Why We Desire Certain Foods By Chris Iliades, MD

What do you reach for when you have a hankering outside of mealtime? Are salty, fatty, or sweet snacks always on your mind? Beat the munchies with these healthy alternatives.

Do you ever wonder why certain foods, like chocolate, potato chips, or pastries appeal to you? Cravings are a natural part of being human, and we are hard-wired to want foods like salt, fat, and sugar. Fortunately, it's easy to indulge — just a little bit — while sticking to a healthy diet. 

Read the article by Everyday Health: http://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living-pictures/healthy-snacks-to-beat-the-munchies.aspx?xid=salesnl_7818_20140211#/slide-1

200 Skills every cook must have by Clara Paul and Eric Treville

The step-by-step methods that will turn a good cook into a great cook which in turn will make for nutritional and healthier meals for your whole family. Learn how to use herbs and spices, prepare and cook meat and fish, as well as prepare vegetables and fruits.
Do you know how to sweat vegetables, shred ginger, joint a chicken, fillet round fish versus flat fish?
If not, then this book is for you. 200 Skills is a great reference tool for the kitchen.

Best and Worst Foods to Eat When You're Sick

When we’re sick, the body needs more calories to function normally. The body must work harder than normal when we are sick in order to fight infection, especially with fevers (when it’s battling higher body temperatures, too). To do this effectively, it needs to maintain higher energy levels (which can be tough when it’s already working so hard). This is why properly fueling a sick body is an essential part of getting better.
For the rest of the article: http://greatist.com/health/best-foods-eat-when-sick

Could Low-Fat Yogurt Help Ward Off Diabetes?

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- People looking to avoid type 2 diabetes might want to increase the amount of yogurt they eat, a new study by British researchers suggests.

According to the results, eating yogurt could reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 28 percent, compared to not eating any yogurt. Additionally, eating some other fermented dairy products, such as low-fat cheeses, could cut the risk by 24 percent. For the rest of the article: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_144445.html 

From MedlinePlus (http://medlineplus.gov), 24 Hour Health Information.

To get updates by email when new information becomes available on MedlinePlus, sign up at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/listserv.html.

Living Safely Aging Well by Dorothy A. Drago

As safety expert Drago wisely points out, “how safe a person is depends on how he or she functions in and interacts with the immediate environment.” In her latest book, Drago (From Crib to Kindergarten: The Essential Child Safety Guide) discusses aging, its associated injury risk, and offers avoidance strategies. She explains physical changes in vision, hearing, balance, smell, taste, touch, and the awareness of core body temperature, as well as cognitive changes, including age-related dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Having described the frailties of the characters, Drago then describes the places that are most dangerous—kitchen, bedroom, workshop, car—and counsels readers on the risks, both single and synergistic with age-related changes, that each holds for falls, burns, asphyxiation, poisoning, or accident. Finally, the author provides an extensive set of illustrations showing how to mitigate risk and prevent injury, lists of “what to do,” and contact information for outside agencies and organizations, such as the AARP. This is a wonderful resource for anyone thinking about how to increase the safety of the home to allow for independence as people live longer. from Publisher's Weekly

Healthy Living Recipes from Kraft

Find better-for-you versions of your favorite foods in our Healthy Living recipe collection. We've got breakfast, lunch, dinner, kids' faves, treats and more—from better-for-you grilling recipes to healthy living on a budget (Eggs for dinner, anyone? We’ve got some tasty ideas.) Increase your Healthy Living savvy with articles from smart snacking to learning how to read a nutrition label. Or to start from the beginning, check out nutrition basics.

 Smarter Fettuccine Alfredo
  1/2 lb.  fettuccine, uncooked
  1-1/4 cups  fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
  4 tsp.  flour
  1/3 cup  PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese
  3 Tbsp.  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
  1/4 tsp.  ground nutmeg
  1/8 tsp.  pepper
  2 Tbsp.  chopped fresh parsley
COOK pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
MEANWHILE, mix broth and flour in medium saucepan with whisk until blended. Add reduced-fat cream cheese, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan, nutmeg and pepper; cook 2 min. or until mixture comes to boil and thickens, stirring constantly.
DRAIN pasta; return to pan. Add sauce; toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and parsley.

Kraft Kitchens Tips
Substitute whole wheat fettuccine.
Garlic lovers can add 1/8 tsp. garlic powder.
Makeover - How We Did It
We replaced the butter and milk used in the traditional recipe with chicken broth, flour and PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese. In addition, we decreased the amount of Parmesan cheese. These changes will save you 310 calories and 21g of fat per serving when compared to that of the traditional recipe.

Kraft website: Healthy Living Recipes