Health & Safety

People always talk about what to do to get a good night’s sleep and how to have a good morning. But what about the nighttime leading up to those things? You know, those few hours we all have between getting off work and going to bed. Here are the best things you can do for a good night. We know you’ve heard this one before (if not from your mother, then from all those darn magazine stories out there). So why are you still not pulling those covers up before you leave for work?

Who hasn’t stuck their tongue out to catch falling snow flakes? Eating snow is a childhood rite of passage — just as much as singing about not eating the yellow stuff — but as adults, and as parents to young children, we may have some concerns about whether it is prudent or even safe to eat snow. The short answer is “yes” — snow is primarily water, after all — but there are a few rules you should follow.

Raw chicken breast meat is usually a pale shade of lightly translucent pink. But if you’ve been paying attention to the meat you buy, then chances are you’ve occasionally noticed a few extra white stripes on your protein. While seemingly harmless, an animal welfare group is advising consumers to be wary of chicken with “white striping” present, reports Buzzfeed. White striping on chicken meat reflects a muscle disorder.

I've done Whole30 five times and I learn something new each time. Here are the 10 biggest lessons (which would have been good to know ahead of time).

For 30 days this month we’re exploring Whole30, the 30-day reset and refocus on whole foods. Whole30 isn’t a diet or a judgment of foods as “good and bad.” It’s actually a short-term reset that has helped many of our readers cook more and figure out the foods that make them feel their best. Read more about our coverage here. You did it! You just finished day 30 of the Whole30 program. Congratulations!

For 30 days this month we’re exploring Whole30, the 30-day reset and refocus on whole foods. Whole30 isn’t a diet or a judgmental labeling of foods as “good and bad.” It’s actually a simple reset that has helped many of our readers cook more and figure out the foods that make them feel their best. Read more about our coverage here. The first time I did Whole30, I meal-planned like a champ.

For 30 days this month we’re exploring Whole30, the 30-day reset and refocus on whole foods. Whole30 isn’t a diet or a judgment of foods as “good and bad.” It’s actually a short-term reset that has helped many of our readers cook more and figure out the foods that make them feel their best. Read more about our coverage here. Anytime someone asks me about my Whole30 experience, they always want to know, Was it worth it? Without hesitation I immediately respond, Yes.

For 30 days this month we’re exploring Whole30, the 30-day reset and refocus on whole foods. Whole30 isn’t a diet or a judgment of foods as “good and bad.” It’s actually a short-term reset that has helped many of our readers cook more and figure out the foods that make them feel their best. Read more about our coverage here.

Over the past three-and-a-half years, I have completed seven rounds of the Whole30 program. The Whole30 was created by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, and it has exploded in popularity recently. Most of us would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t done Whole30 or hasn’t thought about doing Whole30. The program has plenty of supporters boasting life-changing results, and I can say that I am one of the people who has experienced these tremendous results.

Welcome to the Great Debates, where we consider the greatest nutritional controversies of our time. Our goal isn’t to tell you what to think or do, but rather to present both sides of hot-button issues, like coffee (is it good for you?) and breakfast (the most important meal of the day?). What’s being said? Who’s saying it? Then it’s up to you to make your own decisions. Breakfast — the cornerstone of a healthy diet, or optional morning meal?

For 30 days this month we’re exploring Whole30, the 30-day reset and refocus on whole foods. Whole30 isn’t a diet or a judgment of foods as “good and bad.” It’s actually a short-term reset that has helped many of our readers cook more and figure out the foods that make them feel their best. Read more about our coverage here.

When my son first started eating solid foods, I like to think I was pretty relaxed. I puréed meatloaf or whatever else I made for dinner, gave him the same full-fat yogurt I already kept in the house, and let him have his way with leftover coconut rice. I was, however, petrified about peanut butter. I waited until his 9-month doctor appointment, and fed him a tiny spoonful under the watchful eye of my pediatrician, lest he have a negative reaction.

You’ve likely seen grain bowls in your favorite magazines, food blogs, and on trendy restaurant menus. They always look beautiful and taste so composed and interesting — the exact opposite of how they can come across in real life. So how do they do it? How is it that a dish that’s lauded for its supposed simplicity can seem so tough to pull off in reality? Grain bowls are a big part of my diet, but like anything, it’s really easy to fall into a rut.

A little confused? Don't worry — we'll explain.

Despite the restrictions that come with a Paleo diet, you can still enjoy baked goods. The key to cooking up successful sweets is knowing how to make the right ingredients work for you. Here are five important tips all Paleo bakers need to know. Dairy is a bit of a gray area when it comes to the Paleo diet, but if dairy is a part of your Paleo diet, go with full-fat items, like cream, whole milk, and butter (preferably grass-fed) in your baking.

A plant-based snack board sounds like something you might find at that new vegan restaurant downtown, but it’s actually the answer for dinner when all you want to do is eat a bunch of snacks (in a wholesome “I have it together” kind of way). A veggie snack board is perfect for busy weeknights or Sunday dinner after a cookie-decorating marathon.

Don't freak out — it's probably still edible.

The stuff tends to melt (or more accurately, sublimate!) pretty quickly — here's how to keep it frozen until you need it to billow spooky fog.

Even if you’re not a person who loves Halloween — the costumes, the candy, the commercialism — there is an aspect of the holiday that’s actually really nice. On this one day, people open up their doors and welcome you into their homes (or at least onto their stoops or porches or driveways). People who might not, on any other given day, even nod hello will greet you with a basket or a plastic pumpkin full of treats.

Have you noticed a proliferation of teal-hued pumpkins adorning the steps and porches in your neighborhood? No, you haven’t stumbled into a particularly ardent enclave of Martha Stewart acolytes. These bright turquoise jack-o’-lanterns, whether a simple paper cutout or an actual pumpkin that’s been given a fresh coat of paint, indicate a home that is participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project.

A staple of both Venezuelan and Colombian cuisine, arepas are versatile enough to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This corn-based griddle cake is also naturally gluten-free and reheats even better than bread, bagels, or English muffins, which makes them the best vessel for a breakfast sandwich you’re not eating — yet. This summer I began a love affair with arepas after eating them at an arepa kiosk in a food hall here in Atlanta.

It’s Monday morning. Images of the weekend flow through your mind as you snuggle deeper into your pillow, reliving them. Then you open your eyes, see the clock, remember the presentation you have to give in an hour, and, heart racing and teeth clenched, you rush to the kitchen to make coffee. That’s one version of Monday morning. Here’s another: You set the alarm 15 minutes earlier and ease into the day by simply paying attention to your breathing.

There’s no denying that gluten-free products are popping up everywhere in the grocery store. You can find replacements for almost everything including bread, pasta, waffles, pancakes, baked goods, and more. But what if you didn’t have to buy a replacement? There are lots of naturally gluten-free products out there as well. Here are seven ways to eat breakfast sandwiches without bread. Crisp, refreshing lettuce is a great alternative to sandwich bread.

What we put into our bodies can make or break our day. This is especially true for kids, who have to juggle the demands of school, extracurricular activities, and friends (and frenemies). Parents and guardians can usually maintain a watchful eye over what kids eat for breakfast and dinner, but lunchtime can sometimes be a free-for-all. And while packing lunch is almost always the healthiest option, it’s not always a realistic one.

Cut or break the bottom of a leaf of romaine lettuce and you may see a strange milky liquid seep out from the stem where it broke off. While it may look a bit ominous, there’s no need for alarm. The white sap is a milky fluid made of latex that’s naturally found in the lettuce and is completely harmless.

Not only are watermelon seeds perfectly safe to eat, but there are also a few fun things you can do with them!

If you’ve never tried furikake, you’ve been missing out. The Japanese seasoning is crunchy, salty, sweet, and savory all at the same time, thanks to a mix of seaweed, sesame seeds, sugar, dried fish, and salt. Your corn on the cob won’t know what hit it. Furikake can be found at Asian grocery stores. It’s such a unique topping for corn — it’s rich in umami, but also salty, sweet, and crunchy.

As a word, Paleo has become a catch-all for a dietary protocol informed by evolutionary nutrition. The term alone may raise some eyebrows, as this practice is still so often associated with cavemen and, lets be honest, lots of meat. But a reductive definition robs us of the nuance that makes something like the Paleo diet so interesting — and oftentimes very helpful when it comes to the eternal question of what should I eat?

You know what I’m talking about. At one time or another, whether on the blueberries you picked yourself or grabbed at the store, you’ve probably noticed a dull grayish-white waxy coating surrounding your berries. Perhaps you’ve simply wiped it away before diving into your berry haul. But do you have any guesses as to what it might be? This pale coating that leaves berries a dusky shade of blue is called bloom.

Gwyneth Paltrow has promoted it as an “energy kick” on her lifestyle website, Goop; former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham counts it among the 60 supplements she takes daily; and “preppers,” people who stockpile supplies and hone their survival skills in preparation for the end-of-days, are hoarding the stuff, believing in its potency as a compact nutritional powerhouse. If anecdotes are to be believed, we’ve got a magic bullet in bee pollen. Seasonal allergies?

One of my favorite stories to tell about my brother Grahame is the time he thought a pin bone from a fillet salmon was going to be his demise. He missed the thin, flexible bone when he took a bite of salmon and it became uncomfortably lodged in his throat, making him so worried that he insisted on being taken to the doctor for help.

You went to the store, bought yourself a gorgeous, pinky-red fillet of salmon, came home and cooked it just like the recipe said, and all of a sudden this white, filmy gunk has begun to seep out of your beautiful fish. Not cool salmon, not cool. So, what exactly is this stuff? What causes it to show up, and is there anything you can do to prevent it? Alright, let’s get straight to it. The white stuff (or albumin) is coagulated protein, not fat, which in my opinion is a relief.

There’s just something about crystallized honey that tends to make people nervous. It’s the polar opposite of the runny, translucent honey found in a plastic bear on grocery store shelves. Instead, it’s solidified enough that you need to scrape it out of the jar with a heavy spoon; its texture is grainy and almost chewy. But this kind of honey is completely normal. In fact, I’ll argue that it’s even more delicious.

When it comes to baking bread, you’ve got a few different flour options. In addition to the regular suspects on your grocery store shelves — notably all-purpose and bread flours — the recent renaissance of stone-milled flours has added greater choice and complexity to this essential bread decision. And if you opt for the stone-milled stuff, or any whole-wheat flour, different rules of storage and shelf-life apply.

Q: Has anyone found good Kosher for Passover noodles? Years ago Manischewitz had great egg noodles, but now I can’t find anything that doesn’t taste awful. I even tried making some from scratch, which was a total disaster. Sent by try2cope The Gefilteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz: I think we need a quick intervention. Why do you want noodles for Passover?

The amount of protein powders on the market is staggering. And while you don’t necessarily need to invest in one to add to your smoothies, they’re another great way to add a nutritious boost to them. But if you do decide to try one, what kind of protein powder should you choose? Whey and casein protein are two of the most popular options. The only thing that makes them similar is that they’re both dairy proteins found in milk. Otherwise, they are quite different.

When it comes to common problems that can be addressed with homemade and herbal remedies for mama and baby, we couldn’t forget about this one: the fearsome diaper rash. Baby bums call for special care, and this salve uses wholesome ingredients for a gentle result. Imagine the adult version of diaper rash. Imagine how uncomfortable you might be if you had to walk around with a rash in your nether regions, and didn’t have the cognitive ability to understand what was going on.

If you’re going to make one gift for that friend who just welcomed her new bundle of joy into the world, make it this one. This aromatherapy spray is incredibly effective, and it is a snap to make — perfect for those who are just beginning their introduction to herbalism, or who have never made a thing! This is a fragrant mist for home spaces and linens, made with traditional scents of peacefulness and calm.

Expanding the way you make use of the blender can be a game-changer. (Say goodbye to store-bought hummus!) However, while the powerful engine and blades of a blender can handle a lot of things, there are a few things that shouldn’t make their way into this appliance. Here are seven items you shouldn’t toss in your blender.

Q: What do you do with (or how do you dispose of) used cooking oil from things like fried chicken and donuts? Sent by Sheila Editor: What to do with used cooking oil is perhaps one of the biggest reasons people avoid frying. Dealing with the splatter is one thing, but what to do with that used oil poses a bigger question. Here are a few tips to help you figure out how to discard of it.

Fear of the unknown is a common facet of human nature, and that’s definitely true when it comes to what we eat. So it’s no surprise that the popularization of sous-vide cooking has been met with a degree of suspicion. In fact, I’d be surprised if every historical food innovation hadn’t been met with similar resistance. Perhaps at some point in the hazy days of prehistory, there was an Ogg or Grok who expressed skepticism about that newfangled stuff they called fire.

Natural release and rapid release are two common methods used to depressurize a pressure cooker once active cooking is complete. While some recipes indicate which method to use, many don’t, and the method you choose can have a big impact on the food inside. Here’s what you need to know. In short, pressure cookers use steam pressure that builds up inside the closed pot to cook food.

Q: I was wondering about frying chicken. I use a resealable bag to put my flour in, along with my spices, and then I shake my chicken pieces in it. There seems to be a lot of flour left after I am through shaking; is this same flour OK to use in my chicken gravy? It just seems to be a waste to throw it out. I’ve been doing this for most of my life and I have always wondered if it would be OK. I always forgot to ask my mother and grandmother, and now they are both gone.

When I made plans to spend a week in Cuba, my gluten- and dairy-free diet was really the last thing on my mind. I was more worried about how many sundresses to pack, whether I would remember my newly learned salsa steps, and if immigration would stamp my passport (they didn’t). I’m pretty sure my travel companion, a vegan, didn’t think too much about what she would eat either.

Safely using plastic in the kitchen is an ever-evolving discussion as we continue to learn more and more about the material. While you could reach for plastic alternatives for storage and reheating purposes and avoid the discussion completely, the truth is that most of us do happen to have plastic containers and plastic wrap in our kitchens. So the real questions is: Is any of it actually safe in the microwave?

Like all kitchen appliances, your microwave wasn’t built to last forever. At some point it’s going to need replacing. The question is when? Here are the telltale signs that it’s time to start shopping for a new microwave. These are signs of a serious and urgent problem. Stop what you’re doing, and turn off and unplug the microwave immediately. There’s no going back if you see smoke or sparks, or smell something burning.

You wouldn’t leave the oven or stove on when you leave the house to run errands or head to the office, so why is the slow cooker an exception? Is it really OK to leave it on all day on your kitchen counter when no one is home? People do this all the time, but many aren’t truly confident that it’s 100 percent safe — I, for one, am one of those people. So I did a little digging to get the hard facts.

You hit it like a wall at work. That drop in energy, accompanied by a deep need for a snack that is sugary, fatty and/or crunchy — it’s the 3 p.m. snack slump. Have you ever wondered why it happens so predictably on weekday afternoons? Here’s a look at the science that may help explain the late-afternoon slump, and why we crave snacks when it strikes.

Have you ever sliced into a knob of ginger to find a faint blue-green ring circling the perimeter? Don’t be alarmed — your ginger isn’t bad. In fact, there are a few reasons why your ginger might appear blue, and none about them are bad. How blue is your ginger?

So you made yourself two-dozen homemade granola bars over the weekend. Congratulations! That means no more mid-afternoon raids of the office vending machine. The only thing is … now you have to eat the same snack for the next 24 days. Or, what if you found a few healthy-snacking friends and organized a snack swap at work instead?

Sometimes when you start dreaming of Doritos during that yawning space between an early lunch and a late dinner, it’s because you are actually hungry and really need a snack. And sometimes it’s because you’re exhausted, bored, or just craving a little social interaction after hours of screen time. For those afternoons when your snack cravings are about more than simple hunger, here are a few suggestions for beating them — in five healthy, satisfying ways.

No one expects good news to come from research on sugar, but a recent study revealed some particularly grim results. According to the report, eating excessive amounts of sugar as a child could severely impact a person’s ability to deal with stress throughout their life. Shockingly, sugar’s effects on a developing mind were so severe that they were found to be similar to the lasting effects of neglect and abuse.

Going vegan has taught me a lot — about myself and my ability to act in accordance with my beliefs, about my friends and family, and about veganism. Many of my expectations about veganism have been shattered — mostly in positive ways. Here are some of the things I’ve discovered after two months of eating vegan. Years ago, I tried to go vegan solely for health purposes — and it didn’t stick.

Since we’re kicking off a new year and it’s as good a time as any to make some confessions, I have a big one: I often go days without vegetables in my diet. Now, I’m a full-fledged grownup (over 35) and a parent — and I even consider myself a moderately healthy eater. I eat minimal sweets, choose protein-heavy snacks, and shun as many added ingredients as possible. I’ve certainly come a long way from my teenage and college ways.

Rice is a very important grain. It is the number-one staple food in dozens of countries, providing an inexpensive and readily available source of energy. In fact, 20 percent of the world’s dietary energy comes from rice. It is nutritious — but it is far from perfect due to its high starch content. Here’s why that’s an issue — and a surprising way to actually mitigate rice’s less-healthy aspects with one simple, surprising cooking method.

For 30 days this month we’re exploring Whole30, the 30-day reset and refocus on whole foods. Whole30 isn’t a diet or a judgment of foods as “good and bad.” It’s actually a short-term reset that has helped many of our readers cook more and figure out the foods that make them feel their best. Read more about our coverage here. All week long I’ve been sharing tidbits of my month-long adventure into Whole30.

If you’d like to take a deep-dive into kitchen horror, just read the comments on our brief guide to the mandoline this week. (Or, if you’re squeamish about danger to fingertips, just skip it.) If you are drawn to the speed and advantages of a mandoline — it makes it so easy to eat more vegetables, for one! — but are, ahem, attached to your fingers, then here’s a tool to try: cut-resistant gloves.

Even though we think we know so much about food and health, there seems to always be something to learn. For example, you might be doing some things that make your vegetables less nutritious. Who knew? With the aim of starting 2016 on a healthy note (resolutions, anyone?), here is the best information we learned about eating healthier in 2015. You might be making your veggies worse for you: They’re still healthier than a piece of cake, but you should stop these practices now.

Q: How long will opened unsulfured molasses keep before spoiling? Sent by John Editor: Between its rich color and thick texture, it seems like a jar of molasses could go on sitting in our kitchen cabinets without spoiling for ages. There’s no cut-and-dry answer to the question of whether molasses goes bad. If you store it in a cool, dark place, it could last for years without obvious signs of spoilage (like mold or an off scent).

Thanksgiving dinner is a big meal; between the turkey, all the sides, and a slew of different pies, it can be a lot to consume in one sitting. So how do you prepare your stomach so you can eat the maximum amount possible? Do you eat something big a couple days before to stretch your stomach? Do you skip breakfast the day of Thanksgiving? I’d do just about anything to fit another slice of pie in there.

Q: I recently had a medical emergency, which now requires me to follow an extremely low-fat diet (less than 50 grams of fat per day). This means I need to avoid most dairy, oils, nuts and nut products, fatty meats, etc. I’m having a lot of trouble following this diet, since I love butter, cheese, and peanut butter. I was hoping for tips, tricks, and recipes for any and all meals to help inspire me and get me excited about food again!

Many of you know Dana Velden from her long-running Weekend Meditation column here on the site. Dana started the column in 2008, and while she recently retired it to move on to other projects — notably, her new book, the calming, lyrical collection Finding Yourself in the Kitchen — we turn to her today for some much-needed holiday perspective. I asked Dana to run us through the five most common emotions as we approach November’s biggest day.

As I discussed a few months ago, meal templates are amazing and wonderful. They have been a total game-changer for getting dinner on the table night after night. This simple solution has eased my daily dilemma of what to cook, and saved me time along the way. You know Pizza Fridays and Taco Tuesday, right? Well, meal templates are like that, but taken to the next level. Get started with these 10 vegetarian meal templates with ideas perfect for fall.

Raw fish-based dishes, like sushi and ceviche, are quite popular. With home cooks becoming more adventurous and preparing these dishes in their own kitchens, it’s important to know the answer to the question: Is raw fish actually safe to eat? And if so, when? Not to dissuade you from consuming raw fish, but Harold McGee said it best when he wrote: “All uncooked fresh fish pose the risk of carrying a number of microbes and parasites that can cause food poisoning or infection.

From the, “Seriously gross, but I gotta know,” category of cooking questions, we have: Is that weird reddish splotch really … blood? Is my egg safe to eat? How did that get in there anyway? Let’s put some of these worries to rest. Here’s what the blood spot is all about. Yes, a blood spot is indeed a spot of blood.

We once asked readers to share the foods that help them feel better when they’re sick. We got a ton of responses (thank you!), so of course we had to compile the top recommendations, recipes, and remedies. The next time you’re under the weather and desperate for a little relief, look to this guide for the best drinks, soups, and other soothers to help you power through. No surprise here: Chicken soup is standard because it really works.

There are few things quite as frustrating as a kid who is a fussy eater — especially when you love food and want to share that enjoyment with them. A new research study published in the journal Appetite gives the advice to just follow the three Rs to get your kid to try new foods. No, it’s not reduce, reuse, and recycle. Instead you’ll be using “repetition, role modeling, and rewards.

The end of daylight savings last weekend marked the beginning of shorter days, cooler weather, and yes, flu season. Word has it that flu season is expected to ramp up this month, which means it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to take care of yourself if you get sick — or even, if you just get a cold! So, readers, tell us: What do you eat and drink to comfort yourself when you’re sick?

Q: My father went through major heart surgery earlier this year, and while he is recovering well, my mom is having a hard time adapting to cooking for his new dietary needs. He needs to maintain a low-sodium diet for his blood pressure, and he has to avoid leafy greens due to blood-thinner medication. My mom is a wonderful and instinctive cook, but she now has to rethink a lifetime of kitchen experience to come up with a totally new approach to cooking.

You’ve probably been hearing for years that eating a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast is a healthy way to start the day — but do you know why? What is it that makes oatmeal so special, and how much of it should you eat? And does instant oatmeal count? Here’s a quick, science-based breakdown of the health benefits of that morning bowl of oatmeal. Oats are whole grains, which means they haven’t been stripped of their nutritious bran and germ.

I have been cooking meals in my slow cooker regularly for the past 18 years (and writing about it for the past seven!). It’s accurate to say that I love my slow cooker. Err, slow cookers; I currently have 14 in the house, and try to use a slow cooker for our main meal four to five times a week. I get emails every week with questions about slow-cooker cooking, and many of them are about using slow cookers safely. You have questions? I have answers!

We’ve read a lot about foodborne illness in the news lately. It can be a scary and daunting thing for sure, which is why it’s important to understand what it is. You’ve likely heard of Salmonella; perhaps you or someone you know has been infected with it at some point. Salmonella is one of the most common types of foodborne illness, but do you really know what it is and how it’s transmitted?