Sometimes I ask Vic what he wants for breakfast; and he comes back with “mush.” It is without doubt not a term that entices my appetite. It’s probably one of those terms that are tied to his childhood. But since it’s not tied to my childhood, it sounds, well ….. mushy. A month or so […]

I was just sharing the recognition of the approaching return of oatmeal season with my husband, Vic, this morning at breakfast. We generally only eat two different cereals; shredded wheat mostly while the weather is warm and old-fashioned oats when it’s cooler. If you’ve been reading this blog for many years, you know that Vic […]

I should admit up front that I’ve never been on the cutting-edge of trends. I was never the first at school to roll up the waist of my skirt or wear multiple petticoats under my felt poodle skirt. No, but without much thought and probably because I was like most teens wanting to be in […]

There is neither a single food nor single group of foods that can be consumed that offer optimal health. Balance and variety are an important aspect of diet. If we want not only to be healthy, but also to enjoy our meals, then we should remember balance and variety. We should be very mindful of […]

Are you trying to get into an early morning breakfast routine? One easy way is to throw a box or two of cold cereal and a jug of milk on the table. My guess is that is exactly what goes on in many homes – no real research, just a stroll down the cereal isle. […]

My fourth hint for permanently improving your eating style is to switch to whole grains. (Hint 1: An Apple a Day; Hint 2: A Nutty Little Change; Hint 3: Whittling Away at Meat Consumption.) With a little information, this 4th one, like the other hints is do-able and not too tough. And like the other […]

On November 13, 2013, Ben Hirschler for Reuters in London reported that the battle with diabetes and its disabling, life-threatening complications is being lost. This article notes that the number of people affected has “soared to a new record” this year, the majority of cases being type 2 diabetes – “the kind linked to obesity […]

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 […]

Mary Ireland discusses foods that will help you lower your stress levels.

In his blog, Is A Calorie A Calorie?, Mark Bittman writes about his interview with Marion Nestle, author of a new book Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics (California Studies in Food and Culture). The blog post makes interesting reading and of course the answer to the calorie question is not a simple yes […]