What is sustainability? It has become a huge buzzword but I like this definition: supplying a growing world with food, fuel, feed and fiber — while safeguarding its resources for future generations.

Although a program I attended was sponsored by Undeniably Dairy, an education partnership between the National Dairy Council and America’s ...Read more

Reader Kari B from Lincoln, Nebraska writes:

“Would you be able to review vitamin K2 sometime in your nutrition column? I was researching bone health online and came upon an article that discusses how important this vitamin is in bone health. It states that vitamin K2 is part of the bone health package that includes magnesium, calcium, weight...Read more

In my eyes, he’s the perfect man. A rancher who takes exquisite care of the Angus cattle in the pastures surrounding our home. He relishes every meal I prepare and tells me he loves my cooking. And he probably eats more vegetables than I do … even at restaurants when he orders a salad and I sometimes give in to french fries.

Cowboys are an ...Read more

Reader Susan S. writes, in part: “Gut health is finally being brought up in mainstream more often. But almost never this: there are grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables that have LECTINS that poke tiny holes in our intestines. I thought you might want to check this out so that you can inform your readers. I realize it's not a simple subject..�...Read more

In response to a recent column about the food games we play, I got these delightful letters:

Hello Barbara,

I usually scan the newspaper but recently your article ("Food games we play") caught my attention. I'll tell you mine.

This habit started in high school. Whenever cake or a cookie was served at the table, I would cut the cake slice in ...Read more

I’ve been reading the back of cereal boxes since I was a kid. They entertained me with games or puzzles while I munched on breakfast. Last week, my cereal box got me thinking about whole grains.

Besides being crunchy good, researchers report that whole grains may reduce the risk for certain cancers — colon cancer in particular — and they ...Read more

When my oldest daughter was a baby, I noticed that each time I’d eat spicy food, she would cry and refuse to nurse. That’s when I learned that some foods mom eats elicit tastes in their milk that baby may not particularly like.

Some components in a breastfeeding mom’s diet do more than just affect the flavor, however. Breastfed babies can...Read more

Gotta love the great state of Nebraska. On a recent visit to the historic Haymarket district in Lincoln, we stopped for lunch at an upscale Japanese restaurant. I casually gazed out the window at a giant screen across the street. Up flashed advice on how to social distance. I laughed when I read “Keep one cornstalk apart.”

Nebraskans are ...Read more

My sister started smoking in her early 20s. She thought it would help her lose weight. Knowingly or unknowingly, that decision opened the door for her lifelong battle with cigarette addiction. Years later, when she was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), she was still unable to conquer the powerful pull to smoke “just ...Read more

I’m thinking about my mom, whose birthday is this week. She had a delightfully low-key sense of humor, especially about food.

One longstanding joke was in response to opened bags of food that she would “suddenly” discover when she was unpacking groceries.

“Would you look at this? That store sold me this package of cookies … and there...Read more

Easter and eggs … I get it. Easter is the Christian celebration of Jesus’ coming back to life after his death on a cross. Easter eggs represent new life. Very fitting.

But what the Easter bunny has to do with Easter, I’ll never understand. That said, let’s enjoy some of the good news about Easter and eggs.

When it comes to nutrition, ...Read more

It had been festering for a long time … an infection that didn’t show up on routine tests. But we knew sometime was not right. Cal was not eating as enthusiastically as he usually does. And he was steadily losing weight.

His routine doc was stumped and sent him to a specialist. Further testing found the answer to his weakened condition—a ...Read more