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

I was pleased and surprised to see all the press last week about America’s farmers. Then I learned I had totally missed National Farmers Day.

Oh well, in my mind every day should be Farmers Day, since these unsung heroes care for their land and animals 24/7, 365 days a year.

If you happened to be watching football last weekend, you might ...Read more

My friend Glenn from Monterey, California, asked a question not as easy to answer as one might think: “How much protein does someone my age need?”

Well, Glenn, that depends on a lot of factors. Besides your age, protein requirements vary widely based on one’s sex, exercise level and physical health. When we are sick or injured, for ...Read more

Imagine a clock in your brain that regulates how your body uses the food you eat. Suppose this clock controls how your body burns calories. And what if this clock even manages your appetite?

These and other questions are being studied in a new area of research called chrononutrition. Basically, scientists want to know how our internal 24-hour ...Read more

It’s bean harvest season in our part of the country, the best time of year to buy fresh dry beans from our local farmers.

Fresh dry beans — is that a misnomer? Just how do pinto, black, great northern and other dry beans get that way?

You might say beans are out standing in their field. When the plants mature around this time of year, they...Read more

Guess I’m not the only one who dislikes wasting food. Here’s what one reader wrote in response to a recent column on this topic (with a few added comments):

"Barbara: I loved your 'what to do with leftovers' article. It’s about time we as Americans quit being the shame of the developed world by wasting gobs of nutritious food. We overbuy,...Read more

PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) is a common hormonal condition in women, and most don’t know anything about it. When I first heard about it at a conference many years ago, I felt like the speaker directed his talk specifically to one of my family members.

She struggled with her weight most of her life. As a teen, she developed acne and ...Read more

I am aware that some people, for one reason or another, do not eat leftovers. That would not be our household, even before these days of high food prices.

It’s estimated that we Americans waste 30% to 40% of the food we purchase. That equates to 219 pounds of groceries that each of us tosses in the garbage every year, according to the ...Read more