Fall is Pumpkin Time!

Fall is one of my favorite times because everywhere you turn there are foods containing pumpkin. What I love about pumpkins is that they are a great nutrient-rich food. They are loaded with antioxidants such as beta-carotene, which is the plant carotenoid that converts to vitamin A (important...

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Thanksgiving Tips From The Pros

November kicks off holiday season with one of the most food focused holidays of the year…Thanksgiving. We have gathered some tips from our pros on how to make your Thanksgiving a success. THE TURKEY The right tool really does make all of the difference. For a delicious turkey done right, use...

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Championship Chili

with campus executive chef Tom Barton Welcome to October, such a great time of year! I personally love this time of year when the weather starts to get a bit colder and I can start to prepare some of my favorite braises in the slow cooker and Instapot. I am inspired by the change in weather...

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Trick or Treat?

A balanced diet is a healthy diet.  Allowing yourself to enjoy a treat once and awhile really is okay!    Halloween is once year, but the candy is around for many weeks before and after it has come and gone.  You can choose not to eat the candy, which is fine too.  However,...

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The Meat Conundrum

We all know we should eat less meat, right? It’s better for our health; it’s better for the planet, it’s better for the animals. We know that eating less meat is good for many reasons, but are we reducing our meat intake? For those that love meat but want to be mindful of their consumption, supermarkets...

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Manage Stress

Stress and finding balance! Stress – we all have experienced it – probably more often than we would like to admit!  Managing stress is possible, and when done properly, can be healthy and beneficial to our bodies.  When we experience stress, we automatically initiate our stress response,...

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT OIL

You’ve probably heard the term “good fats” used to describe foods like avocado, nuts, seeds and certain oils. These good fats have been connected to improved heart health and other benefits. With so many different oils available, how do you know which ones are the right ones for you? ROLE OF...

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Local Produce

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy local produce because of the sheer variety of fruits and vegetables that are available. I’ve waited all winter for ripe berries, juicy tomatoes and sweet stone fruit. We get a few months of this bounty and when the season is over, we wait patiently for summer to...

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Calories on the menu

You may have noticed that restaurant menus have a new look. Along with price and description, you’ll now see calories listed on menus at restaurants, coffee shops, movie theaters and bakeries, among others. Why put calories on menus? Most of us eat about a third of our meals away from home. With that in mind, legislation was passed as part of the Affordable Care Act requiring calorie-posting on...

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Plant Forward

A New Way of Eating There’s a relatively new term buzzing around the food world that you may or may not have heard of, plant forward. What does that mean you ask? Plant forward focuses on more vegetable centric dishes with meat playing more of a supporting role. Think blended burgers, stir-fry’s...

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Good for Mind & Body

Eating well can certainly improve our physical health, but what if it could improve our mental well-being as well? The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan has been tested, successfully by researchers since the late 1990s as a way to lower blood pressure. A recent study suggests...

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Drink Healthy

With assistance from Northeastern graduate student Crystal (Sopher) Richardson You are what you… DRINK? The Healthier Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 included the addition of the USDA Smart Snacks in Schools which prescribed limitations on beverages offered for sale to students during the...

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Good for you, Good for the Earth

As we prepare to celebrate Earth Month in April and Stop Food Waste Day on April 27th, many of us will focus on making choices that improve the health of our planet. An added bonus is that several of the strategies that shrink our carbon footprint can also help improve our health. Shrink...

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Focus on Whole, Minimally Processed Foods

With assistance from Northeastern graduate student Crystal (Sopher) Richardson What’s the WHOLE story on Processed Foods? Nutritionists and dietitians are often asked why processed foods are bad.  It’s not an easy question to answer.  Many refer to the fact that the “Diseases...

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Recharge Your Resolutions

Did you start the year out with big resolutions to improve your health? Have some of them started to slip? March is National Nutrition Month® and a perfect time to recharge your resolutions. Be Realistic Setting big health related goals can be motivating, but if the goals are too lofty it can backfire....

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Limit Potatoes

with campus executive chef Tom Barton Who doesn’t love a potato right? Especially here in New England where Maine is ranked 10th in potato production nationwide. There are many varieties and colors to choose from, all having their own various health and nutritional benefits. So potatoes can definitely...

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Go “good fat”

When you are thinking about fat consider healthy fats versus non-fat food items.  When it comes to healthy eating the type of fat is just as important if not more important than the amount of fat.  With that in mind, you should consider eating less high fat foods containing saturated and...

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Go RED

On February 2nd, the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health celebrate National Wear Red Day® to bring attention to the number one killer of women, heart disease. Despite the fact that heart disease kills more women than the next four causes of death combined, most women...

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