A small but still sizable percentage of people today are unable to eat butter. Typically, the reasons are due to a dairy allergy or restrictive food philosophy. This is a shame considering that butter, especially if from grazing animals, is one of the most nutrient-rich and affordable traditional foods. The reassuring news is that there are five excellent substitutes for butter that are great tasting and whole-food based.

Dog food ads often give us a very warm, fuzzy, comforting feeling. They lead us to believe that by feeding our furry best friends a specific brand, we’re making a wise choice to ensure their good health and longevity. The truth is that most commercial pet food is loaded with chemicals, synthetic vitamins, and additives.

With the flood of alternative sweeteners on the market in recent years, you would think at least a few of them would be healthy. For example, more people are switching away from Splenda, the very popular artificial sweetener in the little yellow packets, to Whole Earth, a zero calorie option in similarly sized green packets.

Fungal infections are an increasingly common problem today with a high sugar, refined carbohydrate diet a primary culprit. The modern diet serves as a perpetual disruption to beneficial gut bacteria which make up the bulk of human immunity.

The overuse of antibiotics can also be a contributing factor as it gives the normally harmless strains of Candida that live inside the gut and on the skin the opportunity to grow out of control and invade deep into body tissues.

Quail eggs are a popular traditional food in Asia. During my travels around China and Japan after college, I found eggs from these small game birds readily available in both supermarkets and small specialty grocers.

It is no surprise, then, that these tiny speckled eggs are most easily found in Asian supermarkets in the United States. 

One of my most favorite comfort foods is bacon wrapped dates. The intensity of flavor is divine when the saltiness of the bacon combines with the natural sweetness of the dates!

If you are a bacon lover…and many of you who read this blog are…then I suggest you try this recipe immediately if you haven’t ever tasted this unlikely food combination before! 

How much sugar a day should a person consume? How many sweets is too much? These simple questions have no doubt crossed the mind of anyone who has ever considered or certainly attempted to eat a nutritious diet!

For those raising children, this question takes on even more urgency. Excessive sweets in a toddler or adolescent’s diet can contribute to many health challenges including learning difficulties,