Category Nutrition Science

How to Practice Hygge for Meaningful Holidays

Gulping sandwiches while standing at the sink so that you can rush out to mail those last holiday packages. Ordering pizza (again) because you’re just too exhausted and time-pressed to think about—let alone concoct—a healthy meal from scratch. If either of these scenarios sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone. This time of year is crazy-busy for most people, for various reasons. I wrote about mindful eating last year. This blog post is different because it’s not about nutrition as much as its about enjoying special meals at this special time of year. It’s unfortunate that all of our holiday-related activities seem to take our minds and hearts away from the spirit of the holidays. With all the rushing around, wrapping, mailing, card-writing, party-going, cookie-baking (and oh yes, going to work in between all of that), it’s no wonder that many of us feel on the brink of losing what we are seeking during this season: peace, reflection, family and friends, generosity and joy.

Not So Sweet

Whether you’re one of those folks who is still working your way through leftover Halloween candy you bought (or pilfered from your kid’s stash) or have already begun laying in a supply of seasonal candies selected from the massive display of treats at your local retailer, chances are this time of year brings more than the usual amount of sugar into your life. How much sugar is too much? It depends on whom you ask.

FDA Finalizes Groundbreaking Produce Safety Rules

It’s that time of year when more of us are cooking for friends and family, and being careful to prepare our food safely is important. (Okay, it’s important all year ‘round, of course!) Last week the FDA finalized some rules that will go further in making our food safer before it even reaches our kitchens. Foodborne illness outbreaks linked to fresh fruits and vegetables seem increasingly common, but these new requirements for farms and food importers should help curtail this dangerous trend.

All About That Bird

The turkey as the center of the Thanksgiving meal is a tradition that many really enjoy
and others really dislike (but are afraid to swap out for fear of being boo’d out of the kitchen, or pelted with Brussels sprouts). Why do so many of us feel compelled to recreate the Norman Rockwell holiday meal? There are other birds we could serve—or even non-bird entrees that could impress our guests. Still, the bird is the word most of the time.

Trend-spotting at the 2015 Food and Nutrition Conference/Expo

I just returned from the annual conference and expo of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that was held in Nashville this year. It’s a wonderful chance to catch up with colleagues, attend educational sessions and news briefings and--my favorite part--check out the new food products at the expo. Here are three of the trends I spotted as I browsed around (along with some info on brands of products—I don’t typically discuss brands here and I am not recommending these brands, I’m just giving a few examples of things I saw at the conference.)

What exactly is “clean eating” anyway?

The phrase “clean eating” or “clean food” is being used more and more in the food and fitness arenas. The food industry also utilizes the “clean” concept in relation to food labels, but what exactly does “clean” mean in relation to food? Let’s take a look at this increasingly common (yet often confusing) term


Pop It Up a Notch

I grew up with a father who loved popcorn, and he made it so well—popped perfectly on the stove and topped with melted butter and a generous sprinkling of salt. Sometimes he would make it for my mother, my little sister and me and we’d sit all cozy with my mom, noshing on the freshly-popped corn while she read our nightly stories. Ah, popcorn memories


Pack Your Own Snack Ideas

It’s that time of year when lots of folks are tempted to lay in a big supply of packaged snack foods for kids’ lunches. It’s hard for kids to resist the wide array of colorful pre-packaged snacks and treats, and let’s face it—they are easy for parents to use as lunch/snack time “filler” food. And yes, parents like them too, for keeping in the gym bag for a quick nosh before the gym, etc. My problem with most of these snacks are 1) they usually are not healthful snacks, but merely supply calories, fat, sugar and sodium. 2) They packaging is wasteful. 3) The prices—all those little bags of treats add up fast when you’re quickly tossing a few into a your kids’ backpack or lunchbox.

5 Things to Do with Farmers’ Market Veggies

I love shopping at a farmer’s market. It’s a feast for the senses to shop among the colorful piles of produce and buckets of cut flowers. It’s easy to get swept up in the spirit of it all because everything looks so fresh and beautiful
until you get home and realize you bought waaaaaay too many veggies—more than you’ll use in a week. The same thing sometimes happens when you get a CSA share packed with wonderful vegetables (some you might not even recognize). Well, I’m here to help you out with my top five tips for handling all that vegetable goodness so you get the nutritional benefit and keep waste to a minimum.

What’s The Big Deal With Eating Local?

Eating foods grown closer-to-home holds a number of advantages for you, the earth and your community. You’ve no doubt already thought about some of those—for example, supporting local farmers and food producers, and saving fuel/diminishing truck exhaust in the environment since food doesn’t have to travel as far. There are probably some health advantages, too, which people often fail to realize.