Blog
Credible nutrition information, cooking tips, product recommendations, and reflections on sustainability from Dietitian Ann.
Pickles, Sauerkraut, & Preservation
If cooking is a giant chemistry experiment, fermentation is a lesson in biology. Preservation is a happy marriage of these two sciences. Easy Counter-Top Pickles Lately, between the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) basket I purchased for the summer (check out Miller Farms if you live in Northern Colorado!) and a very generous co-worker (THANK YOU,…
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A Butternut Sonnet (or Three)
As the autumn leaves set fire to the skythe garden now begins to fade away.A tale that tells of summer drawing nigh,kids back in school, no longer out to play. Amongst the dying vines of summertimefall and winter treasures speckle the earth.The vision of these is simply sublime;it’s hard for me to even count their…
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The Tale of a Soda Pop
Carbs, glorious carbs! A couple of weeks ago we talked about what happened as a reaction to the low-fat craze of the late 20th century: food manufacturers started taking fat out of all of their products and instead replaced it with sugar. What we didn’t discuss is why this is such a big deal. I’d like to…
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An Overview of Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are confusing. They have weird names and are metabolized (broken down) by the body into components whose names we’re not familiar with. That makes them scary. So, in anticipation of an upcoming post about the War on Artificial Sweeteners, let’s review the current artificial sweeteners on the market today. The amount of sugar…
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Why Nutrition Advice Seems So Confusing
Nutrition information seems to contradict. Advice about what to eat is confusing. Here’s why nutrition science is inconsistent and how to figure out the facts. Not long ago, experts agreed butter was bad for your health. Researchers had recently figured out that saturated fat, which is the main fatty acid in butter, contributes to heart…
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How to Identify Credible Nutrition Information Online
Learn how to determine if the nutrition information on a website is true and credible or if it’s biased or false. Quick, unofficial poll: how many times have you “Googled” something this week? Heck, how many times have you “Googled” something today? I use this search engine all the time. Unfortunately, its algorithm doesn’t filter…
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Breakfast is the Best… But is it the Most Important?
I have upsetting news: there is controversy as to the importance of breakfast. This is Eggs Benedict with lamb. Oh. Em. Gee. So many heart eyes about this breakfast. I know, I know. Everybody “knows” that breakfast is the most important meal of the day – but recent articles and research studies have begun to cast doubt…
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Five Tips for Enjoying Holiday Eating without Guilt or Stress
Turkeys for Friendsgiving and me with Shannon, my sous chef extraordinaire and creator of several recipes used on my meal guides and plans! Worried about how to avoid weight gain during the holidays? Try these 5 tips to survive Thanksgiving and Christmas without needing a post-holiday diet to lose weight. It probably comes as no…
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Healthy Eating Tips When Life Gets Busy
Meal planning saves you time, money, and stress. But what if you don’t have time to meal plan? Learn how to eat healthy when life gets busy! “Survival Mode.” That’s what I call seasons like I’m in right now, when my family finds ourselves racing from one activity to the next. It might be summertime…
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Healthy Halloween Treats
I haven’t been this excited about Halloween since I was a senior in high school when my parents finally let me dress up and go trick-or-treating for the first time since I was a kid, thus breaking their strict big-kids-don’t-beg-for-candy rule. I deftly talked my way into this by arguing that Halloween was an important American…
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