The Exercise and Weight Loss Myth
Everybody has heard the mantra that if you need or want to lose weight then you’ve got to cut calories while increasing exercise. Well, you all know how bogus I think the whole calorie counting crap is because not all calories are created equally. But the push for more exercise…
The Dangers of Drinking Water
There’s no doubt about it. Water is a healthy beverage, especially when compared to soda, juice or alcohol. But just because it’s healthy, doesn’t mean that you can drink as much of it as you want without ill effect. It doesn’t even mean that the recommendation of drinking 8 glasses…
Outdoor Kitchen Jamaican Style
Let’s face it, food cooked outdoors just tastes better. Doesn’t matter what it is — coffee, pancakes, risotto, a hamburger. I’ve done it all outdoors and it is always extra flavorful and raises my spirits just thinking about it. I swear that I burn off extra calories eating a meal…
The Hawaii Project
Everybody who knows me has been hearing me rave about how much I love Hawaii since my first visit last April. Yes, I know I haven’t even blogged about it, but mainly that’s because I didn’t know where to begin. I’m so backlogged on travel experiences that I’d love to…
Jamaica: Land of Mosquitoes, Machetes and MSG, Part 3
Being the tropics, mosquitoes are a part of life in Jamaica. I didn’t see anything ridiculous in terms of size, but they can be a menace. Many places will have mosquito nets on the beds to protect you, but you still may get bitten. My daughter, Daisy, had bites all…
Why Water Quality Matters
It is clear that drinking water is more beneficial to the body than drinking sodas, coffee, tea and juice, but so few people pay attention to the quality of the water they consume. Tap water, for example, is filled with harmful contaminants such as chlorine, fluoride and all other sorts…
Jamaica: Land of Mosquitoes, Machetes and MSG, Part 2
OK. So I’m working backwards here, but who cares? I knew about violence in Jamaica, but was unprepared for the number of machetes that are in this country! EVERYBODY AND THEIR MOTHER (literally) has a machete! And they use them often. There are practical uses such as slaughtering an animal…
Jamaica: Land of Mosquitoes, Machetes and MSG, Part 1
This is kinda graphic. So don’t read if you don’t want to know that much about me! Recently, a reader asked how she can stay healthy while visiting Jamaica. My family is Jamaican, but due to years of civil war, I never had any interest in returning. Then a few…
Foie Gras: The Truth behind the Delicacy
One food that I was excited (yes, I said excited) to see in St. Martin was foie gras. Foie gras has gotten a lot of bad press over the years because several special interest groups have decided to target this tiny cottage industry over a lack of understanding the anatomy and feeding habits of…
Money Matters in St. Martin
In St. Martin, there are three main currencies: The Euro on the French side, the Netherland Antillean Guilder (ANG) on the Dutch side and the U.S. Dollar, which is accepted everywhere. The exchange is about .75 Euro cents for every Dollar and 1.79 Guilders for every Dollar. This is why…
Where to Stay in St. Martin
If you’ve read my suggestions on how to find a reasonably priced place to stay while on vacation, you know that I love to stay on organic farms or something similar. Well, in St. Martin this wasn’t possible basically because there are no farms. So we opted for a small…
Health Food in St. Martin
If you can’t eat just anywhere, then here’s your guide to finding health foods on vacation. In particular, people with severe intolerances like gluten intolerance will need to pack their food. As you know, I like to pack my own healthy stuff to bring on my trips. Usually, a few…
Where to Eat in St. Martin
I was so happy that the food on St. Martin was mainly good. Once I realized that there is virtually no source of fresh water on the island, I was worried what that meant for my 2 week vacation. We are foodies in our family, so going somewhere that has…
Fishing in St. Martin
Over the last year is so, my husband has been getting into fishing. So on this vacation we decided that we were going to do a fishing trip to mix up the experience a little. He went on the web and found a guy named Richard who does fishing excursions…
Things to Do with Kids in St. Martin
The Butterfly Farm: Less than 5 minutes south of where we stayed in Orient Bay was a butterfly farm. At the time of writing this, the farm costs about $12 per person for adults and about half that for children and it includes a guided tour pretty much any time…
Christmas Dinner in St. Martin
Yesterday was Christmas. We spent a lovely day without going anywhere. Well, it would’ve been a much more lovely day if the neighbor’s mom didn’t crash into our rental car. We’ll get it all sorted out in the morning, so I’ll have to let you know how it turns out…
Washing Clothes on Vacation: Try Washing Nuts
Washing clothes on vacation seems to turn people off. Right now I can tell you that if you are of the mindset that you shouldn’t do any work on vacation, then you might as well stay home. Washing clothes on vacation is not the big deal that some make it…
Surprising facts about St. Martin
Because people had always touted the beauty of St. Martin, I always thought it would be a lush island with lots of natural resources. Instead, we found out that the island has virtually no natural water source. Without a natural source of water, there is no local food. Sure you…
How much water should you be drinking?
Nowadays, there appear to be many misunderstandings about how much drinking water is most beneficial to your health. Several professionals state that you ought to consume eight eyeglasses per day. Others sustain that you ought to consume a minimum of 1/2 oz of water for each pound of body weight….
Travel souvenirs: What are the best souvenirs to bring back?
Traveling around different parts of the world, it’s always a challenge to find things that are new. In this age of globalization, it is easy to find the same boring stuff in practically every corner of the world. Of course I mainly only traveled to first world countries, or at…
Thanksgiving and the End to Hospitality
Let’s face it, hospitality is dead. It seems like you can’t go anywhere these days without somebody complaining about how whatever it is that you were eating or you’re serving in your holiday meal conflicts with their social or moral stance on something. Back in the day, when somebody went…
Halloween Myths: How We All Got Duped
People always assume that because my birthday is the day before Halloween that I automatically love it. But nothing could be further from the truth. Even as a child I couldn’t stand the idea of walking from door to door begging people for candy. I didn’t even really like candy…
Berlin: Worst of the Wurst
Well, I just got back from Berlin. Let me tell you it was so much fun. I had studied German in the past, but never really got a chance to use it. So this trip was an opportunity to put my German skills to work. And it did pretty good….
Things to do with kids in Berlin
One thing that I love about Europe is how children are considered in almost everything they do. Just because a person has children, doesn’t mean that they have to stop living. Berlin is no exception. The wide variety of monuments are all interesting to children and adults. For history, you…
Surprising History in Berlin
Berlin has so much to offer to the traveler. Just make sure you don’t do what we did and leave your guidebook at home. It can be a challenging city to get around without enough information, and the frequent rain can put a damper on your plans but if you…
Bacon Lovers Rejoice!
Recently, I saw a reporter ask the question, “Can you eat bacon and still be healthy?” If you’ve read anything I’ve been writing over the past 3 years, you’ll realize that my answer is a resounding YES! As a certified nutritionist who believes in following the wisdom of the ancients…
The Low Down on Safe Cooking Equipment
One of the biggest problems people have with eating better is the concept of quick and easy that has been shoved down our throats by the media. If marketing executives have succeeded in nothing else, they have convinced us that we are not worth the time and effort of preparing…
The Myth of Moderation
Moderation is a term that is often bandied about by people when they no longer understand what to eat. Unfortunately, this approach to eating fails nearly 100% of the time. My grandfather was the first person I had ever hear use the saying. He was born in the West Indies…
Is Raw Milk Good For You?
Anyone who knows me knows that I continually tout the benefits of raw milk. Raw milk packs a powerhouse of fat soluble nutrients and easily assimilated minerals in it. Unfortunately, governments worldwide are increasingly not only trying to deter consumers from consuming this natural, nourishing food, but, in the US…
Dangers of Vegan Diets
I recently received an e-mail from a woman who was asking me if the hostility she perceived in vegan people she’s met could possibly be related to vegan deficiencies. She participates in forums where vegans blast her for having a different perspective on nearly everything. As a nutritionist, I face…