You know how people always say that when things taste good, they’re bad for you? And when things taste bad, they’re good for you?

Well, in the case of Kardea Nutrition, food not only tastes good, but it’s also very good for you.

Kardea’s snack bars deliver 50% more heart healthy soluble fiber than found in oatmeal, and each provides 1 gram of cholesterol lowering plant sterols.

Robert Leighton created Kardea in order to enable and empower people to manage their cholesterol naturally and nutritiously. Leighton founded Kardea as part of a personal mission to lower his own cholesterol. When he was 47, Leighton found himself moving from “border line” high cholesterol to outright high cholesterol, due to both diet and genetics.

Rather than rely on medication, Leighton took his love of culinary creations and belief in the science of natural cholesterol management and founded Kardea.

Kareda’s snack bars are available in four flavors: Banana Walnut, Chai Spice, Cranberry Almond and Lemon Ginger.

Each contains 1 gram of plant sterols, 7 grams of fiber with 5 grams soluble fiber, 3 grams of viscous soluble fiber (50% more viscous soluble fiber than oatmeal), and 7 grams of protein with 3.5 grams of soy protein.

Each bar is Kosher certified, has only 150 calories, contains no trans fat, and features a lower glycemic formulation. In addition, all are vegetarian-friendly and two, Chai Spice and Banana Walnut, are vegan.

I’ve tried ‘em all, and they are all great.

The Chai Spice is subtle and not to spicy, the Banana Walnut is the perfect blend of nutty banana flavors, the Cranberry Almond is a flavorful breakfast pick me up, and the Lemon Ginger will satisfy any sweet craving.

If your local Co-Op or other grocer doesn’t carry the bars yet, you can purchase them online here.

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Eggs have been known to get a bad rap, as the cholesterol found in the yolks has been blamed for raising cholesterol levels in the body. Not so, says the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which recently found no link in healthy people between eggs and either heart disease or stroke.

In fact, eggs may even reduce your risk of cancer, as they are one of the best sources of the nutrient choline (found mostly in the yolk), and a recent study indicates that women with a high intake of choline are 24 percent less likely to get breast cancer.

Golden yolks are also high in lutein and zeaxanthin, both antioxidants that have been shown to ward off macular degeneration.

Eggs also also more satisfying than carbs, and have been shown to help lower weight in obese people. They also contain a sequence of amino acids that makes egg protein easy for the body to absorb, so they help build and repair muscles.

Egg Options
Organic: laid by chickens that aren’t fed slaughterhouse byproducts, antibiotics or additives.
Pasteurized: they were placed in warm water to kill bacteria (look for this if you’re using raw eggs).
Omega-3 Enhanced: An easy way to up your intake of heart-healthy fatty acids.
Any other labels, such as Cage Free, Free Range, Pasture Raised, etc., don’t mean the chickens were treated well, and probably cost more than they’re worth.

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Late summer is the perfect time to enjoy the bevvy of blueberries in stores.

Wild blueberries are typically found back east from Maine to North Carolina and into Florida, and the blueberry cousin, huckleberries, are taking center stage on the West Coast.

Whether you bake with them, cook them down into jams, or simply pop them in your mouth straight from the bush, blueberries are a delicious, nutritious treat a la Mother Nature. (I like mine straight from the bush, sprinkled over this.)

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If you want to be a winner, you’ve got to eat like Mike–Michael Phelps, that is.

US swimmer Michael Phelps has 11 Olympic gold medals to his name, in part the result of his six-days-a-week, five-hours-a-day training regime. As for how to maintain that schedule, he consumes 12,000 calories per day (six times the intake of a normal adult male).

This is a typical day of food for Phelps:

Breakfast
He starts with three fried-egg sandwiches with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and, of course, mayonnaise.

Add two cups of coffee and a five-egg omelette with a bowl of grits on the side.

Then it’s on to three slices of French toast with powdered sugar on top, and three chocolate chip pancakes.

Lunch

One pound of enriched pasta and two large ham and cheese sandwiches on white bread with extra mayo, plus about 1,000 calories of energy drink.

Dinner

Another pound of pasta, plus an entire pizza and another 1,000 calories of energy drinks.

Unless your name is Michael Phelps, I do not recommend this diet!

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When you consider the fact that half an avocado contains 4.9G fiber, 354MG potassium, 15.3MCG vitamin K, 59MCG folate, 1.5G protein and 10.7G (good) fat, what’s not to like?

Creamy, buttery avocados get their taste and texture from good fats, those monounsaturated fats that help lower cholesterol.

Whether it’s the base for guacamole, or diced in a salad or omelet, or even eaten plain, the avocado is the perfect serving of wholesome goodness. And if you cut one in half to eat, it even features its own portable, eco-friendly bowl.

Here are two tried and true recipes I rely on to make yummy avocados even better:

Black Bean Avocado Salad

Greens, Avocado and Fennel Salad

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On a recent trip, my husband and I stayed at the MacCallum House for two nights, which included breakfast for both of us the following two mornings.

But before I get to breakfast, let’s talk about the MacCallum happy hour (of sorts). Each room receives two $7 dining credits for use in the Grey Whale Bar & Cafe or the MacCallum House Dining Room, which can be used towards dinner, desserts or for a house specialty cocktail, beer or glass of wine. (Three years ago, the happy hour included a nice spread of cheese and crackers, this time, no vittles to go with the libations.)

On the first eve of our two-night stay, we used our tokens for locally-brewed beers before heading down the street to The Moosse Cafe, a restaurant we discovered and fell in love with on our last trip.

I started with the cream of broccoli soup, and my husband had the Caesar salad. Both were delicious.

The entree I selected, the pan-roasted Petrale sole with rice pilaf, wilted spinach, shallot confit and a tarragon-tomato brown butter, was perfectly proportioned and tasted amazing.

My husband selected the brined and seared pork chop with herbed-creamy polenta, braised Swiss chard, caramelized garlic and piquante sauce, which featured a unique yet pleasant taste (brining leaves the meat salty and not very pork tasting).

For dessert, we shared the house-made espresso chocolate chunk ice cream with sugar cookies, which our server kindly brought with a lit candle stuck in the middle, as we were in fact celebrating my husband’s birthday.

The next morning, we ate at MacCallum, where we both had the fresh-squeezed orange juice and I had the Buckwheat Crepes with Niman Ranch ham, Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper cheese, grilled green onions and Mornay sauce, while my husband had the Eggs MacBenedict, consisting of two poached eggs, house cured Canadian bacon and heirloom tomatoes on a house made English muffin with hollandaise sauce.

The crepes were out of this world good, and my husband raved about the Eggs MacBenedict (which I did not try because of the undercooked eggs).

That evening, we were back at MacCallum for dinner, where Russ spoiled us with glasses of N.V. Roederer Estate sparkling wine and a wonderful duck and gnocchi appetizer.

I enjoyed a mixed berry daiquiri while my husband had the Seasonal Field Lettuces salad with spiced hazelnuts, honey mustard vinaigrette, and Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk cheese on hazelnut croûte.

For dinner, I had the Grilled Niman Ranch Pork Loin with fig port sauce, creamy mascarpone polenta and (the best) braised greens (I’ve ever had!), and my husband had the Roasted Rosie Organic Chicken with tarragon sauce and scalloped Yukon Gold potatoes with ham and leeks.

For dessert, we shared the Banana Split, made with three scoops of ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauces, whipped cream and candied hazelnuts (we chose the house-made chocolate malt, caramel-chocolate macadamia bark and peppermint-chocolate chunk flavors, all good, but the caramel-chocolate macadamia bark by far the best).

The next morning, we were back for breakfast, where we again started with the fresh squeezed orange juice.

This time, I had Lupe’s Breakfast Burrito, made with scrambled eggs, sausage, white cheddar, roasted red bell peppers, red onions, cilantro, (hold the) sour cream, hand rolled flour tortilla, guacamole and salsa, and my husband had the Cornmeal Pancakes with wild Mendocino blackberry jam and whipped hazelnut butter. My burrito was good, but not as good as the crepes I had the day before. The pancakes must have been good, because my husband devoured them before I had a chance to try them.

The abundance of fresh, local ingredients at both MacCallum and Moosse Cafe were amazing and delicious, making this trip one of the top dining experiences I’ve had in quite a while.

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I’ve been making fried egg sandwiches for my husband almost every Saturday morning for the past two years–maybe more, I’ve lost count!

While I grew tired of them long ago, he still exclaims each time that they are the Best. Thing. Ever.

Here’s how to make one of your very own–you be the judge.

Ingredients:
Bread, English Muffin, Bagel*
Olive Oil
Butter, Soy Butter or Margarine**
Two eggs

* I use a fresh bagel
** I use Soy Butter

Instructions:
1. Start toasting bread of choice.
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in frying pan, then crack two eggs into pan.
3. Cook eggs to preference (my husband likes his “seared”, so I cook them for a few minutes on medium on one side, leaving the yokes intact, then when bread is buttered, I flip them over just to sear the other side and serve).
4. Butter bread choice.
5. Layer bread, eggs, bread.

Enjoy!

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Whenever my husband and I go on vacation (or really, any time we know we’ll be away from home for a few hours), we pack some Odwalla bars just in case we get hungry.

Odwalla (pronounced Oh-dwa-la) is a juice company founded in Santa Cruz, Calif., in 1980 and is now headquartered in Half Moon Bay, Calif.

The Odwalla brand includes juices, smoothies and similar health beverages, as well as protein bars.

The protein bars are available in a variety of flavors, including Banana Nut, Berries GoMega, Choco-Walla, Chocolate Chip Peanut, Odwalla Superfood, Peanut Crunch, Strawberry Pomegranate, Super Protein, Sweet & Salty Almond, Sweet & Salty Peanut, and Trail Mix.

We’ve taste tested them all over the years, and the two we keep coming back to the most are the Superfood and Super Protein. They’ve stood in for breakfast, lunch and even dinner in a pinch, and we buy them at our local Co-Op, although they are carried in a lot of grocery stores, too.

Not only are Odwalla bars wonderful, but I use their Carrot Juice in my daily smoothies for ad added vegetable serving that tastes great. 

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I live in Sacramento, California, and for years, when I had a craving for bagels, I was buying them here or here, but I was never quite satisfied.

Then, two years ago my husband and I ventured cross country, and when we stayed here in New York City, we found a great little bagel store right around the corner. I can’t for the life of me remember the name of the place, but I do distinctly remember that they offered vegan cream cheese.

The bagels were the perfect blend of chewy/fluffy, and, needless to say, we ate breakfast there every morning.

Ever since we got back, I’ve been on the hunt for bagels like the ones in NYC. Haven’t found ‘em yet.

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Melon is a refreshing treat for breakfast, lunch, a snack or even dessert in the summertime. Most have a low calorie count (30 calories per 1/2 cup).

Choosing melons is a snap–be sure the melon you select feels heavy for its size, smells ripe, and yields slightly to gentle pressure at the stem end.

Ripe melons will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.

Here are the most common melons you’re bound to encounter this summer:

Watermelon (pictured above)
Watermelons range in size from 8 pounds (Sugar Baby) to 20 pounds (Charleston Gray). Most have green skin marbled with yellow, and bright red flesh. They are at their peak from June through August.

Cantaloupe
These melons have raised, netted skin (the skin should be tan–if it’s green, the melon isn’t ripe) and orange flesh, and are available June through November.
 
Honeydew
Unripe honeydews will never ripen, so be sure to select melons that are fragrant and have skin that’s slightly tacky. These are available July through October.
 
Crenshaw
These melons are bigger (5 to 9 pounds) and globe shaped, with pointed stem ends, yellow skin, and golden-pink flesh. They are in stores July through October.

In my house, even my dog enjoys melons (particularly watermelon and honeydew–the sweeter the better!).
 

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