It went on for years — the belief that nutritious food rarely tastes good and delicious food can’t possibly be healthful. Then something started to change.

Chefs and restaurant owners began to ask dietitians for nutrition advice. And some dietitians decided to attend culinary schools to become chefs. The result? Both professions have ...Read more

Reader Dianne K. writes: “Hello Barbara, I enjoy reading your column in the Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star. Now that Lent is here, I'm thinking about my choices of fish. Wild caught or farm-raised? I have read that fish that are farm-raised are fed with known carcinogens. What countries should be trusted? Which countries should be avoided?...Read more

This is the first celebration of Heart Month (it comes every February) since the release of the updated dietary guidelines for Americans. If you missed the news on these new recommendations, they are meant to represent the most current scientific evidence on how we are to eat to avoid chronic diseases, including heart disease.

While no one ...Read more

In a recent column, I described myself as a “nutrition nerd” regarding my fascination with the human body’s ability to process food into substances we need to maintain health.

Outlining how food is digested, I wrote: “As food nears the stomach, it arrives at a security gate called the esophageal sphincter that opens just long enough for...Read more

The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been announced … and there are some surprises.

What’s changed in these updated recommendations for how Americans should eat? For one, the previous document from five years ago was a whopping 164 pages. Our current document has been simplified to a mere 10 pages.

Another big change: The ...Read more

I enjoy watching what people put in their grocery carts this time of year. Up to Jan. 1: butter, eggnog, chocolate, booze. After Jan. 1: salad, chicken, fruit, yogurt.

That stroke of midnight that begins each new year seems to ignite something in us. For me, it’s a desire to start fresh. Clean my house. Finish that writing project I put off ...Read more

I chose early December for my knee surgery, assuming I’d be up and at ‘em in time for all the holiday activities. Yeah, well, maybe not.

My surgeon said the procedure went well. And my physical therapist says I’m tracking as expected. She also told me to expect a few ups and downs on this road to recovery. Right.

Let’s face it. That ...Read more