Author Archives: Dr. Sukol

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Quinoa, Squash and Bean Soup

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Here’s a great, simple recipe from my friend’s friend’s daughter-in-law. We’re practically family! Check out Marci’s blog at veggingattheshore.com. You can say that YHIOYP sent you.

P.S. Note the regionalism in her blog title: that kind of talk is something you’ll hear only in Philadelphia and South Jersey. If you live in that part of the country, you would never say that you’re going to the beach. It’s “down the shore” for you! I have so many great memories of the Jersey shore, where the food is great and the living is easy. Continue reading →

Does This Nourish Me?

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Here are some questions to ask yourself as you choose your foods:
“What should I be buying, preparing, and eating?”
“What should I be making for my family, or co-workers?”
“Does this provide me with nutrients and building blocks?”
“Does it help my body to grow, to heal, to be strong and healthy?”
“Does it nourish me?”

To thrive or not to thrive, that is the question. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Cauliflower Polenta with Mushrooms

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My dad says that you shouldn’t eat anything white except cauliflower. Plus, he loves cauliflower. It may seem a little drastic, but it’s definitely a reasonable strategy for eating more vegetables and less stripped carb. Plus there is so much you can do with cauliflower. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Spicy Black Bean Soup

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I’m trying to get you to eat more beans, in case you can’t tell. Peasant food, rustic. Old-fashioned. From the old country. Why did they eat so many beans? Beans are the only food on the planet that’s rich in both fiber and protein. This makes them very special, filling, nutritious. And inexpensive. So eat your beans! Thank you to Mark Bittman, and How to Cook Everything Fast, for the original version of this recipe. If you use canned beans, dinner can be ready in 15 minutes. Continue reading →

Diet is a Punishment, Eating a Celebration

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Dieting means to restrict, to deny oneself. It is a logical consequence of the assumption that weight problems are due to overindulgence. But there is a big, fat fault line within this assumption, for if it were true, then denial would be an effective and viable option for losing weight. It is not, of course, which is why you have probably noticed that diets almost never work. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Rice & Collards Soup

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Last year I was asked to give a talk on vitamins and minerals. For lack of a more inspired approach, I decided to go in alphabetical order, plodding through all these micronutrients like an elementary school teacher. As part of the talk I shared ideas for good sources of the various vitamins and minerals. To my delight and surprise, I discovered that greens were a source of almost every vitamin I mentioned! Who knew? Greens even have tons of orange and yellow nutrients, like beta-carotene. The dark green pigment hides the lighter ones, but they’re still there. Continue reading →

A Big Fan of Small Change

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Maybe you know, or maybe you don’t, but I like to imagine that there’s a big sign on my office wall that says “Perfection is the enemy of progress.” It isn’t actually there, but I like to pretend it is, and I quote it all the time. It’s not important to hit the track like you’re training for the Olympics. It’s not reasonable to think you should be able to lose 20 lbs. by next month. And it’s definitely not in the cards for you to become the next meditation guru. But it’s not necessary either. Continue reading →