Tag: vegetables

Vitamin C and Death: More Face-Palm Science News

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

I sometimes play a game on the Nutrition Diva Facebook page called “Spot the fallacy.” I post a link to a nutrition-related  story and followers chime in, pointing out all the ways in which the science had been distorted or misreported.  It’s always lots of fun.

Here are a couple of recent rounds of Spot the Fallacy:

Usually, the problem is not with the research but with the way it’s being reported. But here’s a new category of face-palm science. Researchers take an interesting finding and then “drill down” to come up with a far less meaningful conclusion. Wanna play? Continue reading “Vitamin C and Death: More Face-Palm Science News” >

This Week: Maximize your veggie nutrition with herbs, heirlooms, leafy greens and lettuce

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Vegetables–which you know are near and dear to my heart–dominated our discussions this week.  Jo Robinson’s op-ed in the New York Times triggered this exploration of whether we have bred the nutrition out of our modern food supply.

Meanwhile, readers and listeners pelted me, not with rotten tomatoes, but with queries on which vegetables deliver the most nutrition for the buck, whether certain parts of a head of lettuce are more nutritious than others (spoiler alert: yes), and whether parsley can be counted as a leafy green. (Two recipes to get you started: tabbouleh salad and turbo-charged tuna salad). Finally, what to do when organic strawberries or wild-caught fish aren’t available (or affordable). 

I don’t know about you, but all of this talk about vegetables makes me hungry! Got any healthy summer recipes to share? Post them below.

Water, water, everywhere…plus amber waves of grain

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

how much water do you really need?Oh dear.  I’m afraid I tipped another sacred cow  in this week’s Nutrition Diva newsletter.  In response to readers who find water “boring” and want to know what they can drink instead, I suggested that we stop viewing beverages as sources of entertainment.   One dietitian wrote to say that she found my advice “deplorable,” citing the conventional wisdom that people who only drink when they are thirsty are likely to be clinically dehydrated.  (I’ve never seen any evidence to support this assertion.)  Judging from the comments,  however, most readers seemed to understand the point I was trying to make.  Staying with the water-y theme, I have tips on seasonal vegetables that help fight water retention over on the What’s Cooking Blog.

In recognition of National Celiac Awareness Month, we reissued a Nutrition Diva episode on gluten free diets this week.  And, as long as we were on the topic of grains, I tried to clear up a listener’s confusion over the pros and cons of brown rice on the Quick and Dirty Blog.

Thanks for all of your great questions and comments. Your curiosity and enthusiasm (and even the objections and complaints) keep my job interesting!

Hippocrates was ahead of his time

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN


Back when Hippocrates counseled his followers to let food be their medicine, he wasn’t really advising an alternative course; he was stating the obvious.  Back then, dietary cures were about all that doctors had to offer.  In today’s there’s-a-pill-for-that medical culture, of course, Hippocrates’  advice takes on a different tone.   And although it’s not really how he originally meant it, it’s still pretty good advice–especially when most of today’s chronic illnesses are caused by dietary excesses and indiscretions.

Regular readers know that I always advise getting your nutrition from foods, not supplements.  Case in point: a recent study finding that, while vitamin E-rich foods offer lots of benefits, vitamin E supplements are largely useless. On the What’s Cooking blog this week, I’ve got the top foods for vitamin E, along with some delicious ways to enjoy them.  Meanwhile, following last week’s good news about nitrate-rich vegetables ability to lower your blood pressure, I included some additional information about how to put this research to work  in this week’s Nutrition Diva newsletter.

For those taking blood-thinning medications, this week’s Nutrition Diva podcast explains why people taking these drugs are sometimes instructed to avoid broccoli, spinach, and other super-nutritious vegetables. I’ve also got tips on how to enjoy the benefits of these great foods without interfering with your anticoagulant therapy.

Of course, it’s also possible to over-estimate what foods can do for us.  On the Quick and Dirty Blog, I respond to a reader who wonders whether she should be eating more brown rice in order to get the benefits.  Can you guess what my answer is?

My Take on the Potato Wars

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN
Should potatoes be classified as vegetables?

One of the proposed changes to the National School Lunch Program is to limit the amount of “starchy” vegetables like corn and potatoes to no more than two servings a week.  Turns out that potatoes (mostly in the form of French fries) constitute 75% of the vegetables eaten in our school cafeterias.   The idea is that cutting back on potatoes might compel kids to consume other vegetables.  French fried carrots, presumably.  Continue reading “My Take on the Potato Wars” >

Silken Asparagus Soup

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Serves 4

You’d never guess that this elegantly creamy soup is completely dairy-free! For a more substantial dish, add 3 or 4 peeled cooked shrimp to each bowl before serving. The hot soup will warm the shrimp without overcooking them.

2 shallots or 1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound very slender asparagus spears, tough ends discarded
2 14 ounce cans low sodium chicken stock, or 3 1/2 cups homemade stock
1 bay leaf
1 spring fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
6 ounces (1/2 package) extra firm silken tofu Continue reading “Silken Asparagus Soup” >