A recent column on hydrogenated fats in peanut butter brought these responses:

“I read recently, in my local paper, your long answer to a question about fat in peanut butter. The peanut butter I eat frequently, I make at my food co-op simply by grinding their shelled, organic peanuts. How does my peanut butter rate health-wise in terms of fat...Read more

We buy eggs from a chicken farmer in our area. He leaves them at my son-in-law’s veterinary clinic and we pick them up when we come in with dogs, horses or cows.

Last week we got the news that we would need to pay more for the homegrown eggs. And it’s still a lot less than what we pay at the store. No argument here. We’re thankful to know...Read more

After reading a recent column on spirulina, MH from Dothan, Alabama, writes: “Will spirulina have an adverse effect on fatty liver disease? And do you have other information or suggestions for dealing with fatty liver disease?”

Dear MH, I’ll answer your second question first, because I have a lot of nutrition information about fatty liver...Read more

I continue to be amazed at the pace at which nutrition science continues to evolve — and get more complicated. Along with that thought comes this question from David P in Tucson, Arizona:

“Dear Barbara, is hydrogenated peanut butter as healthy as the nonhydrogenated kind? Hydrogenated peanut butter only adds a half-gram of saturated fat to ...Read more

After the holidays a few years back, I was talking to an employee in our supermaket. “It’s funny,” he said. “From Thanksgiving through Christmas, we can’t keep eggnog stocked fast enough. The day after New Year’s, we can’t hardly give it away.”

For sure, this is the time of year many of us want to make better choices. Consider ...Read more

A recent column on the value of bone broth brought two questions.

"I have a friend whose daughter fell and has a jaw fracture with the medical advice that she is to have (a) liquid diet for six weeks. Then I just read your article on bone broth!! I will tell my friend, but wonder how long you need to boil the bones? Also do you have recipes for...Read more

Before I moved to western Nebraska, I thought a blizzard was a frozen milkshake with a gazillion calories. Then I experienced a storm with snow going sideways at 40 miles an hour. That was a blizzard.

According to the National Weather Service, a blizzard is a storm with large amounts of snow, winds greater than 35 mph, and visibility less than ...Read more

According to a Gallup poll, each of us Americans expects to spend an average of $932 on Christmas gifts this year. I, for one, like practical gifts. (My daugher was thrilled last year when I told her I needed a new crockpot.)

This year, as I browsed through the mass of catalogs that hit our mailbox, a few caught my attention. Gifts from these ...Read more

My husband did an excellent job carving our Thanksgiving turkey. So well, in fact, that very little was left on the bones that I typically use for making turkey soup. After simmering them overnight, however, I was surprised that the almost bare bones still gave up a fair amount of meat.

Nutritionally, there’s much more than meat extracted ...Read more

Richard D, who reads this column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, writes: “I'm age 82 and in good health compared to most men of my age that I know. Spirulina — I recently started adding 1/2 teaspoon of it to my breakfast. What are your ideas about it? Green tea — I started drinking it because it is supposedly beneficial. How does an ...Read more

I’m getting lots of reminders that November is Diabetes Awareness Month. And I’m also being reminded that many Americans still don’t understand some basic facts about the disease — even though it affects more than 1 out of 10 of us. That’s 37.3 million people.

First question, what is diabetes? I hear “It’s got something to do with...Read more

I met her at a function for young children at our church. Unlike the other parents who dropped off their kids and came back later to pick them up, this young mom stayed and waited.

“My son has Type 1 diabetes,” she explained. “I like to monitor his blood sugars when the snack is served so I can give him insulin if he needs it.”

She ...Read more

Glad to hear from two Arizona readers this week:

"Good morning, Barbara. As a vegan who eats fish (pescatarian), I read with interest your column on beans. I know that beans are good for me, but I don't like them. So I substitute tofu for beans in my stir fries and salads. Do you think it's OK to replace beans with tofu, which after all, comes ...Read more