We live on the bench of the Wasatch Front of the Rocky Mountains; that’s a blessing when considering views; but when the cold weather comes, my native southern California core still chills at the thought of winter temperatures. Last night the weather made it first dip into the twenties; although it’s still November as I […]

This is one of those days that I need a little extra motivation to get to writing on the subject that I’ve chosen. It’s a little de-motivating to realize that 72 percent of the American public consider coconut oil a health food; after all the effort that nutritionists/dietitians like myself have spent for decades trying […]

Certainly, we’ve written plenty about the benefits of pulses, beans, and legumes; three of the words that represent a very healthy group of foods central to the Mediterranean-style of eating. This exceptional group of foods, including beans, lentils, and peanuts is finally getting some excellent press; and for that I’m grateful. It always makes me […]

Yes, I know nutrition news, with its conflicting and rapid changes, can be confusing. Yes, I’ve heard hundreds of times that there are so many confusing pieces of nutrition advice. But not all of it comes from reputable scientific studies. Let me try to make some very complex new opinions and research as understandable as […]

I realized that I’ve not mentioned New Year’s resolutions this year; but I appreciate that many people have embarked upon goals to get healthier this year; possibly including weight loss. Maybe some have read the US Life Expectancy stats. It is a little difficult to face the fact that for the first time in well-over […]

My questions and in all honesty, my wrath often start when I pick up a container in the market. This time it was an intriguing new product, tzatziki by Cedar, a company that focuses on making traditional Mediterranean recipes. The product was Cedar’s Tzatziki; it says right on the main label, “made with Greek yogurt, […]

Two new items impacted one of my famous salads today. One, for sure, I hope will become a long-term habit. This salad was lettuce, cucumber, sliced radishes and green onions, yellow and red cherry tomatoes, avocado, sliced hard-boiled egg, and the hoped for long-term habit? – topped with sliced fresh basil. This tasty salad was […]

The Annals of Internal Medicine published a review of 56 previously conducted studies that looked at the effects of health outcomes of a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) with no restriction on fat intake. Hanna E. Bloomfield, MD, MPH and others found some evidence that the MedDiet may reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events, breast cancer and […]

I’ve resisted the thought of writing about pH for years. My rationalization is that it would take explaining more chemistry and physiology than general public might be interested in. The subject of pH as related to food and ultimately to diet is technical; so I decided to continue to recommend eating a diet high in […]

Another five years have gone by and thus the new 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines have been released jointly by the Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). You may think that the guidelines don’t really have much to do with you; but by understanding them, your own diet can be improved. […]