Recently I attended the Culinary Institutes “Worlds of Healthy Flavors” conference at the Greystone, CA campus. The theme of the conference was “Bringing together the best of world cooking and the latest in nutrition research.”  Conference sessions focused on what we currently know about balancing food choices on the plate and the evidence presented continues to support the important role of produce in menu planning. At one session, a researcher from Harvard Business School discussed how we can “fool” our brains by placing fresh produce more prominently on our plates. This technique appeals …

Research shows that children who start their school day with breakfast perform better in the classroom than those who go to school without a meal. Breakfast eaters perform better on hand eye coordination tasks, miss fewer days of school and do better on standardized tests. In planning your family’s morning meal remember to include some protein and some carbohydrate; one food that fits that bill is milk. Evidence shows that including protein at a meal helps you feel full longer so adding it to breakfast can help you, and your family, avoid mid-morning “blahs.” Milk is a good source of high …

While Thanksgiving might be a week away you are hopefully thinking about your menu and preparing your grocery list. As you put together the meal, take some time to think about how healthier food choices fit within your plan. The traditional Thanksgiving meal revolves around the lower fat turkey but some of the accompaniments can boost calories, salt and sugar. Making recipe medications is one way to manage the calories and shifting some preparation techniques can lower salt and sugar. As you put together your menu plan consider the following tips. Add sliced veggies and hummus or low-fat …

Last week McDonald’s, the largest quick-serv restaurant in the United States, announced that it would join the list of a small number of restaurants that provide calorie information on their menus. McDonald’s stated in their press release that labeling of menus was a part of an overall nutrition plan. In addition to the inclusion of calories on the menus, something that will start this week, in 2013 McDonald’s will test foods that will increase the number of wholesome choices on their menus. Using the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans as a guide, McDonalds’ will include more recommended …