I live in Los Angeles, which means I'm always hearing about other people's diets. Raw food, $75-per-day juice cleanses, space food, the cookie diet...you name it, and there is a good chance I know someone who has tried it. When the paleo diet swept through my circle of friends, I felt a little like an outcast, still hanging onto my whole grains and legumes. I know I am a healthy eater — yet it was hard to resist the judgement that I was somehow eating a "bad" diet. 

So it was a relief to read a thoughtful, honest article by food writer and former naturopathic doctor Winnie Abramson on why the paleo diet — and diets in general — don't work for her.

When you were a grade school student, you probably complained about particularly bad school lunches to your parents or your friends, but fourth grader Zachary Maxwell didn't stop there. He decided to bring a small video camera to school so he could show his parents what his school lunches really looked like — and then spent the next six months documenting the food served in his New York City lunchroom.

If someone were to take the doors off all your kitchen cabinets and snap a photo, what would that image say about you? That's what Dutch photographer Erik Klein Wolterink explores in Kitchen Portraits, a photography project and the subject of his new book by the same name. 

Most likely you already have Good Food, The Splendid Table, and America's Test Kitchen Radio lined up in your podcast subscriptions. And maybe you even take it to the next level with Spilled Milk, Joy the Baker/Homefries, and The Sporkful. But if you're looking for even more food-related podcasts, these two new offerings are worth checking out:

If you want to maximize your grocery shopping budget, the Environmental Working Group's annual Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists are essential tools for figuring out when it is worth spending more for organic produce, based on the pesticide residue levels found on 48 common fruits and vegetables. This year, cherry tomatoes and summer squash join the Dirty Dozen.

Have you ever wondered what drove acclaimed writers, philosophers and musicians like Ernest Hemingway, Jean-Paul Sartre and Glenn Gould? After reading Slate's excellent series on the daily rituals of great artists, I suspect it might be coffee — although a comprehensive list would also need to include alcohol, amphetamines and very little food. 

Need a pick-me-up this Monday morning? Check out this imaginative and adorable latte art being made by baristas in Japan.

Your parents may have slipped the occasional note or doodle into your lunch bag, but graphic designer David LaFerriere has taken it one step further, adding a new surprise drawing to his kids' sandwich bags nearly every day. He started snapping photos of the mini works of art and now has a Flickr set boasting over 1,100 photos!

With their bright colors and futuristic appeal, Dippin' Dots are a kid favorite at carnivals and beyond, but we're much more interested in this adult-friendly update: alcoholic Dippin' Dots! Gizmodo has the full step-by-step instructions for making your own version at home.

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the annual conference for IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) and if there was one hot topic in food media right now, it's mobile. People are looking for recipes and food media on more devices than ever: the phone, the iPad, and any device you can access from the grocery store. Read on for a few interesting tidbits from folks like Tanya Steel, editor-in-chief of Epicurious — but first! We'd love to hear a little more about how you use your phone and tablet. Have they changed how you find recipes and read about food?