
For Your Health: Add Spice
By Marisa Weiss, M.D. on November 21st, 2013 Tags: cooking, healthy eating, spicesMost countries and cultures use a range of wonderful spices to enhance the flavor and nutrition of their traditional foods. Oregano and chilies star in Mexican dishes. Turmeric, cumin, and cardamom take center stage in Indian dishes. Rosemary, mint, and coriander enhance Middle Eastern dishes. But for many typical American dishes, the spice drawer stays shut. Our most common additives — sugar and salt with …

Good Food on a Tight Budget
By Marisa Weiss, M.D. on November 7th, 2013 Tags: budget, cooking, healthy eating, organic, recipeIf you’re interested in eating healthy, tasty food, but don’t have a fortune to spend, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has put together a great new guide that will help you eat well and save money. I’m so excited about it, I started writing this column in my head before I even finished reading the guide!
The EWG is a nonprofit founded in 1993 by …

Coming to Terms With Sugar Substitutes
By Marisa Weiss, M.D. on October 9th, 2013 Tags: diet, healthy eating, sugarIf you’re trying to eat only healthy things, you already know to avoid sugary drinks like soda, lemonade, sweetened iced tea, and frothy coffee confections. But what does that leave you? Just plain water, seltzer/club soda, tea, and coffee. These options may seem a lot less exciting, especially if you believe you have an incurable sweet tooth.
I’m sure this is why many people end …

Juicing: Is Sipping Greens Just as Good as Chewing Them?
By Marisa Weiss, M.D. on September 25th, 2013 Tags: diet, fruits and veggies, healthy eating, juice, kaleJuicing is sweeping the nation like cupcakes did a few years ago. Cupcakes may be cuter than juice, but they’re packed with sugar and other less-than-healthy ingredients. Juicing offers a quick and easy way to get your daily servings of vegetables. Green juices may contain kale, celery, Swiss chard, spinach, or parsley, as well as carrots, fruit, and/or fruit juice. So-called “natural Gatorade” mixes cucumber …

Dieting vs. Rethinking How You Eat
By Marisa Weiss, M.D. on September 11th, 2013 Tags: diet, healthy eating, weightManaging my weight has been a lifelong struggle. Between the occasional summer bathing suit appearance and the upcoming stretch before the major holidays, there’s no break! What can I say? I have a real weakness for food and have to push myself to exercise. But my own diagnosis of breast cancer 3 years ago was a game-changer. Here it was, the biggest reason ever to …

Food Label Findings
By Marisa Weiss, M.D. on August 15th, 2013 Tags: food labels, healthy eating, healthy habitsRecently while grocery shopping, I came across a box of tasty-looking breakfast bars. The front of the box promised they’d give me nutritious, sustained energy, but the food label on the back told me the real story. The bars had less fiber and protein and more sugar and sodium (salt) than my usual breakfast cereal. Yikes! They were really just cookies in disguise.
It wasn’t …

Kale: Nutritional Superstar
By Marisa Weiss, M.D. on July 18th, 2013 Tags: fruits and veggies, healthy eating, kaleIf you’re a regular reader of this column, you know that I want to eat healthy foods that taste good and are quick and easy to make. I’d much rather spend my free time looking for vintage costume jewelry on eBay than sweating in the kitchen. But I also need to eat a lot to feel satisfied, so I eat a lot of vegetables.
Whenever …