Registered dietitian and diabetes educator Charlene Dorcey said it as gently as she could:

"We've gotten fluffier as a nation ... and as we've gotten heavier, we also have more diabetes." (Diabetes now affects almost one of every 10 people in the US.)

What's more scary, she continued, is the number of Americans with prediabetes, a condition ...Read more

I just love the airport in our small town. As soon as you enter the terminal (I use that term loosely), you are greeted by two clerks behind a lone counter. A couple of nearby TSA agents smile and nod as they anxiously wait to carefully check your luggage since there are only eight people on the flight.

When your bags are checked, the agent ...Read more

Q: Thanks for your very informative column on the nutritional value of beans. One of the things you said was that beans are high in protein. Many years ago I read that beans were an incomplete protein, so you should eat them with corn, and then the two together made a complete protein.

Some time later I read that you didn't have to eat them at ...Read more

What are dry beans? a) The opposite of wet beans; b) Edible seeds from legume plants; c) Foods referred to as "pulses" that need to be cooked before eating. Answer: b and c.

According to the US Dry Bean Council, which states produce the most beans? a) North Dakota, Michigan and Nebraska; b) Minnesota, Idaho and Colorado; c) California and ...Read more

As I sit here scratching a mosquito bite, I'm suddenly interested in a recent question from a patient. Do vitamin B-1 supplements repel mosquitos? Here's what I learned:

Mosquitos transmit several diseases, including malaria and West Nile virus. And they find their hosts (you and me) mostly by their sense of smell, say experts. Thus, most ...Read more

Reader Mary K. asks, "Can you tell me what is a bland diet for a senior citizen? Thank you."

Senior citizen or not, some people think a bland diet is one that is tasteless and boring. Not necessarily so. In the field of clinical nutrition, a bland diet -- also referred to as soft or low residue -- is actually a special diet for certain medical ...Read more

Reader Mary K. asks, "Can you tell me what is a bland diet for a senior citizen? Thank you."

Senior citizen or not, some people think a bland diet is one that is tasteless and boring. Not necessarily so. In the field of clinical nutrition, a bland diet -- also referred to as soft or low residue -- is actually a special diet for certain medical ...Read more

When does one's concern for proper nutrition turn into a pathological condition? When the desire to eat a healthful diet turns into an unhealthy obsession, say experts. Mental health experts call it "orthorexia nervosa" which literally means "proper appetite ... carried to the extreme."

Hey, we all get a little crazy about food at times, right?...Read more

Can some teas really help you sleep better at night? And is there a dietary supplement that can protect you from sunburn? While we are free to buy these products, they are worth checking out. Here goes:

A close friend swears that his first cup of Sleepytime tea won't be his last. It helped him sleep better. So I took a look at the ingredients. ...Read more

Take time to be well or you'll have to take time to be sick. Not sure where I heard this but it has stuck with me. And oh, is it true.

One reader who attended a lifestyle program after a recent heart attack said it this way: "The one thing I have come away (with) from my medical blip is that it is best to avoid medical problems, especially ...Read more

It's always nice when things fall together. Especially on vacation. Our recent trip to a state park with dogs and horses in tow was a good example. After a few minor delays I won't go into, we set out to ride and relax.

Food? The same rules for nutrition (let's call them guidelines...this was a special occasion, after all) apply away from home:...Read more

It was a tricky moment. I was sitting in a coffee shop ... pastry shop, actually. In walks a former patient who had come to me for weight management. As she walked to a table with her soda and donut, she pretended not to see me. I did the same. Awkward.

Guess we all need to pick and choose when and where we seek nutrition advice. And besides ...Read more

Yep, the science of nutrition can be frustrating, when the answers we get from experts are not as easy as "Eat this, not that." In fact, as we learn more about the complexities of the food we ingest, advice on what to eat is more apt to be, "Well ... it depends."

Case in point: Surprising new research shows no health detriment and possibly some...Read more