Fish, Rice, Pickles and Soup for Breakfast? A Tale of Two Cultures

The last few issues have explored the health-damaging effects of food marketing. Those newsletters laid the foundation for understanding the link between culture and healthy eating success. I’ll explain that more below, but first, take a look at Japan’s very different and promising food culture that can be a model for us. Long, long ago, … Read more

How to go forward by going back . . . and the bigger picture

This is the final part of a series on Food Marketing that explores why we need a different kind of smarts to stay healthy in an unhealthy food environment, i.e., “marketing-smarts.” The last few posts talked about the dangerous influence of marketing when it comes to making food choices. You might remember the mac ‘n … Read more

Recipe: Savory Greek Meatballs

Step 1: Quick-Saute Onions, Garlic and Spinach 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 to 1½ cups onion, diced to ¼” (from 1 small onion) 1 Tbsp. garlic, minced (from 3-4 cloves) 4 cups lightly packed fresh spinach chopped into smallish 1” pieces In a large, heavy-bottomed saute pan, heat oil over medium heat until hot but … Read more

Another Quick Marketing Quiz: Guess the Message

This mac ‘n cheese ad looks like a perfectly normal ad, right? Lusciously tempting food pic + catchy tagline. You see it, it registers, but likely as not it “goes in one ear (or eye) and out the other.” At least that’s what we think happens. The creators of these ads are not stupid. There … Read more

Want to Save Money?

With grocery prices front and center in the news, who doesn’t want to save a few dollars? Here’s a simple way to save both dollars and your health: Steer clear of the snack aisles. In almost all cases, snack foods are highly processed (i.e., ultra-processed) and provide little in the way of nutrition or, more … Read more

Sunscreen for Dessert? for Dinner? in Your Coffee?

You might remember this post: “Do You Put Antifreeze on Your Skin? In Your Mouth?” That article explained how propylene glycol, an ingredient in anti-freeze, is also used in both cosmetics and food. Since posting that article, I’ve run into a couple readers who mentioned that they were now taking a closer look at ingredient … Read more

It Ain’t Easy! Learnings from a Garlic Party

How Does This Happen to Smart People? (Part 3: Learnings from a Garlic Party) This is part of a continuing series on Food Marketing that explores why we need a different kind of smarts to stay healthy in an unhealthy food environment, i.e., “marketing-smarts.” (Find Part 2 in the series here) A few days ago … Read more