I had a healthy Thanksgiving at home with my family. It took a big effort and long time to cook everything but it was worth it!

I made a Brazilian Nut Roast en Croûte from scratch the day before just to be sure it came out OK. Also, I made veggie gravy from scratch for the first time! Roasted potatoes, carrots a… Continue

From Ask Dr. Mao:

Stuffed with stuffing, filled with turkey, crammed with cookies, and saturated with alcohol. Now what? Holidays call for celebration, and many of us know the consequences that come from overindulging in alcohol and food. Sometimes, despite out best intenti… Continue

In a previous post I touched on how protein affects weight loss. If you haven't read the post, here's a link - How does protein affect weight loss?

Standard recommendations for protein each day is 0.8 grams per kilogram body weight (0.8 g/kg). To calculate your protein needs multiply your weight in pounds x 0.37.

Here’s an example of how to do the calculations for someone weighing 140 pounds.

140 pounds… Continue

Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

U.S. news organizations say President Barack Obama plans to announce his new strategy for Afghanistan on Tuesday evening, during a prime-time television address.

The reports say the president is most likely to back a plan to send between 30,000 and 35,000 additional U.S. troops to the country.



The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan earlier this year told the president that up to 40,000 troops are needed to combat Taliban and al-Qaida militants in the region.

… Continue

The acai berry (ah-sigh-ee) grows in the Amazon Rainforest on acai palm trees and looks like a purple marble or purple grape. The Acaí berry (fruit) is 90% seed pit and 10% acaí pulp and must be carefully handled before it can be consumed. During the process the acaí berries with water are put into… Continue

A Celebration of the Heart with a Gift from the Soul! - Guest Post from Johnny Tan

Some of us already realize this, and others will experience it for the first time: The kitchen will be the most important room in the house in the coming weeks.

Regardless of whether it is a modern-day designer’s kitchen or just one of the so-called “timeless” efficiency kitchens, it is time for it to claim center stage, as it will serve as the hub for the transformational loving energy that will bind fam… Continue

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, celebrate fall, and enjoy the bounty of nature and the company of family and friends.

I love this holiday because it’s so important to take a break from focusing on all the problems in our world and in our lives, and spend time reflecting on the good in the world. There’s much to be grateful for, even in hard times.


As a vegetarian cook I follow the traditional Thanksgiving meal quite loosely. The palette of my presentation will definitely abide… Continue

In the battle against chronic disease, specifically heart disease, the antioxidant content of berries is a fantastic weapon.

Researchers in 2008 studied 72 volunteers over an eight week period. The volunteers were divided into a berry group and control group. The berry group was fed 100 grams of whole bilberries, 50 grams of lingonberry-rich nectar, and 100 grams of blackcurrants, strawberries, or raspberry-chokeberry juice every other day. The control group received non-berry “fruit placebos”,… Continue

The publisher created a terrific promotional video with a reenactment of this scene:



New book by Melanie Joy, Ph.D.

The vast majority of Americans view eating meat as natural, normal and necessary while recognizing that vegetarianism is an ideology, or belief system. Thanks to Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy, Ph.D. (published November, 2009 by Conari Press), the way we eat animals now has a name and is exposed to be every bit as much an ideolog… Continue