Blog
Another Quick Marketing Quiz: Guess the Message
This mac 'n cheese ad looks like a perfectly normal ad, right? Lusciously tempting food pic + catchy tagline. You see it, it registers, but likely as not it "goes in one ear (or eye) and out the other." At least that's what we think happens. The creators of these ads...
Recipe: Tricolor Vegetable Saute
Serving vegetables in colorful combinations is a good way to get a beautiful and appealing dish. You'll also get more interesting flavor along with more nutrition by combining the nutrients of several different vegetables. Step 1: Saute Onion 1 cup onion diced to 1/2”...
Want to Save Money?
With grocery prices front and center in the news, who doesn't want to save a few dollars? Here's a simple way to save both dollars and your health: Steer clear of the snack aisles. In almost all cases, snack foods are highly processed (i.e., ultra-processed) and...
Recipe: Super Simple Italian Salmon
Much as I try, I still seem to overcook salmon when I pan fry it. That's why I love cooking it "en papillote," or "in paper" as in this recipe for Curried Salmon "en Collard-Leaf Papillote." But now I've found another practically foolproof way to cook salmon so it...
Sunscreen for Dessert? for Dinner? in Your Coffee?
You might remember this post: "Do You Put Antifreeze on Your Skin? In Your Mouth?" That article explained how propylene glycol, an ingredient in anti-freeze, is also used in both cosmetics and food. Since posting that article, I've run into a couple readers who...
It Ain’t Easy! Learnings from a Garlic Party
How Does This Happen to Smart People? (Part 3: Learnings from a Garlic Party) This is part of a continuing series on Food Marketing that explores why we need a different kind of smarts to stay healthy in an unhealthy food environment, i.e., "marketing-smarts." (Find...
What Is an Ingredient Listing? How Do You Read One?
This is part of a continuing series on Food Marketing Shenanigans that explores: How does it happen that when it comes to food, smart people are often not so very smart? It's because we need a different kind of smarts to stay healthy in an unhealthy food environment,...
How Does This Happen to Smart People? (Part 2: Test Your Marketing Smarts)
This post is part of a continuing series on Food Marketing Shenanigans that explores: How does it happen that when it comes to food, smart people are often not so very smart? It's because we need a different kind of smarts to stay healthy in an unhealthy food...
How Does This Happen to Smart People? (Part 1)
Are you a smart person? What kind of question is that?!! Of course we're all smart people. So how is it that when it comes to food, we're often not so very smart: Uncritically trusting what food companies tell us about their products. Trusting that if something is on...
Did I miss a critical piece of your support team?
A previous post talked about the importance of good eating support. The underlying point was this: If you want to be a healthy eater, you'll get very little to no support from our food culture. But you'll get plenty of support and even powerful encouragement to be an...
Recipe: Super Easy Seasonal Skillet–Italian Zucchini Skillet
Sometimes it's almost silly how easily a yummy, health-giving meal can be assembled. Of course, it always helps to have some leftovers on hand. In this case it was some leftover shredded beef from a roast prepared the day before. But easy-to-use hamburger (or ground...
Feel like the Lone Ranger on the healthy eating frontier?
Earlier this summer I had a classic "post-college-finals crash." After closing a big house sale, I turned into a pile of mush, unable to do much besides stare out the window. Of course the workaholic part of me demanded that I get up and do something productive. But...