Anti-Inflammatory Archives - Sensory Nutrition

Blue Zones, Habits, Longevity Part 2

In the first blog post in this two-part series, we mentioned that Dr. Michel Poulain, a Belgian demographer researching longevity, along with Dr. Gianni Pes, a medical statistician tied to the University of Sassari, Italy, coined the name Blue Zone. Why choose the name Blue Zone you ask?

Blue Zones, Habits, Longevity (Part 1)

Can each of us find ways in our own lives to embrace similar positive habits to those of higher longevity elders living in “Blue Zones” around the world?

Demystifying Chocolate and Cacao Part 3 of 3

In Part 1 of this blog series we provided some background on chocolate and cacao including some cultural information surrounding the growing of theobroma cacao trees around the world and processing cacao beans from grower through manufacturer. In our Part 2 of 3 blog post we discussed some of the best known varieties of cacao trees, as well as some of the flavor notes associated with beans grown in different places in the world. Choco pieces courtesy of lusi via rgbstock.com. In this blog post, we’ll provide some infotainment regarding perceptions of “chocolate cravings” and a bit about flavor sprays,

Whole Food Focus Thanksgiving Preparations

Many people are considering the merits of a Whole Food focus basis for planning their upcoming Thanksgiving meal. Of course, the most important aspect of Thanksgiving is truly the opportunity give thanks for the blessings in our lives and to share that sentiment while being able to spend time with family and friends, so any food choices should enhance that overall experience. Memories of Thanksgivings past are connected to our emotional perceptions of those times, so there are sounds, sights, smells/aromas, tastes, textures that all contributed to the sensory perceptions we have locked in our memory banks of those special

Kale Chips–Good Enough for the White House or Your House

Do you remember hearing or reading about the First Ever White House Kids State Dinner (actually a luncheon) served on August 20, 2012? A blog post of that date focused on the event since we feel the entire Let’s Move campaign being supported by First Lady, Michelle Obama, is such a great idea! The entire Healthy Lunchtime Challenge culminating in that White House Kids State Dinner event was a collaborative effort involving a number of partners. It involved a wide range of staff, including from the Let’s Move campaign, the White House, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education, and Epicurious

Tips When Shopping for August Abundance

In the Northeast, August is the month where truly more localized produce variety increases and all sorts of marketplaces will start to feature a wider range of locally sourced product. We’d like to share some tips below to help make shopping for August Abundance that much more enjoyable for you. We’ll include ideas for before you head out shopping, once you arrive at the market place destination and while you are there, and then after you get back home again. In PA the weather has often been more temperate in the growing regions and they’ve had enough rain fall to

Fueling Olympic Dreams

The approach to fueling US Olympic athletes has changed over the years, the past 7 or so years to be specific. The US Olympic Committee (USOC) has sanctioned a “marrying” of the culinary arts with nutrition science to create a performance-based menu to help each athlete do their personal best in their sport. Qualified Sports Dietitians(/Sports Nutritionists) work with food service staff to make sure that the needs of a wide range of athletes can be met. (Symbol of the five Olympic Rings which is in the Public Domain in the United States shown for identification purposes only courtesy of Wikipedia Commons). To

Is it Really Possible to Suffer From “Food Fatigue” in Italy?

According to their program’s newsletter, some students enrolled in a special gastronomic curriculum in Italy claim it is still possible to suffer bouts of “food fatigue” there, unlikely as it sounds. Mind you, second year students in this Italian rooted program often have a chance to further expand their food horizons by traveling to additional places around the world. For example, they might engage in study trips to Brazil, Canada, Japan, and South Africa, that allow them to explore the local gastronomy and culture wherever they go. The curriculum, including additional countries visited, is always subject to change. (Graphic of

Anti-Inflammatory Food Item Sources

We’ve discussed the importance of eating food choices from the “rainbow of color” options out there, but some readers wrote in asking for even more specifics than we have previously listed in various blog posts. Although within the US we have moved from using a model of a food guide pyramid to using a model of a plate to encourage healthful choices in dining, there are still some useful pyramid options out there. (Fresh Produce on Display in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, graphic courtesy of Betty H) The “Mediterranean Diet” (general Mediterranean style dietary intake as part of a total lifestyle)