Americans tend to think of “salad” as a “diet food” or an obligatory “healthy food” you eat to lose weight. More often than not, salads resemble dessert, especially when you add candied nuts, dried cranberries (or any kind of dried fruit), cheese, croutons and creamy, sugar-infused dressings or fruity vinaigrettes. If you eat your salad […]
Omega 3 Rx: Quick & Easy Broiled Sardines
One of my all-time favorite Sicilian dishes is Bucatini con le Sarde (bucatini, being a fat, long, hollow pasta, with sardines, currants and pine nuts….mmm!). While I don’t eat wheat- or gluten-based foods these days (including, sadly, bucatini), I still love and appreciate the deliciousness of sardines. These small, oily fish are a concentrated source […]
Simple Fall Immune-Boosting Salad
Simple salads featuring fresh, organic ingredients, can elevate the seemingly mundane into something truly delicious, satisfying and nourishing. My salad got an unexpected flavor boost from two ingredients that I bought at the farmers’ market: radishes and Chinese chives. Chinese chives (jiu cai), also known as garlic chives, have flat broad leaves (see photo) and […]
Better Breast Health: Eat These 3 Foods
The Big 3 | Eat More Eating more of the following foods is key to supporting your breast health. 1. Organic Leafy Greens Leafy greens are a rich source of vitamins, like mood-balancing folate; hard-to-get minerals, like magnesium; and high in fiber and phytonutrients. Lettuce greens, from mesclun and Bibb, to red leaf and butter […]
Protect Your Breasts: Limit / Avoid the Big 3
There are many steps toward breast health that you can take, including moving your body daily; sleeping 7 to 9 hours every night; using non-toxic personal care and household products; doing a breast self-exam and/or having your gynecologist do it at your annual visit. However, I am going to focus on what you can avoid […]
Understanding Estrogen: How It Affects Breast Health
Estrogen is the hormone that gives women their curves—hips and breasts. In the right amount, estrogen enables a woman to focus (no brain fog!) and contributes to balanced mood (no mood swings!), a timely (and pain-free) menstrual cycle and a healthy libido. Estrogen also positively affects the brain, skin, bones, liver and heart. Progesterone keeps […]
Your Breasts: What You Need to Know
Female breasts are considered the essence of femininity. Breasts have been glorified for their beauty and ability to nourish new life. Breasts have also been vilified (e.g., breastfeeding in public). And, from bustiers and push-up bras, to silicone and saline implants, breasts have been objectified. Yet…while breasts seemingly have a life of their own, they […]
Liver: An Ancient Superfood
Growing up, my mother used to cook liver once a week or every two weeks. I loved liver and regarded it as a “treat”, sometimes confusing it with steak, which I also loved! As a child, I had no idea that liver was a nutrition powerhouse. It is, in fact, an original superfood. Many traditional […]
Ready for a Reset? 5 Benefits of a Fall Cleanse
If early fall finds you feeling low energy, lethargic, a few pounds heavier, congested, sneezy, bloated, swollen, clearing a scratchy or sore throat, and/or feeling generally “meh”, doing a fall cleanse can be an effective reboot. After all, we reset our clocks (Daylight Saving Time) in the fall…why not our bodies? What is a cleanse? […]
Hay and Straw “Noodles” with Bolognese-style Ragu
When there’s a hint of chill in the air, I love making my own version of paglia e fieno served with a homemade ragu. Paglia e fieno, Italian for “straw and hay”, is a classic Italian dish, featuring a combination of yellow and green tagliatelle, fettucine or linguini (whatever your druthers) served with some variation […]