It's time to talk about vitamin B12: what it does, what foods contain it, and who might not be getting enough of it...

The holidays are full of heavy meals. Now that we've got Thanksgiving under (and perhaps straining) our belts, wouldn't it be nice to lighten things up for a while? This carrot ginger soup is the answer. Light and full of vegetables, it's still hearty and warm enough to make a cozy meal on a chilly night.

Did you know that National Handwashing Week runs from December 6th through the 12th? Now is the perfect time to prepare. How will you teach your clients about proper hand hygiene?

Looking for a healthful vegetable side dish? Try the grill-steam process! Combining the hot sear of a grill with steam's gentle touch is a perfect -- and speedy -- way to add pep to any vegetable side dish.

Between celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and dietary choices, it seems like everyone knows at least a few people who are no longer eating gluten. However, just because you or a family member has given up gluten doesn't mean that you have to miss out on nutrients. Today I'd like to share a guide to a few of my favorite healthful, vitamin- and mineral-rich foods, all of which are free of gluten...

High in vital trace minerals and unique antioxidants, oats can lower cholesterol levels and help you reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. They're also naturally gluten-free! What's not to love? Let's take a closer look at these nutrient powerhouses.

Here's the last installment of the Dietary Guidelines Nutrients of Concern series. Since the guidelines advise people to "Choose foods that provide more potassium, dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin D, which are nutrients of concern in American diets," we've focused on discussing one of these nutrients per week. This week, we're going to talk about vitamin D...

Are you ready for a tasty and warming winter soup? This one comes together in just 30 minutes! It's also loaded with healthful vegetables and tasty spices...

Learn the basics about butternut squash in today's special veggie post! In this post, you'll find a discussion of what butternut squash tastes like, what nutrients it contains, and how to cook with it. There's also downloadable clipart and a free PDF handout...

Seasonal handouts, recipes, research reports, and much more!

Is sous vide cooking safe? Let’s take a closer look.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that Americans gain an average of 0.4 to 1.8 pounds each year during the holidays. Sadly, this weight isn’t likely to disperse with the holiday cheer. Here are a few strategies for keeping the holidays healthful and fun, without the weight gain…

A delicious gingerbread cookie recipe for the holidays that will have the whole house smelling sweet.

If Americans stick with a diet that is far lower in fatty animal products and cholesterol and composed largely of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, then they will reduce the inflammation and other chemical changes that promote colon cancer.

This is a cheese ball that’s lighter in fat and calories, but just as flavorful and easy to spread as a regular version.

Catering to the individual needs of eaters can be a difficult challenge, even for the most well-prepared cooks. When a member of the house is a vegetarian, creating meals that are both nourishing for the vegetarian and suitable for the meat-and-potatoes crowd can seem almost impossible. But, with these four tips, feeding a vegetarian in a meat-eating household is as easy as 1, 2, 3 (and 4)!

I just got back from the USDA MyPlate National Partners in Person meeting, and boy did I learn a lot! Much of the discussion revolved around consumers — how to communicate key health messages to them in a way that would resonate, how to keep them engaged in healthful habits, etc. I thought that you mind find this information as useful as I did, so here are my notes from those discussions…

Is it possible to make junk food healthy simply by adding vitamins? Perhaps we should also ask: can pigs fly?

What is potassium? Why is it a nutrient of concern? How can people increase their potassium intake? What impact does potassium have on health? Get the answers to all these questions -- and more! -- in today's post!

One of the things I love about MyPlate is its practicality. Rather than asking you to imagine your daily eating habits as a pyramid, MyPlate simply rallies its viewers to make their plates look like its own image: a balanced plate. With half the plate devoted to fruits and vegetables, and the rest divided between protein and whole grains (with some nonfat dairy on the side), MyPlate presents a healthful approach to any meal or snack...