A tale of vegetables scorned

Until recently, my boys ate their vegetables without much fuss; but the day came when a dish of corn got the same response I would have expected from a plate of lightly-sautéed grubs.

I decided that we needed to experiment with new varieties of vegetables – to go where no Wagler had gone before. We began our journey with a tour of the local farmer’s market where we discovered “magic” beans, Swiss chard, and beet greens – all firsts for us. We also embarked on planting a family garden.

Now, my kids will eat Swiss chard, bok choy, and cooked broccoli. No one could have been more surprised than me, except maybe my mother. Of course, not every new vegetable got the thumbs up – the leftovers from a dish of curly mustard greens, unfit for human consumption, made its way into the great outdoors.

How can you help protect your kids from heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity?

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Popeye may have been on to something when he beefed up on spinach before a big brawl. Could picturing that spinach sliding down also have something to do with reports that seven out 10 Americans don’t eat enough vegetables?

Numerous studies have shown that diets high in fruits and vegetables may help fight heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer, but health professionals still haven’t convinced people to eat their vegetables.

Which vegetables stand out as the healthiest choices?

Vegetables contribute vitamins A, K, C, folate, fiber, potassium and calcium to our diets. And colorful vegetables are rich in phytonutrients, or plant nutrients.

Dark green leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables share the limelight as the healthiest picks. Cruciferous vegetables include bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, turnips and watercress.

Cruciferous veg...

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Could eating healthy be as easy as taking candy from a baby? Maybe if that candy was a piece of dark chocolate! But you might be thinking—what’s the catch? Read on for the pros and cons of chocolate indulgence.

Many of us don’t like hearing that we should eat more Brussels sprouts or that we should eat less dessert, so when health professionals tell us that something as scrumptious as chocolate is good for us, it tends to grab our attention. Who could be unhappy about being given the go-ahead to eat chocolate?

I’m thinking, it’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. And I’m willing to take on that challenge. At least I was, until I read that if you eat more than about 1/16th of a bar of dark chocolate every day, the benefits are like magic—they disappear! It’s true: you can’t have your cake and eat it too (at least not more than one bite). The bad news for me is that I will need to eat less chocolate to gain health benefits—not the results I was hoping for.

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“Happy cows” may not be Wisconsin’s claim to fame, but move over, California—here comes the cranberry.

This year, the cranberry market is predicted to reach its second highest production on record, and even with this, the supply may not keep up with demand.

What events have influenced the surge in cranberry consumption?

Native Americans valued cranberries for their medicinal purposes, and the cranberry’s unique properties have sparked interest among researchers and health conscious consumers to find alternative methods of preventing and treating diseases.

What are the health benefits of eating cranberries?

Eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day is one of the most important dietary habits that we can practice to help reduce our chances of developing chronic diseases.

The antioxidants in these foods are partially responsible for their health benefits, and cranberries ran...

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Our digestive tract harbors trillions of microorganisms that for the most part, happily coexist within us.

This party is going on in the colon, and most of the guests are bacteria. Our microorganisms (a.k.a. “microflora” or “microbiota,”) have been described as being as unique to us as a fingerprint, which makes studying the impact of these tiny life forms on humans an enormous undertaking.

Probiotics are live microorganisms in food or supplements that, when eaten, may promote health. However, there are many hurdles to overcome.

How do intestinal microorganisms help us?

Although not fully understood, they are thought to behave in the following ways.

No Trespassing: Private Property! Microorganisms can set up a blockade-type barrier in the digestive tract to help prevent disease-causing germs from entering the bloodstream. Like animals staking their claim, they compete for nutrients and binding sites, preventing othe...

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As many as 50 percent of Americans may have less than adequate vitamin D stored in their bodies.

The “sunshine vitamin” is made by exposing our skin to ultraviolet sunlight, and it helps us absorb calcium to make strong bones. But much more may be at stake than good bone health.

Here's a vitamin D quiz to determine if you might be at risk:

Do you live in the Northern part of the country?Are you elderly?Do you cover most of your skin with sunscreen or clothing when you’re outdoors?Are you obese?Do you have dark skin?Do you have an infant who is exclusively breast fed?

Answering “YES” to any of these questions may be a sign that you are at risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Question # 1:  Location, location, location. Wintertime in our neck of the woods means the sun’s rays are not sufficient to make adequate vitamin D, and being bundled-up means less exposure to the sun. If you live on or north of an imaginary line running from the northern bor...

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Is it possible for fat to have a beneficial impact on health? The answer is yes—if it's an Omega-3 fatty acid.

Omega-3 is a type of polyunsaturated fat that has been shown to reduce risks for many chronic diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, Type 2 diabetes, asthma, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and chronic heart disease.

Numerous studies have shown a positive link to eating fatty fish or taking fish oil supplements to promoting heart health, but more research is needed before strong conclusions can be made for many of the above listed chronic diseases. The good news is, research indicates that substituting omega-3 fats for other fats in our diet may have beneficial effects on our well-being.

How do omega-3 fats support health?

To explain how these fats may be healthful, we can examine the condition known as inflammation. Inflammation is an immune response characterized by swelling, red...

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