September is National Fruit and Veggie Month - a time celebrate all things fruits and vegetables and encourage consumers to eat more of them every day. Are you avoiding some fruits and vegetables based on how they were farmed? Do you know the difference between conventional and organic [...]
I just returned from the annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo where registered dietitians have a chance to get some of their continuing education requirements met and also learn about new foods and products coming into the market. It's a large conference, with about 11,000 in attendance [...]
Two words I hear often, "Fear sells". Is fear guiding your food choices? Whether it is an environmental issue, a political topic, or the safety of our food supply, fear-mongering has become a common technique used to sway you into believing one side of a story. Usually it's [...]
Is your food authentic? Gluten free. Vegan. No High Fructose Corn Syrup. GMO-free. Non GMO. No artificial colors or preservatives. Dairy free. Are you using "free-from" claims as the ultimate guide to what you put into your grocery cart? Are you more concerned about what's not in [...]
You hear a lot in the news about "eating clean", going "plant-based", and avoiding "chemicals" in your diet. Well, here's the thing, food IS chemistry. We eat chemicals. We are made of chemicals. They aren't all scary. The ingredients here may seem scary, but they aren't. This [...]
I began this blog to help consumers distinguish nutrition myth from fact. There continues to be no shortage of nutrition myths out there as well as bad dietary advice. To start off the year right I'm offering up the facts about 10 nutrition myths: Poultry does not have [...]
I really don't enjoy grocery shopping anymore. In part, it's the routine of it, but also the frustration of finding items I need while being overwhelmed by seeing so many choices in the grocery isles. Some of the extra choices are a good thing but others really aren't. [...]
This year, 10,400 registered dietitians, registered diet technicians and students (along with certified personal trainers, food scientists, and others), went to Boston to participate in the annual conference called FNCE® (food, nutrition conference and expo). I didn't get much sleep there, but had a blast. Opening session was [...]
Have you heard about the so-called "FLOSN" movement? Apparently this young adult movement is gaining ground. Since becoming a curmudgeon, I think it's pretty ridiculous. The acronym FLOSN stands for Fresh, Local, Organic, Seasonal, Non-GMO. I was shocked by a recent story about a college freshman who quit the first semester [...]
There's absolutely no question that eating a balanced diet, and maintaining a healthy weight is good for your health. There's also no question that there are no guarantees in life. Even if there's not one more bit of nutrition or fitness research done, I'm pretty darn sure that: [...]