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

My grandkids are already back in school.

“What did you like the most?” I asked after their first day.

“Recess and lunch,” they answered in unison.

So I changed my question: “Tell me one thing you learned today.”

Perhaps that’s something we should all ask ourselves, especially in the ever-changing field of nutrition. So today, ...Read more

This is interesting. Researchers from Cornell University conducted phone interviews with teens in New York City to explore how they define the word “snack.” Overall, the adolescents defined a snack as “a small, unhealthy food item that can be quickly eaten to reduce hunger between meals.”

We’ve got some work to do. Yes, the food kids ...Read more

To my surprise, I didn’t get any death threats after my recent column on how animal agriculture may be one way to mitigate climate change. In fact, even the folks who disagreed were extremely pleasant. Some questions did arise, however.

Regarding the methane (greenhouse gas) emissions from ruminants such as cattle, sheep and goats, Don W. in ...Read more

In response to a recent column about the safety of sugar substitutes, reader P.S. from Ohio asks: “What are your sources for this article? I have read in several sources which I consider reputable that aspartame and acesulfame are carcinogens. However, on the internet there is mixed information.”

Ah, yes, the internet is teeming with mixed ...Read more

Reader Ann F. writes: "I remember learning a bit about incomplete proteins a long time ago, and that if you combined, say, beans with corn, you had a complete protein, much as if you'd eaten eggs, or meat, or cottage cheese. I always assumed that you should eat them at the same meal.

But I'm wondering, suppose you had one incomplete for ...Read more

I forgot that June was Brain Health Awareness Month. And then I stumbled over several interesting research articles that say it’s never to late — or early — to learn.

According to Dr. Louise Dye, a nutrition and behavior professor at the University of Leeds in England, our brains go through major changes in our lifetime, especially when ...Read more

The rich array of daisies in my garden are now spent and faded, not nearly as fresh and vibrant as they were in the spring. So I decided to teach my grandkids how to remove (aka “deadhead”) the dried-up flowers to help direct the plant’s energy toward making new blooms.

“This is very satisfying,” my maturing 10 year-old granddaughter ...Read more