Quinoa plants near Cachora, Apurímac, Peru When I was thirteen, I spent a week in Peru.  It was, in some respects, a great trip – Machu Picchu, llamas, rafting on the Urubama River, and purchasing panchos.  I chronicled the adventure in a journal under the pen name Marcia Smith, marked it top secret, and left threatening messages...

Now here’s something you wouldn’t expect. Coca-Cola is being sued by a non-profit public interest group, on the grounds that the company’s vitaminwater products make unwarranted health claims. No surprise there. But how do you think the company is defending itself? In a staggering feat of twisted logic, lawyers for Coca-Cola...

In his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan outlines the problems created by not feeding cattle what they have evolved to eat – grass.  Feeding cattle corn, he says, violates the biological or evolutionary logic of bovine digestion.  And moreover, most of the health problems that afflict feedlot cattle, “can...

In the last decade, we’ve seen new sections created in grocery stores, natural product expos and magazines as they cover the latest and greatest in protein powders, shakes and bars. So what’s the scoop? Let’s start by looking at sources, then forms, and finally rationales to determine what’s good for us (and...

Eight years ago, just before our wedding, my wife was certain I was dying. It seemed every week I was getting skinnier and skinnier — foods that I was once able to eat comfortably, now made me feel sick and fuzzyheaded.  I felt pain stabbing through my belly and sides. Despite the sudden onset of these baffling health issues, my...

No one would argue that actually living in conditions similar to a caveman’s would be beneficial for health, since lack of shelter, illness, injuries and predators led to relatively short life spans (approximately 30 years) for early man. What the cavemen ate, however, known today as the Paleolithic diet, was very beneficial...

Even if you think you’ve got the hang of counting carbs, there are always surprises.  In my own experience, carbohydrates can be frustrating, confusing, and they get the better of me more often than I’d like.  Understanding more about carbohydrates, instead of just getting angry at them (what good does it do to shout at...

No matter how you look at it, boxed cereal isn’t good for diabetics.  Most cereals are very high in carbohydrates, and have a high gylcemic index.  Even ones made from whole grains are likely to make blood sugar levels soar. This post from Casual Kitchen tells us why cereal is bad for everyone, not just people with diabetes. At...

In 1981, when I was 8, my grandmother bought me a present that I didn’t want – a Barbie Dream House.  As I remember it, the Dream House was enormous and took up quality playing space in my room.  It came with pink and green striped furniture, a pink TV that stood on a pink stand, and an unforgettable pink toilet.  (Here...

Call me late to the game, this book came out last year, but I just read Dr. David Kessler’s The End of Overeating, Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite. Wow! If you haven’t read it, you should. It’s never too late to tell someone about a good book. I can no longer look at food as anything but salt...