Along with cooler weather, fall brings a yearning for comfort foods. Sometimes those old favorites can use a fresh makeover! Jennifer wrote asking for help in making her family’s favorite chicken tetrazzini a more healthful, lower sodium recipe. We made this beloved casserole healthier by cutting back on the cheese, using whole grain pasta, and making a sauce from scratch rather than using canned cream of chicken soup. The results are delicious!

Check out the full recipe for Chicken Tetrazzini with Green Peas and Chives and let us know what you think. Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, let’s be clear right off the bat: I like a good cup of coffee. But unfortunately, it doesn’t like me back. I’m super caffeine sensitive, darn it! I like tea and chocolate too, but even these I have to moderate. Caffeine comes in other forms too – sodas, energy drinks, supplements and medications. This stimulant is all around us.

So what exactly is caffeine? It’s a flavorless chemical alkaloid that is naturally present in coffee beans, tea, kola nut and cocoa beans. It can be made synthetically and is often added to medicines, appetite suppressants and energy boosting drinks. Because it acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system, when you ingest it, you feel alert, awake and peppy. Caffeine has been shown to affect mood, stamina, the cerebral vascular system, and gastric and colonic activity. Read the rest of this entry »

These quick and easy-to-make cookies more than satisfied our nutritionists, along with the sweet tooths of our tasters. Something for everyone! Elena sent us her recipe to test, saying that she loves to make healthy food for her family and bakes these cookies for her son, who loves them! Her recipe was right on the mark; we added a bit of cinnamon and everything else stayed the same.

Check out the full recipe for Cinnamon-Walnut Oatmeal Cookies.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you ever wake up feeling less than refreshed after what should have been a good night’s sleep? If so, move over! Falling asleep and staying asleep is a widespread problem. Stay tuned, though, there may be a few natural and relaxing strategies you can employ to help set the mood for a good night’s snooze.

When I first began researching this blog post, I wanted a scientific explanation as to why we need to sleep in the first place. I went digging around for the answer and learned something surprising: Scientists can tell us exactly why we need to eat, drink and move around, but they don’t know exactly why sleep is so critical to our survival.

The good news is that how you live your day can affect how you sleep at night. For example, your dietary habits, level of exercise, daily stress levels and caffeine or alcohol intake, as well as medications, hormone changes and illness can all affect the quality of your sleep. According to the Mayo Clinic, most adults need between seven and eight hours sleep each night. During deep sleep, our bodies restore themselves. Scientists believe during that time, our bodies regenerate and help the healing process such as repairing tissues and releasing hormones.

Here are some simple strategies to help you get a good night’s sleep. Read the rest of this entry »

Keeping your gray matter gorgeous is really a no-brainer, isn’t it? A healthy brain can mean proper mental development, good learning skills, strong cognitive function and a high quality of life. Who doesn’t want that?! I know I do. Here are some simple steps to boost brain power – great for adults and kids alike.

A healthy brain depends on:

Essential fatty acids

Topping the list are EFAs, also called Essential Fatty Acids, because they support a healthy brain and nervous system. Since your body doesn’t make these nutrients, you need to get them from food sources. These days, many people get too much omega-6 fatty acids from processed foods so healthcare providers suggest adding sources of omega-3 fatty acids to our diets in order to create balance. Omega-3s are crucial for the development of the brain as well as the heart, nervous system, tissues, skin and the immune system. These important fatty acids make up much of our brain cells. Children can especially benefit from an added focus on omega-3s since the sources (salmon, sardines, walnuts, hemp and flax) are not generally eaten by little ones. Deficiencies may be present in kids with focus and learning problems. For more information, check out our podcast on Back to School Brain Power. You may want to try this delicious Flax and Pumpkin Seed Cornbread for a boost in omega-3s. Read the rest of this entry »

Americans love to eat! Well, at least they do for lunch, dinner and snacks! Breakfast, however, can be a different story. Whatever happened to that age-old advice to “start the day with a hearty breakfast?” These days, many of us either don’t eat at all or we grab ‘n’ go: a bagel, donut or a muffin and wash it all down with a hit of caffeine. If we have the time, we may swing by the local fast food joint for a breakfast “whatever.” Is this what our bodies really need to get us going in the morning?

Breakfast is really just that: breaking – the – fast. When you wake up, you’ve been without food for 10-12 hours so you need to power up your body to meet the day. Tempted to skip breakfast? Don’t! You’ll miss out on important nutrients that your body needs to keep you healthy and maintain steady energy and blood sugar. That means you may be setting yourself up for a crash by mid-morning and even late afternoon. And without breakfast, you may be depending on caffeine to fuel your body, which just doesn’t do it! You’ll be running off adrenaline – not the sustained nutrition of a balanced breakfast – and that puts stress on your body. Want one more good reason? Studies have shown that if you skip breakfast, you may be more likely to make up those missed calories by over-eating later in the day. Not very desirable, right? Read the rest of this entry »

With kids heading back to school this month, school activities and fundraisers will start filling up the calendar. J. Leone wrote us with a request for a gluten-free recipe for brownies, always a crowd pleaser at school fundraisers.

I love a good food challenge. In addition to making a gluten-free brownie, I wanted to create a version with good protein, healthy carbohydrates and fiber – and, of course, it had to taste delicious!. With many gluten-free baked goods, you’ll find starches and flours in the ingredients that have virtually no fiber or protein, so I didn’t want to go that route. I needed a secret ingredient instead. Read the rest of this entry »

I say “tomato,” my dad says “tamater,” but no matter how you say it, these precious fruits have got one thing going for them that just about everybody knows how to say: lycopene. You’ve heard of it, I’m sure. Lycopene has its own publicity team, complete with sponsored studies, TV commercials and a dedicated website.

So, what is lycopene anyway? It’s the bright red pigment found most abundantly in ripe red tomatoes and, in lesser amounts, in pink grapefruit, pink guava, red carrots and watermelon. Lycopene is a potent antioxidant – a prominent member of the carotenoid family. It gained fame when studies showed that having a higher intake of tomatoes or higher levels of lycopene in the blood correlated with cancer protection. Read the rest of this entry »

You can’t go wrong with macaroni and cheese-just about everyone loves it! While there are plenty of convenient boxed options out there, making mac and cheese from scratch lets you use natural ingredients, including freshly grated cheese, and you get to control the amount of salt and fat. This means a healthier version with no artificial colors or flavors and it’s not hard to make – you can even get the kids to help!

We thought back-to-school time was the perfect opportunity to satisfy all those requests we’ve received for a healthier but family friendly version of stovetop macaroni and cheese.

Check out the recipe we developed for Stovetop Whole Wheat Macaroni and Cheese.

Here’s an overview of the steps we took to improve the nutritional profile of mac and cheese: Read the rest of this entry »

Summer is prime season for all kinds of peppers. Hot, mild or sweet, you can find all the colors of the rainbow! Peppers are usually separated into those that have capsaicin – the heat component – and those that do not.

Hot, Hot, Hot

Fresh hot peppers are often called chiles. Red chile peppers are full of vitamin C and carotene, more so than green or yellow chiles. They contain Vitamin B6 and other B vitamins. Peppers high in capsaicin may help keep cholesterol levels healthy. Read the rest of this entry »