In the first blog post in this two-part series, we mentioned that Dr. Michel Poulain, a Belgian demographer researching longevity, along with Dr. Gianni Pes, a medical statistician tied to the University of Sassari, Italy, coined the name Blue Zone. Why choose the name Blue Zone you ask?
Category: real food
Tips To Honor 40th National Nutrition Month
It’s March once again and National Nutrition Month (NNM) is here! National Nutrition Month helps remind us of the unmistakable link between food, nutrition and health. You can find out more by visiting this year’s NNM site. In honor of the 40th anniversary of National Nutrition Month, we’d like to share 10 categories of tips with you. Won’t you join us in making this the best celebration ever of NNM?!
December 2012 Potpourri: Food Safety App.; CeliacNow site; FODMAPs update
Food Safety App Holiday time is a busy time for everyone. It is easy to get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season that one can lose track of time and/or could easily forget some critical aspects of proper food handling. Staying on top of food safety awareness can mean the difference between a Happy Holiday or running the risk of needless food poisoning that could have been avoided. (Photo of fresh, whole, skin-on, bone-in, unbrined, plain, raw 6.63 pound turkey breast ready for oven roasting shown prior to adding any herbs and/or spices, basting, etc.
Read MoreDecember 2012 Potpourri: Food Safety App.; CeliacNow site; FODMAPs update
Whole Food Focus Thanksgiving Preparations
Many people are considering the merits of a Whole Food focus basis for planning their upcoming Thanksgiving meal. Of course, the most important aspect of Thanksgiving is truly the opportunity give thanks for the blessings in our lives and to share that sentiment while being able to spend time with family and friends, so any food choices should enhance that overall experience. Memories of Thanksgivings past are connected to our emotional perceptions of those times, so there are sounds, sights, smells/aromas, tastes, textures that all contributed to the sensory perceptions we have locked in our memory banks of those special
Tips When Shopping for August Abundance
In the Northeast, August is the month where truly more localized produce variety increases and all sorts of marketplaces will start to feature a wider range of locally sourced product. We’d like to share some tips below to help make shopping for August Abundance that much more enjoyable for you. We’ll include ideas for before you head out shopping, once you arrive at the market place destination and while you are there, and then after you get back home again. In PA the weather has often been more temperate in the growing regions and they’ve had enough rain fall to
Don’t Forget the Whole Grains (after Whole Grains Summit 2012)
Fueling Olympic Dreams
The approach to fueling US Olympic athletes has changed over the years, the past 7 or so years to be specific. The US Olympic Committee (USOC) has sanctioned a “marrying” of the culinary arts with nutrition science to create a performance-based menu to help each athlete do their personal best in their sport. Qualified Sports Dietitians(/Sports Nutritionists) work with food service staff to make sure that the needs of a wide range of athletes can be met. (Symbol of the five Olympic Rings which is in the Public Domain in the United States shown for identification purposes only courtesy of Wikipedia Commons). To
The Skinny on Tomatoes, Including the Tomato Genome
Tomatoes qualify as a very popular non-starchy “vegetable” (even if they are botanically a “fruit” per se) based on per capita consumption in the USA, second only to potatoes. Year 2005 data from USDA noted tomato consumption from various sources, including primarily canned & frozen, as well as some fresh, to be close to 100# of farm weight/per person/per year. The next closest non-starchy vegetable category item, carrots, was noted to have consumption levels at just above 10# of farm weight/per person/per yr. (Different Tomatoes 2 graphic courtesy of salsachica at rgbstock.com) What contributes to the wild popularity of tomato
Read MoreThe Skinny on Tomatoes, Including the Tomato Genome
Seasonal Fruit and Vegetable Guides (USA)
It’s summertime around the USA. That means a plethora of fresh herbs, vegetables and also some fresh fruits for consumers to enjoy can be found in various Farmer Markets, State & local Fairs, road side stands, community & backyard & sideyard vegetable gardens, grocery stores, convenience stores including bodegas, as well as push carts, food trucks, etc. In certain instances even area food banks and food pantries are lucky enough to receive some of nature’s abundance to be shared with others. How can you find out what produce options will be available in your locale during any given month? (Image
Men’s Health Week June 11-17, 2012 Part 1 of 2
With Father’s Day being celebrated on June 17, 2012, it seems appropriate to take a moment and talk about Men’s Health Week, June 11-17, 2012. Reportedly, Men’s Health Week was designated by the US Congress back in 1994 to occur during the week prior to Father’s Day. (Graphic courtesy of duchesssa via rgbstock.com) It has grown to be a global international effort since 2002 recognized and reportedly now promoted in Africa, Asia, Australia, Austria, Canada, Central America, Denmark, UK (England, Scotland &Wales), Netherlands, South America, and the United States. International Men’s Health Week as part of International Men’s Health Month provides a rich opportunity for many terrific