Orange you glad I didn't say banana by Elizabeth Brown, MS, RD

Ode to Orange

I love the color orange so much that I bought a pair of orange boots. But when I was a child I hated the fact that my hair was orange and the kids used to call me “carrot top.” As an adult and a Dietitian, I cherish the idea of being compared to a super-food, especially this time of year when orange vegetables are plentiful.

Carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash attribute their beautiful orange hues and outstanding nutrition to the first fat soluble vitamin ever to be identified: vitamin A. Being fat soluble means vitamin A is optimally absorbed and stored with the addition of fat in the diet. Vitamin A, aka retinol, is so named because its primary function is in the retina of the eye. Retinol, which is pre-formed vitamin A, is only found in foods of animal origin.

What is "Normal" eating? by Elizabeth Brown, MS, RD

Define “Normal”

In a country obsessed with body image, chronic disease, healthcare, food shows, fast food, vegan and raw food diets as well as high protein diets and supplements, one can’t help but wonder: What is “Normal” eating?

What does it feel like to eat for the purpose of nourishing your body but without worrying whether or not we nourished properly? How many of us eat mindfully with a true appreciation for the food, where it came from, how it was prepared and how it will make us feel while not considering if it is raw, organic, high in fiber or causes weight gain?

Where's the Grass-fed Beef? by Elizabeth Brown, MS, RD

To eat beef or not to eat beef?

While walking through my favorite grocery store, I overheard the guy at the meat counter tell a customer that their organic, free-range beef was raised on a mixed grass and grain diet. Although I eat red meat infrequently, I thought I was buying a good source from this supplier. I have also bought grass-fed beef at the farmer’s market, but you have to buy a pound at a time which is frozen and therefore difficult to break into smaller portions for rationing.

The downfall of grain-fed beef is that it is more likely to contain harmful E. coli than beef from grass-fed cattle. According to research microbiologist James B. Russell, cattle are fed grain to help increase their growth rate, but being fed a diet rich in grains instead of grass can disrupt normal physiology. For one thing, grain-based diets are lower in beneficial fiber than grass-fed diets.