Healthy Eating Blogs

Partnerships are a big part of Illinois Extension programs. This one started more than five years ago with a conversation about deer hunting and turned into recipes, videos, a webinar, and Hunters Feeding Illinois. As...

What are your favorite nuts and seeds? Maybe pecans or walnuts? Sunflower or pumpkin seeds? Fortunately, no matter your favorites, nuts are a nutritious choice!NutritionNutritionally, 1/4 cup of most nuts and seeds - or 2 Tablespoons nut butter - contains 14-18g fat, 5-7g protein, 2-4g fiber,...

Although National Pepper Month is celebrated in November, sweet and hot peppers are coming out of gardens and farmers markets in mid- and late-summer here in Illinois. While the peppers are peak quality, I'll enjoy them fresh as a...

Water is amazing, right! Human bodies contain around 60% water; it's part of our natural environment from weather to watersheds; and we need water for our...

Once (maybe twice) each winter, my rural grocery store will stock whole pomegranates. They are a highlight of my winter fruit picks because of their sweet taste and pop of vibrant ruby red. Plus I get a chance to practice mindfulness...

There are more varieties you can grow and buy, but the main winter squashes I see sold in grocery stores and from farm stands around me are butternut, spaghetti, and acorn squashes.  Acorn squashes are typically small, and if...

June is Dairy Month, a perfect time to explore the wide variety of dairy and dairy-free options available. Whether you enjoy traditional dairy products or prefer plant-based alternatives, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Let's dive into the delicious world of dairy and dairy-free options...

How foods are prepared and the part of the food you eat makes a difference in enjoyment. Beets are an excellent example, since we can eat from root to stalk. For me, cooked beets are not a go-to food. (Except the Chocolate Beet Snack Cake in this post.) What I like from beets are the beet greens...

I so enjoy the big variety of citrus that comes to stores in winter. Stocked with more than oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit, I'm seeing mandarins (including tangerines, clementines, and satsumas), tangelos, ugli fruit, oranges with fun colors (like cara cara and blood oranges), and...

A few things happened that day I wanted to make cookies. I didn't want to make individual cookies - or multiple dozens of cookies. (Too much time waiting on batches.) The dietitian in me wanted to add in a boost of nutrition. (But not make the cookies so "healthy" as to remove...