activities she used to, but I'll never forget how she loved to cook and bake. Her way of "cooking" for me now is that she saves a banana for me each day, and I return the favor by making my banana muffins. She epitomized that expression, "Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime," and I am a product of the example she set.
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Cooking Tips Nutritionists Learned From Their Moms
Tweet Share on Facebook May 9, 2013 CommentWith Mother's Day approaching, I got to thinking about the many things I learned from my mom. As a nutritionist, I wondered specifically about the effect my mom had on me in the kitchen and whether or not I actually adhere to anything she taught me. Confession time: I was a rebellious teen. From ages 13 to 18, I rarely listened to my mom. But I must have been absorbing some of her ways subconsciously, because I find myself doing many of the same things she did.
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Overweight? It's Not Your Desk's Fault
Tweet Share on Facebook May 8, 2013 CommentOne of the most common beliefs about the world's rapidly growing waistlines is that we're growing larger because our jobs are no longer physically demanding – that it's our desks' faults. I've little doubt that those rare folks who still burn calories in their day jobs do in fact burn more calories than most. But the question is: Do those additionally burnt calories make those folks lighter than those of us who drive desks?
No doubt, on paper burning an extra 500 calories during a sweaty workday ought to have at least the same impact as not eating 500 calories through dietary discretion – maybe even more. Maybe more, because while all foods have calories, the quality and types of foods affect how many available calories there are for the body's stockpiles, while exercise is just a straight burn.
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Strange (but True) Food Allergies
Tweet Share on Facebook May 7, 2013 CommentFood allergy is an immune system response in which the body mounts an attack on food proteins it mistakes for being harmful. In a process called "sensitization," immune cells generate antibodies specific to that food protein (called IgE), so they'll recognize the offending food the next time it comes calling.
When it does, IgE antibodies trigger a cascade of chemical reactions throughout the body that are experienced as allergic symptoms; these range from mild to life threatening. Allergic reactions can occur in the skin (rash, hives, itching); in the digestive tract (vomiting, diarrhea, cramping); and/or in the respiratory tract (sneezing, congestion, itchy mouth or inner ear).
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Blueberries, 3 Ways
Tweet Share on Facebook May 6, 2013 CommentFeeling a little sluggish today after a whopping Cinco de Mayo celebration? If you went overboard yesterday, don't fret! Like I always say, every meal is a Monday morning – a new and unique opportunity to eat well. Use today to get back on track by incorporating blueberries in your meals. This refreshing fruit is one of my favorites, and I'm not alone.
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