You might think of a slow cooker as your grandma’s favorite timesaver, but this countertop device has many modern benefits — from making healthier meals and cutting calories to saving you time at the stove. Because almost all you need to do is cut, measure and add ingredients, you can set a slow cooker in the morning and have a meal ready when everyone rushes in at dinnertime. That’s a nutritious and inexpensive alternative to fast food. A slow cooker draws the maximum flavor from the ingredients you put in and makes delicious dishes with little or no added fat. It’s also a great way to make less expensive cuts of meat more tender. Do rub the inside of the machine with a few drops of oil or spray it with nonstick cooking spray before using for easier cleanup — or use a special liner made for the purpose. Always carefully clean it out afterwards. Adding lots of vegetables to a one-pot meal means you don’t have to worry about cooking separate side dishes to get in vegetable servings. Just place them in first, then add your protein and liquid in that order for the most even cooking. Note: Cutting larger pieces of food into small pieces will also ensure that everything cooks evenly. Typically, you’ll fill the slow cooker between half and two-thirds full,…  read on >

Looking for a simple yet delicious way to enjoy whole grains? Start with nutritious, easy-to-cook barley, a great swap for processed grains like white rice. When shopping, choose hulled barley instead of pearl. Hulled barley retains more of the outer bran layer with its fiber and nutrients. Pearl parley has had most of the bran layer “polished” off. Hearty barley is a staple in Europe. In the United States, it’s often used as an ingredient in soups and stews, but there’s no reason to relegate it to those dishes. To cook barley for a fast breakfast or side dish, for every two servings, use a half-cup barley to a cup and a half of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the grains are tender and most of the water has evaporated. Top with cinnamon in the morning or herbs for dinner — it’s that versatile. But don’t stop there. Try this twist on traditional risotto for a one-pot meal. Mushroom Barley “Risotto” 1 cup dry hulled barley 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 red onion, minced 3 garlic cloves 5 ounces mushrooms, such as button or crimini, sliced 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped 2 teaspoons thyme leaves, chopped Place the barley in a…  read on >

There’s a healthy new twist in the farm-to-table movement: Getting farm-fresh food to school lunchrooms and even having students grow their own crops as part of learning. Colorado was a pioneer in passing the “Farm-to-School Healthy Kids Act” in 2010. The move was designed to increase the use of local farm and ranch products in school food service programs to both improve childhood nutrition and strengthen the state’s agricultural economy. Today, a handful of other states have similar programs. Some schools also have added programs for growing food to their curriculum. An example is in place at Community School 55 in New York’s South Bronx, thanks to the Green Bronx Machine. Educator Stephen Ritz founded the nonprofit as an after-school alternative program for high schoolers. It’s fully integrated into the core curriculum from kindergarten through high school. Students have grown tens of thousands of pounds of vegetables that go from classroom-to-community. Ritz turned an underutilized library into the National Health, Wellness and Learning Center, considered the nation’s first career technical education elementary school. The program features a year-round, indoor vertical farm that grows crops regardless of the weather, and a food processing and training kitchen with solar and alternative energy generators. It has served as a model for schools in many areas of the country. You can learn more at greenbronxmachine.org. National organizations are also…  read on >

Scientists are taking the wrappings off an age-old malady. Clogged arteries are a heart problem that’s dogged humanity for millennia, finds a new imaging study of mummies. Mummified arterial tissue shows evidence of cholesterol plaque buildup in people who lived anywhere from 2000 BC to 1000 AD, said lead researcher Dr. Mohammad Madjid. These weren’t just bigwigs eating rich diets, either. Four of the five mummies included in the study hail from South America, where average folk were mummified, said Madjid. He’s an assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine with the McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center, in Houston. “These were ordinary people,” Madjid said of all five mummies. “That tells me that the development of atherosclerosis might combine the effects of nature versus nurture,” with both genetics and risk factors playing a role in the development of clogged arteries. Blocked arteries can lead to heart attack. Studies of mummies aren’t unusual, but researchers usually use CT scans to create meticulous images of blood vessels and organs. The downside for heart researchers is that CT scans can only detect accumulated calcium in the arteries, not actual cholesterol plaques. These plaques tend to calcify, so calcium has been used as a marker for clogged arteries. Madjid and his colleagues said they’re the first to study mummy samples using near-infrared spectroscopy, an imaging…  read on >

If you’ve been relegating parsnips to the stock pot (their sweetness enhances both chicken and vegetable broth) or have been skipping over them altogether, you’re missing out on a hearty side-dish choice for fall evenings and winter holidays alike. Think of parsnips as a healthy comfort food, because cooking them brings out their naturally creamy texture but without all the calories of potatoes. They’re a good source of fiber, plus they have the B vitamin folate and vitamin C. And you don’t have to turn on your oven to get all that goodness when you roast them on top of the stove with a sweet maple glaze. Pan-Roasted Parsnips 1 pound parsnips 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves Peel the parsnips and cut into 2-inch long chunks. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and the parsnips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss with tongs to coat. Cover and cook for 6 to 7 minutes over low heat, turning occasionally, until the parsnips start to brown and soften. Carefully add 2 tablespoons of water and cover to steam through, about 2 more minutes. Check for doneness. If not tender enough, cook for 2 more minutes.…  read on >

Scientists are learning more about why keeping off lost weight is so hard — and a pair of studies suggest it’s more than a question of sheer willpower. A Dartmouth University study published in Cognitive Neuroscience used brain imaging tests to show that some people have an imbalance between the executive control and reward systems of the brain. This disconnect means you may not have enough natural control over the impulse to reach for food when you’re stressed or even when you’re happy. It also seems more likely to be the case in people who are chronic dieters. The other study was done by the University of Michigan and the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and published in the journal Obesity. It found that the body’s internal protection against starvation encourages eating specifically so that you’ll regain any lost weight — and at a rate of 100 calories a day for every kilogram or 2.2 pounds dropped. Since that’s much more than the average person would naturally burn off, the end result is weight gain. This doesn’t mean your weight loss efforts are doomed, but you will need to make a strong effort to overcome these forces. It will likely take a combination of healthy lifestyle habits and a commitment to practicing mindfulness to squash the emotional urges to eat.…  read on >

Thanks to a federal ban on trans fats — commonly listed on labels as partially hydrogenated oils — margarine makers have taken steps to remove them from their ingredients. Does this mean margarine is once again a better choice than butter? Not necessarily. That’s in part because some studies have given the saturated fat in butter a reprieve. No, you shouldn’t be drowning your veggies in it or eating buttery desserts every day, but used sparingly — a pat here and there — it’s unlikely to harm you. There are also light or whipped butters that add water or air to halve the amount of fat and calories in each serving while still delivering on taste. On the other hand, you might choose from soft margarines and other spreads that include nutrients called plant sterols and stanols, which help lower cholesterol for some people. Still, any such products that include palm oil and/or palm kernel oil will have saturated fat. And at 70 or 80 calories per tablespoon, those calories can add up. So compare the nutrition labels of all spreads you’re considering. Look not only at saturated fat and total fat calories, but also at the ingredients list to see if there’s any partially hydrogenated oil at all. Although this main source of trans fat has, by and large, been removed from foods, it…  read on >

Love the taste of hot wings, but looking for something healthier? If you’re a fan of this game day favorite, you’ll go wild over Buffalo cauliflower. Making the simple swap from chicken wings to cauliflower gets more veggies into your diet and adds a world of nutrition. Cauliflower is a superfood rich in a long list of nutrients from vitamin C to fiber. And because of its mild taste, cauliflower takes on the flavors of any sauce you dress it with. At first glance, wing sauce may seem sinful, but hot sauce is made with chilies, a healing superfood that contains the potent antioxidant capsaicin — that’s what tingles your tongue with spicy heat. It calls for less than a tablespoon of butter per serving, and if you can purchase grass-fed butter, you’ll not only get the richness, but also the extra omega-3 fatty acids it has compared to butter made from grain-fed cow’s milk. And when you’re shopping for the cauliflower, look for bright white florets with no black or dark spots, which indicate spoilage. Buffalo Cauliflower 1 head cauliflower 1 lemon 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup hot sauce 3 tablespoons butter, preferably grass-fed 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 scallions, thinly sliced Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Zest…  read on >