Sandy Todd Webster
Sandy Todd Webster is the editor in chief of IDEA’s award-winning publications. She is Precision Nutrition Level 1 certified and is a Rouxbe Certified Plant-Based Professional cook.View FitConnect Profile
Article Archive
Unless you’ve actually eaten heirloom benne seeds, you would probably lump them in with run-of-the-mill sesame. It can be argued they are one and the same, but for knowing palates, they couldn’t be more different in flavor. Benne is a low-country staple introduced to America by slaves who brought the seeds from Africa and cultivated them on plantations. In today’s South, you’ll find them on rolls, in crackers and cookies, and sprinkled on both sweet and savory dishes for finishing texture and an umami pop.
Read More
If you knew that throwing away food was increasing greenhouse gas emissions or negatively affecting the earth, would it change your behavior? A study published in the January issue of PLOS ONE showed that diners waste far less food when they’re schooled on the harm their leftovers inflict on the environment.
Read More
If you’re in the habit of eating al desko—that is, you tote your lunch to work and eat at your desk—consider stocking a mini pantry for yourself to give your midday meal a little extra zip.
Here are a few tips gleaned recently from the Bon Appétit Foodcast:
A delicious and sometimes pricey cornerstone to healthy Mediterranean-style diets, olive oil is delicate stuff and can only be fully enjoyed when stored properly. Protect your investment and ensure maximum flavor and freshness by practicing the following:
Read More
We already know that regular physical activity is linked to overall better health. Now, research from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business has shown that being more physically invested in serving ourselves food can influence behavior that might otherwise lead us to overeat.
Read More
Asparagus season is about to start, especially in warmer parts of the country where you can source local produce at your farmers’ market. Here’s a simple and delicious recipe for a colorful, healthy side dish or a full lunch plate that combines the exotic flavors of asparagus with the sweetness of red grapes and the creamy, earthy crunch of pistachios.
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T shallots, minced
About 20–30 red, seedless grapes, sliced in half lengthwise
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 t lemon juice
If you are confused about this, then know that your clients are definitely confounded.
The terms organic and natural have come to mean so many things to consumers that now the words can’t really be defined singularly. This infographic, featured in The Hartman Group’s Organic & Natural 2016 report, depicts the language and other factors that show how consumers understand the relationship between organic and natural food and beverage products.
The trove of discovery from drilling into the human genome seems to be boundless. Who knew that we could figure out the actual scientific reason why humans habitually overeat?
Read More
With so much focus on the health benefits of the microbiome and the burgeoning popularity of culinary fermentation applications, it’s no wonder that koji has been tagged as an ingredient of the future.
Read More
Prepare to put some laser focus on client nutrition next month. Every March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) organizes National Nutrition Month®, an education and information campaign that focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.
Read More
What are your top ideas for shining some extra light on clients’ nutrition challenges next month during National Nutrition Month? Will you bring in a nutrition pro as a guest speaker? Perhaps host a healthy potluck at your facility with a recipe exchange that both educates and strengthens your client community?
Share what you’ve done in the past or what you are planning this year: [email protected]
Read More
If your child brought home this report card, you would certainly make some changes to ensure he snapped his grades back in line.
Read More
Not just for “fru-fru” cheffy presentations anymore, alluring and tasty edible flowers can now be found in most produce aisles and farmers’ markets; these colorful gems will enhance the visual and flavor elements of most dishes.
Read More
Americans seem to understand the personal health risks of obesity, but widespread confusion persists about the causes and treatments of the disease, says a new survey from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago.
Read More
Heralded as a pioneer of flavor-first, plant-forward cooking, chef Steven Petusevsky is driven by the desire to make healthier cuisine more craveable, creative, accessible and understood.
Read More
Here’s a taste of what’s cooking in the nutrition world:
Read More
What “sandbags” are you using to shore up the obesity levee? What policies, programs, people, resources or strategies have been the most effective or helpful?
Share your story with [email protected]
Ability to self-regulate a healthy body weight may depend on individual brain structure, say scientists in a recent study examining connections between executive control and reward regions in the brain.
Obesity and dieting are increasingly common in contemporary society, and many dieters struggle to lose excess weight. A research paper in Cognitive Neuroscience reports that dieting success may be easier for some people because they have greater structural integrity in the white-matter pathway connecting the executive control and reward systems in their brains.
When it comes to our preoccupation with depicting food as both inspirational and aspirational, human behaviors haven’t changed much since as far back as the 16th century. According to a new study by Cornell Food and Brand Lab Director Brian Wansink, PhD, and colleagues, exalting over-the-top meals and exotic ingredients isn’t just a social media phenomenon.
Read More
If #coffee, #beer and #pizza were the most-often tweeted food hashtags in the continental U.S. from February 2015 to March 2016, what does that say about our nation’s collective health?
Read More