Advantage Diets
Your Personality Approach to Healthy Living
“Know your type to improve your life”

Category Archives: Healthy Cooking & Eating

Your Brain on Coffee and Chocolate

December 4, 2019
Your Brain on Coffee and Chocolate
I was recently watching a television program on PBS called “Food – Delicious Science”.  Fascinating to hear how food affects our brains.  The hosts, Michael Mosley, MD and botanist, James Wong, explained how certain foods trigger a “Reward Pathway” in the brain, reinforcing our desire...

Healthy Snacks to Avoid Being Hungry and “Hangry”

November 20, 2019
Healthy Snacks to Avoid Being Hungry and “Hangry”
I love that word “hangry” – hungry and angry.  Whoever came up with the term, kudos. It says it all. We all have probably experienced that feeling when it’s not officially time for a meal, but we’re slightly hungry.  When we get to this point, we should know that we’ve waited too...

Eating Disorders in a Land of Plenty

April 2, 2019
Eating Disorders in a Land of Plenty
Anorexia, Bingeing, Bulimia, Orthorexia  — eating disorders of one sort or another. Whatever the name, people who experience these conditions have an unhealthy relationship with food. An anorexic tries to avoid calories like the plague. Theirs is an issue of control. Bingers can’t stop...

A Food Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words or Is it?

March 19, 2018
A Food Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words or Is it?
I was reading a very good article from the March 2018 issue of the magazine, Food & Wine.  The article called “On Food Photography” was a roundtable discussion between Andrew Zimmern, the television food personality, photographer Christina Holmes, chef Camille Becerra, food stylist Victoria...

Shame on You, Food Network Star

June 16, 2017
Shame on You, Food Network Star
Your first episode of the 2017 season of Food Network Star aired recently, showcasing thirteen lucky contestants vying to become the next Food Network Star.  It’s a coveted win because with it, the contestant ends up with his or her own cooking show. From the onset of the program, hosts Bobby...

Northwest Tea Festival 2016

October 4, 2016
Northwest Tea Festival 2016
Even though Seattle may be known for having a Starbucks on almost every corner, we’re also big tea drinkers. (You have to be with our gray winters!) I love tea as much or more than coffee, so I went to the Northwest Tea Festival to learn more about tea. I attended a number of lectures and workshops,...

Thanks FDA for the New Nutrition Labels

June 10, 2016
Thanks FDA for the New Nutrition Labels
FDA Finally Makes Some Changes Too bad things move so slowly when the health of a country is at stake.  Finally, the FDA approved some changes to the new nutrition labels that must take effect by 2018.  Keep your eye out for the new Nutrition Facts panel on packaged foods.  These should make a major...

Have You Got the “Hots” for Hot Peppers?

April 21, 2016
Have You Got the “Hots” for Hot Peppers?
Cinco de Mayo and Hot Peppers Cinco de Mayo (May 5) is just a couple of weeks away. It’s a festive day when people enjoy spicy Mexican food. To get that kick in Mexican food, hot peppers are used. The heat in “hot” peppers is from a chemical compound called capsaicin.  It causes a mild burning...

Eating Mindfully – Kitchen Tips

February 27, 2016
Eating Mindfully – Kitchen Tips
The ancient Buddhist practice of mindfulness is the state of being present in the moment, and noticing and accepting all that is around you, nonjudgmentally. It requires you to disconnect from the stresses of life and focus all of the senses on the present activity. In other words, mindfulness means...

Is It a Nut or Is It a Seed?

December 17, 2015
Is It a Nut or Is It a Seed?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage the consumption of nutrient-dense foods, and that includes nuts and seeds. Touted for their heart-healthy benefits, nuts and seeds are rich with unsaturated fats, vitamin E, and other substances that have many other health-promoting properties. In this December...