Walnuts are a great snack to enjoy around the holidays. They contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids. They reduce inflammation. They help you stay slim, fit, and mentally sharp. And they even help [...]
Category: Big Food
The surprising gene that affects your “taste” for broccoli
I don’t often write about “super foods” because a truly healthy diet incorporates a variety of foods. Not just one type of food…even if it is “super.” With that said, broccoli definitely deserves [...]
How did Americans banish the pumpkin from the cooking pot?
In America, we are particularly fond of Halloween. But long before Halloween turned into the $6.9 billion holiday it is today, pumpkins were already synonymous with the autumn harvest…and the [...]
Pumpkins make history
It’s Halloween week. And all across America, you see pumpkins, carved or whole, sitting on front porches, stoops and fence posts as decoration. But they weren’t always relegated to the front [...]
Chocolate changes the world
Today is Columbus Day. And we’re wrapping up our series of Daily Dispatches on New World foods with one of Christopher Columbus’ best-loved discoveries–chocolate. Columbus first encountered [...]
Columbus’ hot and sweet discovery
Over the last few weeks, I told you about many different New World foods that transformed Europe’s nutrition, cuisine, and health. And today, as we draw nearer to Columbus Day, we will look [...]
More than just a hill of beans
As we approach Columbus Day, we will continue our series on “New World” foods. As I’ve said before, Europe had just 16 plants used as food sources before explorers like Christopher Columbus [...]
The lowly potato saves the day
Last week, I explained how the discovery of “New World” foods by Spanish Conquistadors helped transform nutrition, cuisine, and health throughout Europe. And ultimately in colonial and early [...]
“New world” foods transform nutrition
In history class, you probably learned that the discovery of the “New World” revolutionized Europe’s economy. But it also transformed Europe’s health and nutritional status. It’s a little-known [...]
Jefferson delights at the White House
Thomas Jefferson arrived at the White House on March 4, 1801. At the time, it was called the President’s House. It took a few months for Jefferson to settle in. But before long, he began hosting [...]