Category: Nutrition Science

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.

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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.

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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.

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There’s a saying you might have heard: You can’t outrun (or out-exercise) a bad diet. I get the gist of this—that the average person can’t undo dietary damage with exercise. But what counts as a “bad diet” anyway? That’s so variable—there’s a chance that some folks’ diets are really that bad and that they technically couldn make up for their food intake with exercise. But let’s face it, most of us would have to exercise quite vigorously for a looooong time to make up for the cocktails, doughnuts, fancy coffee/milkshakes and other less-than-nutritious foods we consume.

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Yep. I go to a personal trainer once a week. And yes, sometimes the phrase “my trainer” works its way into a conversation. Honestly, it’s not because I want people to believe I live like one of those uber-fit stars who spends all day working out, sipping fresh-squeezed juice and then getting a massage (I wish)! It’s more because my training sessions with him have become a valued part of my life. Believe me, I tried out this trainer at the suggestion of a friend or I’d never have thought it would be something I’d like. That’s why I wanted to write this post, because maybe some of you are like I was—that is, not realizing how great having a trainer can be—for your fitness of course, but other areas of your life as well. So, here goes… (and no, he doesn’t know I’m writing this post)!

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It’s cookout season and that means you will need condiments to top off all those burgers and dogs, right? Hands down, ketchup (or catsup, if you prefer) is one of the most popular condiments of all time. According to author Dan Jurafsky, ketchup has a long history and actually originated in China. The labeling term “tomato ketchup” is not redundant because the first ketchup was not made from tomatoes at all. Early ketchup recipes utilized things like mushrooms and nuts. For more info on all things ketchup, check out Jurafsky’s book, or this one by Andrew Smith.

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Sometimes we get questions about the ratings and how they are decided, or why some foods get more (or fewer) stars that one might guess. From time to time I will cover your questions in this column, so feel free to send those questions in! Here’s our first one…

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Feeling left out at the cookout? Not to worry, the options for vegetarians these days are more plentiful than ever. Maybe you just need some inspiration? Here are some of my ideas that will help you (or your vegetarian friends) feel just as satisfied at the next backyard grill fest, block party or ahem, weenie roast.

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