My favorite winter activity is stewing something warm and awesome on the stovetop. There’s no better distraction from being holed up in the house than a hearty dish, at least until you find that one magical threat that’ll get your sons onto the porch to clear the snow from the door. In my comfort food world–and on stormy winter days–chili reigns supreme.
Everyone knows someone with food allergies. From rashes to anaphylaxis, their effects range from mild to severe. Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune allergic disorder triggered by food and drug allergies. Autoimmune allergic disorders cause chronic health problems and long-term damage to the body’s organs and tissues when triggered by allergens.
It’s no secret that most caregivers are faced with a serious juggling act when it comes to balancing family, work and personal time. The challenge of planning and preparing nutritious, well-balanced and flavorful meals that please a variety of palates is a common dilemma. Couldn’t we all use a little assistance in this department? I know I can.
America is fat and getting fatter. Twenty years ago, no state in the country had an obesity rate above 15%. Currently, according to a recent study released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 38 states have obesity rates over 25%, and if you lump overweight people into the same group, the number jumps to 60%. These figures include kids, the future of our nation and two key parts of the problem are the persistent presence of junk food and a lack of access to scratch-cooked nutritious food. One of the key offenders making this problem worse day-by-day is…can you guess what I’m going to say? School lunches.
Almost thirty years ago, after some Americans suggested ketchup was a vegetable, here we go again. This week, Congress released the final draft of an appropriations bill that threatens the USDA’s proposed improvements to school lunches. Among other things, the bill lumps tomato paste into the vegetable category, thereby making spinach and a slice of school lunch pizza analogous. Why? If we don’t allow it, schools will have to serve other (read: actual) vegetables, and that would be expensive, logistically challenging for schools and kids would be bummed. Yup. Bummed.
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