This particular evening is symbolic for many of the opportunity to make positive changes in lifestyle habits for a healthier new year. It helps many to draw a line in the sand; the demarcation between the past and a new start. Two articles that may be of benefit for new beginnings thinking are: New Directions […]

According to a Wells Fargo analysis published in October 2013, sales of regular sugar-sweetened soda dropped another 1.7% during the month of September. It seems that sluggish sales of sweetened soda have been reported quarter after quarter for Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper for quite a few years now. I’m trying to be compassionate for […]

As time goes on our skin ages; it becomes less elastic, more fragile, and the deeper layers of our skin lose fat. The skin begins to appear looser and the lines become more obvious. Most of us like to avoid the deep crevices of aging skin for as long as possible. Many of us know […]

An October 15, 2013 report in Connecticut College News is causing a big stir in the food industry. Certainly a headline suggesting that Oreos are just as addictive as drugs (cocaine or morphine) is fodder for media and argument. Of course this is not the first time researchers have explored the issue of the possibility […]

On Thursday, November 7, 2013, the FDA finally got around to saying that trans fats aren’t safe in foods. Ya think? The FDA gave notice that trans fats will be removed from the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) list. It will be the second item to be removed from the list since the list was […]

When plums are dried, they have the deep crevasses that often grace the faces of the elderly. In a society that idolizes youth, something that is wrinkled as …… well, a prune, doesn’t have much of a chance for popularity. Years ago the California Dried Plum Board changed the name of prunes to dried plums; […]

When you see the word phytonutrients or phytochemicals, does it just look like a scientific word and your eyes roll back a bit? In September’s issue of RD Today’s Dietitian, Denise Webb PHD RD has written an article called Phytochemicals’ Role in Good Health. The article has given me the impetus to write a short […]

For several years, I planted basil in our herb garden; it never flourished. Then for several more years I struggled to keep it healthy and happy in pots on the shelf outside my kitchen window – only moderate success! Basil wants just the right amount of water; I never got it just right. In addition, […]

Here in the mountain west, autumn has put her nose under the tent, and like the camel in the old story, will soon nudge herself all the way in. In our town, we blessedly haven’t had frost yet; but up on the mountainside we can see the trees and shrubs beginning to change to their […]

Some years ago, I enjoyed a conversation with a school food service director from the city in which my family and I lived. I’ve never forgotten her explanation of the challenges she faced in taking advantage of using the whole foods available from the USDA surplus school nutrition commodity program. She explained that when she […]