Most people I talk to about high blood pressure say, "I know, I know. I need to cut back on salt." That's correct. Few, however, are aware that potassium also plays a key role in the fight against high blood pressure.

Who cares? We should, says the American Heart Association (AHA). High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke -- ...Read more

I was out standing in the field ... literally. It was quite a scene in this place they call the Sandhills of Nebraska. Our group of about 20 cowboys and cowgirls of all ages were on horseback to gather a few hundred cows and their babies from rolling green hills in a pasture about the size of a small country.

This time every spring, ranchers ...Read more

Some things never change. My daughters still think I drive too slowly. Yet some things do change, especially in the field of nutrition. For example, we used to think that deficiencies of vitamin B-12 were rare except among strict vegetarians or people with an autoimmune disease called pernicious anemia.

New evidence now indicates that if you're...Read more

I hope I'm not the only one to find the recent news about artificial sweeteners more than just a little confusing. Here's my snapshot on this topic:

Some sweeteners are "nutritive" meaning they provide calories. (Calories are units of energy that power our brains, muscles and the rest of our body machinery.) Sugar alcohols like sorbitol and ...Read more

I certainly am one of the 62 percent of Americans who drink coffee on a daily basis especially when I haul it around in my new d.stil thermal tumbler that keeps it hot and doesn't drip on my chin. Besides its caffeine content to wake us up, several new studies suggest that -- for many of us -- coffee may perk up our health as well.

According to...Read more

Blame it on spring fever. Or perhaps the fact that I'm staring out the window as a beautiful spring storm rages through our area. At any rate, my mind is jumping to several findings that relate our diet to the development (or protection from) cancer:

It's been estimated that we could prevent more than half of all cancers if we would modify our ...Read more

I was at a national conference in 1994 (yes, I'm that old) when a speaker from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told us big changes were on the way in the field of dietary supplements. How right she was.

The 1994 Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act (DSHEA) removed dietary supplements from the strict scrutiny of the FDA, the ...Read more

A friend who knows I love corny jokes -- especially those about food -- sent this one to me: "What did the chick pea say when it was sick?" Pause... "Falalfel."

Maybe it's time to pull out some of my favorite groaners from various sources. Bear with me:

An elderly couple had dinner at another couple's house. After eating, the wives left the ...Read more

I love living in an agricultural community. Grading an assignment for a nutrition class I teach to nursing students, I got this answer to instructions for students to take their body measurements and assess their health risks:

"I found each of my measurements, which took some time and dedication as I could not find a single tape measure or ...Read more

Before the month gets away, we need to recognize National Nutrition Month -- so designated by the world's largest organization of nutrition professionals, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Theme this year is a cute play on words: Go Further with Food.

While no one diet is best for everyone, say experts, we all need a variety of healthful ...Read more

It's that time of year when this Irish-descended nutritionist paints her toenails green and makes sure she has currents and caraway seeds to make Grandma Quinn's famous (in the Quinn family, anyway) Irish soda bread. I also look for funny limericks, like this one from www.pun.me:

There once was a farmer from Leeds,

Who swallowed a packet of ...Read more

Ahhh...the coming spring thaw. Visions of wearing less bulky clothes in a less bulky body dance in our heads. It's also National Nutrition Month (https://www.eatright.org/food/resources/national-nutrition-month), says the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Time for me to catch up to you, my readers:

Barbara,

-- Recently I read with interest ...Read more