When is the last time you had chicken? Chances are, it wasn’t very long ago! According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), chicken is now the number one species consumed by Americans. Since chicken is so popular, I wanted to share a fun little chicken genealogy fact I ran across the other day. Did you know that chickens are descendents of the Southeast Asian red jungle fowl, which was first domesticated in India around 2000 B.C.?.. [More]

In our continuing series, today I want to talk about calcium. Let’s begin, though, by talking about milk! Though milk may look great as a mustache, it offers many health benefits beyond the creation of mock facial hair. It’s probably no surprise to most people that milk is a fantastic source of calcium. This is a vital mineral, yet only 21% of us actually get our daily dosage!.. [More]

During summer, I love seeing all of the great produce on sale at the grocery store. This time of year, fruits are at their peak of freshness and I like to take advantage of their great flavor as often as I can. Most fruits are easy enough to prepare, but sometimes there are fruits that can be a tougher nut to crack! Let's take a look at pineapple... [More]

The weather is getting warmer! With summer practically here (this year’s summer solstice is June 21, 2010) and school being out, that typically means the same thing for most families - busy, busy, busy! Kids are in different summer sports or programs, parents are at work, there are family trips, gatherings and barbeques! With all of this going on, a lot of people end up choosing to quickly grab food at the nearest fast food place... [More]

A is for apple. A is also key for vision - vitamin A that is. There are two forms of vitamin A - one that comes from animal products and one that comes from plant products. The form that has the most impact on the body is retinol, which comes from animal products, plus it is absorbed quicker into the body. So try foods like eggs, liver (yuck!), and fortified milk and cereal... [More]

It seems as though everyone here at work has their summer vacation planned. I’ve heard about several Caribbean cruises, one fantastic-sounding trip to a resort in Mexico and a couple of guys were recently was telling me about a trip later this summer out to Vegas for a bachelor party. Now, it’s hard to imagine how these different vacations could be similar, but there is a common thread tying them all together. Any guesses what that could be?.. [More]

Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite! Many of you probably have childhood memories of your parents reciting this rhyme as they tucked you into bed. Perhaps you even say it to your own kids. In fact, the other night my mom ended our phone conversation with that exact phrase! As I lay in bed that night, I started to wonder if there was any truth to the phrase. Turns out, there is!.. [More]