Today is October 23rd, otherwise known to some of us nerds as Mole Day. Avogadro's number, 6.02 x 1023, or a mole, is a constant widely used in chemistry. I thought it was a good opportunity to plug registered dietitians as the true nutrition experts by letting you know just how much chemistry RDs are required to take. Let's back up for a minute though. There are a lot of people out there referring to themselves using all kinds of titles and trying to make a living off of giving nutrition advice. I'm sure you've heard terms like "healthy living expert" or "nutritionist" thrown around like they mean something. There are even people out there with legitimate (or non-legitimate, purchased from
Regardless of which conspiracies you believe on where food allergies come from, the fact is that they are real, and Halloween can be a real bummer if you're a kid who suffers from them. Enter Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE)'s Teal Pumpkin Project. The concept is simple. Place a teal pumpkin in front of your house to let trick-or-treaters know you offer non-food treats. Think stickers, pencils, spider rings, and other non-edibles. Need more ideas? Check out FARE's website for an extensive list. Not only will you be showing your support for kids with food allergies, but you'll also be promoting a less sugary Halloween in general. You also get the benefit of getting your creative energ
This evening I had the honor and pleasure of leading a troop of Girl Scouts to their "Eating For Beauty" badge. The name would have you conjuring up old wives' tales about what foods cause pimples, but the requirements were surprisingly complex. To earn their badge, the girls had to understand how food affects their skin, stress, sleep, energy, and general health. I posed questions to the group on an array of topics including carbohydrates, antioxidants, caffeine, and label-reading. The responses ranged from the adorable, "Does snow count as a white food?" to clearly pronouncing "aspartame" when asked what diet soft drinks contain. Overall, I was highly impressed with the knowledge, enthusia
I LOVE celebrating things. I love taking what would be ordinary days and making them something special. I've made up holidays just to have a reason to celebrate! So as you can imagine, I love my birthday. Aging gracefully and being well later in life is something that our society grossly undervalues. So putting together my love of celebration and healthful living, I started a new tradition last year I call my "birthday triathlon." I turned 32 yesterday, so I made it my mission to complete a 3.2 mile run, 3.2 mile bike, and 32 flips on my birthday! Check out the video and let me know what healthy traditions you have! Final thoughts: Balance is important. It should be noted that I enjoyed a bi
