A Monthly Column

A few months ago I was approached with a lovely proposal.

Would I like to author a new monthly column on health and wellness for the Cleveland Jewish News? You bet I would! I am thrilled to be able to share these with you today.

I’ve included links to the first two columns below, and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them! They are not meant to take the place of YHIOYP. I’ll keep writing this blog just as I always have.

The first column is entitled Real Food Nourishes; Manufactured Calories Entertain.

The second is Developing [a] Firm Foundation: Three Pillars of Wellness.

The next one will be out the second week of January! Til next time, stay well!


Real Food for Real People

In discussing the nutritional value of the things we eat, I often talk about real food, by which I mean food that has not been ultraprocessed, refined, stripped, polished, fortified, degerminated, enriched, or otherwise modified. Real food means fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans and lentils), nuts, seeds, whole grains, fish, eggs, dairy products, and meats, like poultry, beef, or game. And that’s about it. Continue reading


Real Breakfasts for All You Champions

Last week I wrote about the sorry story of how boxed cereals came to predominate morning choices for breakfast; this week I’m sharing some of my own breakfast choices. The first thing I am going to point out is that my breakfasts do not differ significantly from other meals I eat through the day. That is to say, I don’t keep a separate list of breakfast options from lunch and dinner options. While I would say that I probably eat less spicy stuff at breakfast time, it’s more of a suggestion than a hard-and-fast rule, as you will see.

A major category of breakfasts in my house is the leftovers I find in the refrigerator, with or without a little extra something. So it could be that I heat up a bowl of leftover stir-fried vegetables, and that might be enough by itself, but I might also add some leftover rice if there is any. Or maybe I will fry an egg and slide it on top, or melt a slice of cheese (vegan for me) on top.  Continue reading


Fun is Fine, It’s Just Not Food

There is a very big difference between nutrition and entertainment. Food is nourishing. It’s what goes into our mouths when we choose stuff that’s loaded with fiber and color, like vegetables and beans, nuts, fruits, seeds, and whole grains. Fun, on the other hand, is nothing like food. Fun (which often goes by interesting names like “junk food” or “fast food” or “processed food”) is made with products like white flour, white rice, corn syrup, corn starch, commodity oils (soy, corn, cottonseed) and, of course, sugar, which you tend to find in items that are ultraprocessed. Food nourishes you. Fun entertains you. Sometimes you feel like a little entertainment. That’s fine. Go ahead and enjoy. But it doesn’t go in the plus category. It’s just for fun. Continue reading


Processed Food: A Menace to Satiety

Have you ever thought about the fact that you might be able to eat your way through several pounds of potato chips, but not the same weight of baked potatoes? How many pounds of baked potatoes do you think you could actually eat in one sitting? A friend of mine came for a visit a while back, and reported to me that she had been discussing my recommendations with her clever boyfriend. This is how he summed it up: “Processed food is a menace to satiety.”  Continue reading


When it’s Not Really Fruit or Vegetables

If I had just ten seconds to share nutrition advice, I know exactly what I would say: Eat more fruits and vegetables. And I don’t think that would surprise anyone. We all know that fruits and vegetables are nutritional powerhouses, rich in not only fiber but also phytonutrients, and everyone knows it’s a good idea to eat more of them. Especially since most of us don’t eat enough produce to begin with.

Now, the brand managers in the food industry know that we know we should eat more fruits and vegetables. This is why there are so many processed food items containing fruit-related words, or some version of the actual word “fruit.” Vegetables, too, to a lesser extent. Like vegetable oil. And which “vegetable” would that be, please? Continue reading


What About Weight Watchers?

A while ago I got a letter from a reader named Emily, who reported that she had joined Weight Watchers some time back, and found it especially helpful for portion control. Having watched the movie “Fat Head,” read Gary Taubes’s book “Good Calories, Bad Calories,” and read Your Health is On Your Plate, she wants to know if she can follow my recommendations and Weight Watchers at the same time. Plus, she wants to know what I eat. Continue reading


The Box-of-Real-Food Diet

I write Your Health is On Your Plate because there are a couple of things that I want everyone to really understand. First, I want you to understand that there’s a big difference between real food and manufactured calories. A huge difference, really. Real food nourishes; manufactured calories entertain (at best). Manufactured calories also cause a lot of very serious medical problems. Like diabetes and obesity, for starters. And strokes and heart attacks. Continue reading



The Salad Dressing Situation

The last time I stopped at the local supermarket to investigate salad dressings, I learned some very interesting things. Here’s a warning: After you read today’s post, if you haven’t already done so, you’re going to start making your own salad dressing, even if it’s simply olive oil and salt (my fav), or a squeeze of lemon. Continue reading