New article for HealthCastle.com: How to Choose the Right Potato for Your Dish

(HealthCastle.com) February is Potato Lover’s Month. What better time to focus on this sometimes under-appreciated vegetable? (Yes, vegetable.) Potatoes are surprisingly nutritious – they are a good source of both Vitamin C and potassium – and can be a very healthy addition to any meal.  Did you know that there are officially seven types of potatoes? Let’s explore which types of potato work best for different dishes…

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New article for HealthCastle.com: Easy-Pack, Security-Approved Vegetarian Food for Air Travel

(HealthCastle.com) Back in the good old days of air travel, when most flights of more than a couple of hours included a meal, it was easy for vegetarians to find food in-flight. All you had to do was request a vegetarian meal when you booked your ticket, and not only were you assured a vegetarian meal on the plane – you actually got your meal delivered to your seat before they started wheeling the cart down the aisle to dish out the standard-issue fare…

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New article for HealthCastle.com: Salmon – Health Benefits and How To

(HealthCastle.com) Salmon is quite simply one of the healthiest foods you can eat. It’s great for light but substantial meals, especially if you’re trying to reduce your meat intake, and you can eat it in a wide variety of ways, from sushi to canned to grilled to baked. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish a week, particularly fatty fish like salmon. Let’s take a look at the nutrition data to find out why…

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New article for HealthCastle.com: Cook Up a Little Romance with 5 Home-Made Valentine’s Day Treats

(HealthCastle.com) Valentine's Day gifts have become pretty predictable. Flowers. Chocolates. Jewelry. An overpriced dinner in a restaurant packed with other couples vying for the best table. It can all take the romance right out of the day. Instead of a stereotypical (read: boring and expensive) Valentine's Day, why not cook up a little romance at home? It may save your sanity (never mind your wallet) to spend the evening together whipping up tasty treats to share in your own kitchen…

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New article for HealthCastle.com: Trans Fats On the Way Out? The FDA Moves to Ban Partially Hydrogenated Oils

(HealthCastle.com) You probably know that trans fats are bad for you: They raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol and can increase your risk of heart disease or stroke. Some countries have already banned them. In the United States, trans fats were not even required to be listed on product labels until 2006. Now, just seven years later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is moving to phase artificial trans fats out from packaged foods sold in the United States…

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New article for HealthCastle.com: Not All PUFAs and Vegetable Oils Are Good For Your Heart

(HealthCastle.com) You may heard that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are good for your heart. In fact, if you live in Canada, you may even have seen heart-health claims on the packaging of many vegetable oils and products containing these oils. Since 2009, Canadian labels of these oils and the foods that contain them have been allowed to claim they promote “a reduced risk of heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol levels.” But a new analysis performed by researchers in Ontario, Canada, and published on the Canadian Medical Association Journal’s website this week suggests that claim may not be accurate if the oil contains high levels of omega-6 but does not also contain high levels of omega-3…

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New Article for HealthCastle.com: Brussels Sprouts – Health Benefits and How To

(HealthCastle.com) Brussels sprouts tend to bring out strong opinions: You either love them or you hate them. If you love them, you’re in luck – these tiny cabbages are packed with nutrition. As a bonus, they thrive in colder temperatures, so they’re at their peak when there are few other fresh, local produce options available. If you’ve always thought you hated them, you just might want to give them another chance. Brussels sprouts are enjoying a moment in the spotlight, which means there are all kinds of new ways to prepare them. These new methods might just be tasty enough to make you forget all about those childhood dinners of overcooked, mushy “little brains.”

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A freelance travel & lifestyle writer/editor