The one day a year when there’s more food than we can eat is Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, waste isn’t confined to the holidays. According to the US Department of Agriculture, up to one-fifth of America’s food goes to waste each year, with an estimated 130 pounds of food per person ending up in landfills. With grocery […]

Americans spend over 100 billion dollars on fast food each year! In a recent study by Dr. Hope Jahren, published in the November 2008 issue of “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences”, researches sampled foods from
McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s. Using carbon isotopes the researches traced what the animals consumed. They based this […]

Thanksgiving is only days away. If you want to have a “Natural Thanksgiving” now is the time to think about it. A natural Thanksgiving sounds easy enough, but it takes some forethought.
For the last 30 years, our Thanksgivings have been as natural (chemical free) as possible. Most Thanksgiving dinners are loaded with ingredients the Pilgrims never […]

Taste is a matter of survival, not just pleasure. Current Biology reports on advances in taste perception. They highlight the importance of taste in life experience and link the taste of certain nutrients and compounds to our very survival. Authors Paul Breslin and Alan Spector say there are five generally accepted tastes, which are associated […]

This is shocking! 
Our children are at risk for diseases we once thought to be reserved for adults. The number of U.S. children taking medications for chronic disease is growing. Researchers at Express Scripts, St. Louis University and Kansas Health Institute evaluated the use of drugs to treat hypertension, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, depression, ADD/ADHD […]

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body with 99 percent of calcium stored in the bones. Making sure that each day’s diet includes enough calcium is important, even if your diet doesn’t contain dairy products.
Of course, milk contains the highest amount of calcium with 8 ounces of milk containing 300 milligrams. Calcium […]

Largest Study on TV Ads and Children’s Health.
This vital topic concerning our children’s health is studied by the Kaiser Foundation. The study found that 34 percent of ads targeting children are for candy and snacks, 28 percent are for sugarcoated cereals, and 10 percent are for fast foods. Only 4 percent are for dairy products and a […]

This yummy news is really nutty
It seems the idea that nuts cause weight gain, is well, actually nutty. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reviewed 13 different studies, which measured the effects of nuts on weight.
All the studies in which nuts replaced other foods found no increase in weight. However, what’s […]

The Sunday Denver Post ran the article “Healthy Lessons,” about the cost of school lunches. Most of the article discusses the school lunch program. Some schools are now including salad bars, fresh fruit, and other healthy food options. A Big Nonna Hug to them! Regrettably, the article also reinforced the notion that preparing healthy foods […]

1) Plan Ahead for Nutrition. Avoid “crisis” cooking. When you plan your meals in advance, you’ll be saner. And you won’t be tempted to purchase more expensive items when you’re in a hurry. You’ll want whole grains, like brown rice and old fashioned rolled oats on your grocery list.
With beef and chicken prices rising, incorporate […]