Discover the surprising health benefits of onions and why they're more than just a kitchen staple. Packed with antioxidants and nutrients, onions support immune system health, heart health, digestion, bone health, and blood sugar control. Learn tips to reduce onion-induced tears while embracing their flavorful power.

What first comes to mind when I mention orange food? Fruits and vegetables? Candy? Cheese snacks? There are so many orange foods; fruits and vegetables are unsurprisingly the healthier categories. Right? But are there others that are good for us too?

Solid fats like butter, shortening, and lard has their place and a role in baking. Because of the nature of these fats, their solid properties help with a nice layering or flaking of items such as pie crust and other pastries. But, again, this is something that oil will not replicate and cannot replicate.

With the holiday baking season around the corner and so many people kicking wheat flour to the curb, I need to share the differences between these flours. There is nothing wrong with using wheat flour – either all-purpose white flour or whole wheat flour unless you have a wheat allergy or cannot eat gluten. Using a gluten-free or wheat-free alternative flour is fine and helpful. However, the belief that these other flours are healthier than wheat flour doesn’t hold up. In some cases, the calories and fat increase significantly. And the protein goes up marginally.

So many people will tout the benefits of chocolate without fully realizing and knowing the facts. Sometimes, I wonder if they are saying it to feel better and justify their chocolate habit. Like when people tell me that wine is good for the heart without knowing the facts. (Hint: there is much more to the story, such as overall dietary patterns and lifestyle.) But is chocolate good for you? It can be, but its type and form make a difference.

Is sugar a toxin? Can we be addicted to sugar? And should we detox from sugar?

If you are unfamiliar with sugar alcohol, I must first clarify that this isn't the kind of sugar found in distilled spirits, beer, or wine. Therefore, people who avoid alcohol – the drug – do not need to avoid sugar alcohol since they are not alcoholic substances. They are a substance that provides a sweet taste, but they provide half the calories of sugar (and the other carbohydrates) and do not contribute to tooth decay.

Of all the nutrients we need (carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, and water), water is our most essential nutrient. We can go days without eating and may not feel well and be uncomfortable, but without water or fluid of some kind, we can die within a couple of days (more or less) depending on our health status and environmental conditions.

Were you ever told that you couldn’t or shouldn’t have a snack because it will “spoil your appetite”? Unfortunately, many people still have the mindset that we shouldn’t snack. I often tell people to include one or two snacks during their day. The “problem” isn’t that we snack, but what we choose to have as a snack.

To prioritize what is the most important part of nutrition is impossible. Nutrition covers so much: from energy (calories) and macronutrient distribution (i.e., how many carbs, fat, and protein should you have) to problems with digestion (GI disorders), healthy food choices, moderation, pediatric nutrition, and elderly nutrition, sports nutrition and diabetes, heart disease, and bone health and much more. So much more.

After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. This world loves tea, from Europe to Asia and places in between, and the U.S. is no exception. Lucky for us, tea is not only a flavorful alternative to water; it has health benefits. But which is better for us, black or green tea?

While many of us know we need to eat our fruits and veggies, many of us have a hard time fitting them all in. I am always telling my clients to eat more fruits and veggies. But what exactly are the recommendations? Can it be done? And can we eat too many?

I find that one of the more polarizing food groups, even more than grains, is the dairy food group. People get all worked up when suggesting we have this as part of our regular diet/intake. And these same people eat cheese and yogurt. I am not making this up. The recommendation is to have three cups of dairy from pre-teen years through adulthood. And people think that I am recommending that they drink three glasses of milk a day. I am not. If that works, fine. But people hear “dairy” and assume it is milk in its liquid form. “Dairy” includes yogurt, cheese, and liquid milk.

People often talk about olive oil and the massive health benefits of this oil when consumed as part of a healthy diet. But we rarely hear about the olives themselves. Are olives also as healthy as the oil? Yes, and no.