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NOTHING
TO SNEEZE AT - HOW TO FEED YOUR COLD & FLU
Several million years ago, it is hypothesized, the first Stone
Age human caught the first cold. Ever since then, doctors, nurses,
herbalists, shaman and healers of every sort have been confounded
by colds and flu. Over the years, these devilish pathogens have
been treated with cold baths, wet feet, chili peppers, tobacco,
and the application of blood-sucking leeches. Read
more...
September/October 2010 |
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THAT'S
SO COOL! BEAT THE HEAT OF SUMMER WITH TEMPERATURE-LOWERING FOODS.
By the time you’re reading this, you’re probably
really warming up to summer. The grass is still green, the nights
are still cool, the pools are still a novelty, and the shade-free
beaches of local reservoirs are still tolerable. But as the days
wear on, the nights warm up, and the soft, lush grass turns brittle
and brown, summer starts to lose its appeal. We seek refuge in
pools, creeks, and air-conditioned shopping centers. And how long,
really, can you stay in either the water or the mall? Read
more...
July/August 2010 |
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SPRING
CLEAN - LIGHTEN UP WITH FOODS THAT HELP SHED WINTER WEIGHT AND
TOXINS Every winter, a number of animals – ground squirrels,
bears, prairie dogs, some humans – burrow deep into their
dens, trees, holes or bulky sweaters, and move as little as possible.
Fat stores burn slowly, to sustain them through the long winter
months. As temperatures begin to warm in May, and leaves and buds
emerge from the trees, some of these species – ground squirrels,
bears, prairie dogs – emerge to celebrate the season. Others
– certain humans – remain in hibernation and bulky
sweaters for as long as possible. Read
more...
May/June 2010 |
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INSIDE
THE PYRAMID - BLUNDER OR WONDER?
Did you know March is National Peanut Month? It’s also
National Frozen Food month. St. Patrick’s’ Day is
March 17. And pecan day is, inexplicably, March 25.
I'll spare you the peanut butter smoothies, frozen dinners and
green foods recipes, and go to the other theme celebrated in March:
National Nutrition Month, which seems like a worthy designation.
I'm not sure who makes some of these up; I’m assuming the
Pecan Council, The Peanut Board And Some Kind Of National Frozen
Foods Association – but National Nutrition Month is an American
Dietetic Association designation, and a worthwhile one. For all
our ramblings about nutrition and health and disease prevention,
we don't seem to be getting anywhere with some of our goals. There's
lots of theories about why this is, most of them having to do
with the central role grains, meat and dairy have occupied in
the American diet. Read
more...
March/April 2010 |
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HOW
TO PLAY IT SAFE WITH OUR TROUBLED FOOD SUPPLY
When I was writing the briefs for this month’s
Nexus, I came across some alarming news: a study by a coalition
of food safety organizations reported that food poisoning extends
far beyond the immediate symptoms, and can result in life-long,
serious consequences, including permanent liver damage, neurological
problems, paralysis, brain damage, mental retardation and blindness.
Read more...
Jan/Feb 2010 |
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THE
EMOTIONAL SIDE OF HOLIDAY DINING
Every year, around the end of October, I write lots of articles
about healthy holiday cookies, nutritious renditions of Thanksgiving
favorites, simple ways to stay slim during the holiday season,
and so forth. You know – all the things that are supposed
to help a health-conscious person navigate through a season of
holiday dinners, cocktail parties and school festivals.
But even the most creative dieting tricks and healthy stuffing
recipes won’t help if you don’t follow them. Really,
you already know what and how to eat. So why do you find yourself
bent over a plate of brownies, or halfway through a second heaping
helping of stuffing, gravy and buttered rolls that you swore you
wouldn’t take? Read
more...
Nov/Dec 2009 |
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NO
MORE MYSTERY MEAT!
I remember my grade school cafeteria. We had two head
chefs, both brusque and burley women in white aprons and hair
nets. We called them Rosie, interchangeably, and imagined
they had tattoos on their meaty shoulders and hair on their backs.
They weren’t gourmet chefs, these women—their standard
fare was spaghetti and Salisbury steak, and they endured their
share of “mystery meat” jokes—but they cooked.
And they served hot food, made from scratch, including beans,
grains and actual vegetables. Read
more...
Sept/Oct 2009 |
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FORGET
THE GRILL - GO RAW THIS SUMMER!
I’m no expert on raw foods. I
like things like roasted root vegetables, sautéed greens,
and a good hot soup on a cold winter day. But on sweltering summer
days, the last place I want to be is in a steamy kitchen. And
given the abundance of the seasons’ farmer’s market
offerings – lush, leafy greens, voluptuous tomatoes, crisp
peppers and cucumbers, basil by the fragrant armful – you
can make many a fine meal, without going near your stove on scorching
days. Read
more...
July/Aug 2009 |
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INTUITIVE
COOKING
We love cookbooks. We love recipes in magazines, and articles
on how to choose and prepare the healthiest food. Don’t
get me wrong: I’m all for education in culinary and nutritional
topics; it’s how I make my living. At some point, though,
it’s inspiring to rely on an internal compass rather than
external directions. Cooking and food preparation is the most
natural, instinctive activity in the world, right up there with
nest-building and baby-making. Read
more ...
May/June 2009 |
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THE
REAL HAPPY MEAL!
Failing banks, stock markets plummeting, rising unemployment –
it’s ugly out there. We want to pinch pennies and cut corners,
and it pains us to drop $14.99 on a pound of wild Alaskan salmon
when a $1.99 package of mac-and-cheese will just as easily feed
a family of four.
When times are hard, is it possible to eat a healthy, whole foods,
mostly organic diet? I’m saying yes – but you have
to follow a few rules. Read
more...
March/April 2009 |
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SQUASH
THE WINTER BLUES
There are approximately 17 weeks from the start of the year until
the official beginning of the growing season in Colorado. Asparagus
debuts in April; peaches peak in July. And lettuce is at its finest
in September. That’s a long darn time to wait for a few
leafy greens.
Read more...
Jan/Feb 2009 |
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HOLIDAY
FEASTS - SANS TURKEY
Not long ago, while browsing through cookbooks for holiday dinner
ideas, I came upon a curious assortment of recipes for an alternative
Thanksgiving dinner. There were instructions for crafting a vegetarian
turkey – essentially a combination of tofu and various spices,
squished into a mush and then sculpted around a stuffing log to
form a poultry-ish roast. I found recipes for wheat-free dinner
rolls, vegan whipped cream, and a dairy-free, gluten-free pumpkin
pie whose ingredient list sounded like it might well cement my
tongue to my palate. Read
more...
Nov/Dec 2008 |
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HEALING
PLATE - Better with Butter
Not so long ago, we loved butter.
Whether it’s used as the base of fine sauces, melted
over vegetables, or spread lavishly on toast and encrusted with
cinnamon sugar, butter is the stuff of childhood dreams, the wistful
fantasy of fat-deprived grownups. Now we’re terrified of
the stuff and, for that matter, fat in any form. Somehow, we’ve
taken a food that’s been universally consumed—even
revered—and made it a culinary thug. Read
more...
Sept/Oct 2008 |
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GOING
BEYOND GREEN
Long ago, many years before fat-free blue cheese dressing and
packaged croutons, when humans were merely modest players on the
Earth, animals among animals, we ate leaves. Massive quantities
of them, scattered with the occasional handful of sweet, ripe
berries or tender young nuts and seeds. Leaves, greens, foliage
of all sorts, unadulterated and brilliant in their raw glory,
were the natural and convenient basis of the human diet. Read
more...
Jul/Aug 2008 |
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PURE PLEASURE
As I prepare for a food and nutrition class I’m teaching,
I’m focusing on pleasure. I realize this amounts to little
more than heresy in the modern world of deprivation dining. To
deny oneself sugar, to abstain from gluten, dairy, saturated fat,
wheat, is tantamount to sainthood. We mean well, but when we constantly
deprive ourselves of foods that are frankly pleasurable, aren’t
we also depriving ourselves of some large measure of joy? Read
more...
May/June 2008 |
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HEALING
PLATE - NUTRITIOUS SWEET POTATOES
Lumpy, bumpy, often covered with dirt, the lowly sweet potato
seems wretchedly unsophisticated in the glamorous world of leafy
greens. Humble and dense as they are, they’re not as immediately
alluring as tender stalks of baby asparagus; lined up next to
the elegant endive, they’re downright homely. But hailing
from deep within the mysteries of the earth, sweet potatoes are
nurturing and reliable in a way other foods of a more frivolous
nature could never hope to match. Read
more...
March/April 2008 |
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THE
SENSUOUS KISS OF PEAR HEAVEN
Maybe it’s the voluptuous curve, the coy blush on its rounded
cheek. Maybe it’s the firm, smooth flesh that feels nearly
creamy against the tongue. Or perhaps it’s the fact
that the pear is one of the few fruits that quietly demands your
utter attention to its readiness; a day too early, and it’s
not quite ready. Several hours too late, and the moment has passed.
Whatever the reason, the pear exudes a deep, understated sensuality.
More modest than the fig, less flashy than the mango, it has captivated
epicures for thousands of years. Read
more...
Jan/Feb 2008 |
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BRILLIANT
CRANBERRIES
Pleasantly tangy, brilliant in color, the cranberry has long
been a welcome, if predictable, standard of seasonal fare. But
its uses have seldom extended beyond a few holiday months. One
of only three fruits native to North America, the cranberry has
been used by indigenous cultures for thousands of years to prevent
and treat illnesses ranging from fever to urinary tract infection.
Now, modern studies are showing that cranberries can reduce the
risk of a variety of diseases, including cardiovascular disease
and certain types of cancer. Read
more...
Nov/Dec 2007 |
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THE
GREAT PUMPKIN
It’s an icon of autumn: earthy, comforting, substantial
after a summer of fragile, leafy vegetables. But if your culinary
use of the great pumpkin has been limited to pies, it’s
time to expand your repertoire. From savory curries and creamy
soups to colorful stir-fries, the rich, earthy flavor and buttery
texture of pumpkins lend themselves to an enormous variety of
dishes. Read
more...
Sept/Oct 2007 |
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HOT
TOMATOES
Nothing symbolizes the peak of the season like a juicy tomato.
As ripe, lusty and full of possibility as a long summer day, it’s
compelling in a variety of forms: shrouded in a delicate dressing,
simmered with fresh herbs, gracefully scattered across a bed of
greens. But the best way to enjoy a perfect tomato is in the buff–straight
off the vine, with no accoutrements other than a dash of sea salt.
Read more...
July/Aug 2007 |
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FLOWER
POWER
As the first blossoms of spring arrive, fresh and wistful in their
tentative glory, let the petals fall where they may--into soups,
salads, desserts, nearly any offering. Edible flowers have been
used throughout history to adorn food and add subtle flavor to
meals. Ancient Persian cuisine features rose petals in cakes,
puddings and jams; traditional Italian and Mexican meals use squash
blossoms in soups and sauces, or stuffed with cheese; and in Victorian
America, candied lilacs were commonplace confections. But sometime
around the turn of the century, the use of flowers in food disappeared.
Now, they're making a fresh and fragrant comeback. Read
more...
May/June 2007 |
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BIG
FAT LIES: THE TOP TEN MYTHS ABOUT HEALTHY DIETS
We think we've got it all figured out: if we eat
lots of grains, cut back on fats and stay away from coffee, chocolate
and alcohol, we'll be strong and healthy. Then why, on the whole,
are we getting fatter--and sicker? Read
more...
March/April 2007
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SOUPS
FOR THE SOUL
In the depths of winter's dreary worst, nothing soothes the soul
like a great bowl of soup. The ultimate comfort food, soup has
a nearly mystical power to heal and nourish the body and spirit
on the deepest level. It's warm and calming, filling the palate
with a complex blend of ingredients. And soup is inspiring and
nurturing in a way that single-ingredient dishes can never hope
to be. Read
more...
Jan/Feb 2007 |
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THE
PERFECT HOLIDAY BRUNCH
Lunch can be such a stuffy affair. And breakfast?
It’s too informal for guests (unless they don’t mind
if we serve it in our bathrobes). And I don’t know about
you, but I’ve pretty much had it with dressing up for holiday
dinners in a slushy, messy snowstorm. The perfect solution for
holiday entertaining? A festive brunch, one that offers a slow-down,
lazy-Sunday feeling in the middle of the mad rush from cocktail
parties to dinner buffets. Read
more...
Nov/Dec 2006 |
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VEGETARIANISM
FOR DUMMIES
It used to be a statement, a quiet rebellion against
the status quo. Now, being a vegetarian is, if not the norm, at
least a requirement for the hip and enlightened—especially
now that the recently popular high-protein regimens are quickly
going the way of margarine, white bread and the grapefruit fast.
More findings on the dangers of a diet heavy in animal protein
have tipped the scales toward the meat-free faction, and vegetarians
now number two million strong in the United States. So standard
is meat-free eating that even as conservative an organization
as the American Dietetic Association (ADA) advocates a well-planned
vegetarian diet. Read more...
Sept/Oct 2006 |
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DRINK
UP: THE HEALTHIEST BEVERAGES FOR SUMMER
It's summer, it's hot, and you're drinking more—or,
at least, you should be. But before you reach for that Diet Coke,
consider this: your beverage choices can mean the difference between
a so-so and a super-healthy diet. Chosen poorly, beverages are
a vehicle for excess calories, sugar or fake sugar, artificial
flavors and colors, even harmful parasites. Chosen carefully,
beverages can be an important part of any meal plan. Read on for
the healthiest ways to quench your thirst. Read
more...
July/Aug 2006
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SPRING
FLING
For us foodies, few things herald the coming of
spring like the arrival of the season's first vegetables. Asparagus,
watercress, garden peas, fresh herbs—they emerge, tentative
and wistful, tender and bright as our hopes after winter's long
slumber. More refined than squash and heavy root vegetables, with
the irresistible blossom of youth, they inspire us toward all
manner of flings. Read
more...
May/June 2006 |
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