Category: Food/Nutrition Columnist

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The holiday season is beginning and with it comes the endless advice admonishing us to eat well, not eat too much, not gain weight, to refocus our eating behavior, and on and on. Don’t get me wrong. I am a firm believer in eating well and making good choices most of the time. But, Americans do little in moderation. Either they eat virtuously and deny themselves foods they truly love or they go all out and indulge without considering the consequences.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Everyone snacks, so finding snacks that offer a reasonable calorie load, nutrition benefits and a sensible portion size is a good buy. Pudding based in milk provides needed calcium and snacks based in seeds offers good fats plus fiber. Here are two brands worth trying.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Nuts are now dietary divas, touted for health benefits, appetite satisfaction and even weight control. How did this happen? As the fat and phtyochemical stories evolved, researchers realized nuts had a lot to offer – healthy fats with a rich complement of phytochemicals. Experts are recommending a daily intake of 3 tablespoons or 1.5 ounces. As long as you keep your intake to a handful, not a canful, nuts are a great addition to a healthy diet.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Bread like so many foods we eat regularly is taken for granted. Few of us know anything about the complex process required to get wheat from the field to a finished baked loaf of bread. I recently had the opportunity to trace a loaf of bread from the wheat fields of Kansas, through the milling process, to an artisanal bakery. I learned the loaf of bread we routinely toss into our shopping carts is nothing short of extraordinary.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Farmers’ markets are open and tomatoes are beginning to appear. Fresh tomatoes are available year round between Florida and California with imports supplementing domestic supplies. But, nothing beats a locally grown tomato which is left to ripen berry red on the vine. Fresh tomatoes not only taste good but they are probably one of the most healthy, low calorie, nutrient-packed foods you can eat.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Michael Bloomberg, the anti-trans fat, anti-smoking, anti-obesity mayor of New York City has just declared war on the Big Gulp. If the city’s health board, whose members the mayor appoints, approves Mayor Bloomberg’s rule, no one in the five boroughs of New York will be allowed to purchase a soda larger than 16 ounces. The regulation would extend to restaurants, bodegas, movie theaters, food carts on the street and at entertainment venues. Will this make New Yorkers skinnier? Sadly, no.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – When you have written over 30 books on nutrition, it is not surprising that people frequently ask, “What’s your best eating advice.” Here it is in a nutshell – short, simple and to the point.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Many of us make New Years resolutions, only to find a few months later that they are accumulating dust on our “wish list” pile. As summer revs up, maybe it is time to dust off some of those resolutions and make them your summer health goals.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Summer is here and you still have 10 pounds to lose. You prowl the supermarket shelves for any food that can aid in your weight loss quest – natural, lowfat, sugar free, organic. You vow to eat so many salads that you’ll become a rabbit. This approach may actually sabotage your weight loss goal.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Food companies introduce over 19,000 new food products each year, but very few are still on the shelf a year later. Why do some products succeed while others fail?

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – It is tough to be told you have type 2 diabetes. Yet, it is predicted that 44 million Americans will have diabetes by the year 2034 so this diagnosis will become more and more common. Every person with type 2 diabetes is different.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – According to the Food & Culinary Professionals, a practice group of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, cooking shows are not creating home chefs. In fact, there is declining culinary literacy in the US and recipe writers need to more carefully explain cooking techniques that used to by commonly known. This is where two valuable cooking resources could help fill the gap.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – At toddlerhood, growth slows down and personality revs up. The combination can result in a stubborn munchkin with a much smaller appetite. This alarms many new parents who have been dealing with a hungry infant up to now. Though a smaller appetite and stubborn behavior is a fact for most toddlers, there is some truth to the poor eating myth.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Food companies introduce over 19,000 new food products each year, but very few are still on the shelf a year later. Why do some products succeed while others fail? Taste, has always been the biggest driver of food acceptance, followed by nutrition, product safety and price. I am always looking for and tasting new food products. Join me to see what’s new at the supermarket?

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – I fondly remember grocery shopping as a child. We’d drive to the A&P, my younger sister would ride in the cart, and I was given a quarter to ride the mechanical horse at the store entrance. There was no deli, take-out or salad bar. My mother never bought in bulk and yet we never seemed to run out of anything. Today’s supermarket is vastly different.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Eggs and Easter have always gone hand and hand. Eggs symbolize rebirth and fertility and most Christian religions include hard-cooked eggs in their Easter meals. Children love to dye and decorate eggs and many cultures produce elaborately painted eggs. This is a good time of year to take a closer look at eggs.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Every so often a new food product is introduced that is not only healthy, but just plain fun. Grapple apples are exactly that.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – If you suffer any degree of gluten intolerance you need to avoid wheat, rye and barley. Gluten is a protein found in these grains. Currently, the market for gluten-free foods is exploding, expected to reach $2.6 billion by the end of 2012. Many people report feeling healthier when they go gluten-free. Yet, only 3 million Americans have celiac disease…

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Winter is soup weather and New England Country Soup is a new edition to the ready-to-serve soup category. The company produces 8 soups, 7 are gluten-free, 5 are dairy free and 2 are vegan. All the soups are packaged in a light-weight, BPA-free, microwavable 15-ounce pouches. The company prides itself in selecting high quality, natural ingredients.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – I’ve heard this again and again. It is true that kids may not always prefer vegetables, but HATE is a rather strong word. I’ve met 2-year olds who love broccoli and snack on tomato slices. How can this be you ask? It happens by exposure, guidance and parental support. It doesn’t happen overnight and no kid embraces vegetables at every meal, everyday.