Do you like to be told what to do?
Do you like to be told what you can’t have?

This certainly applies to food, and making adjustments in your dietary world, right?

Years ago, I had a tug-of-war with a very smart nutritionist, who was ahead of the curve in her knowledge about gluten sensitivity. She reviewed my health concerns and announced that in her opinion, gluten was a problem for me. I, who studied cooking in Italy, who made my own pasta! I was not going to be told what I could eat and what I could not! I said NO THANK YOU.

Am I lucky! I have made amazing culinary friends in my life, from my adopted Italian nona to a delightful array of cooks and chefs. One of my most cherished cooking buddies is Andrew Weil, he of integrative medicine fame, who has just come out with a new cookbook, Fast Food, Good Food, that you MUST know about. (And not only because I helped!)

ep·i·ge·net·ics
noun

1. the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself.

I find it empowering to think that the food we eat can have an effect on our gene expression.

Hold on! You mean what I eat… can affect my genes?

Yes, indeedy! Quite an eye opener. Certainly caught my attention. In fact, I believe I am the first cookbook author ever to have a section on epigenetics, in my book The Longevity Kitchen.

Cooking and eating for health is about tilting the odds in your favor -- and I’m going to take a stand right here and say organic food makes a difference.

As a cook, I was initially drawn to organic ingredients because of the flavor! To my tastebuds, organic fruits, veggies, meats and more are always superior. But there are facts beyond flavor that convince.

Are you in fight or flight?

Recently I got an SOS call from someone whom I adore who is quite ill.  She has CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) and is recovering from pneumonia. The pneumonia is not a great sign. When someone in my friend’s situation gets pneumonia it’s an indication that the CLL is rearing its ugly head. She has dropped a tremendous amount of weight and she’s starting chemotherapy at the end of the month. The SOS call was understandably...panicked.

You know how marvelous you feel when you discover something spectacularly useful? Well, if you don’t know about my Magic Mineral Broth yet, hold on to your soup ladle! And if you know and love it already, here’s some of the history and magic mystery decoded.

Some of the best cooking that I do is in community with others.

Some cookbook authors REALLY like to create and cook solo.. I need collaborators, someone to taste or weigh in. Even if it’s my puppy! Or my more seasoned 3-year old Portuguese Water Dog, Lola.

It all started with a raisin.

My challenge at a recent seminar at Stanford University Hospital was to convince a room full of scientists, oncologists, nurses, and registered dietitians of the important role food plays in helping people navigate through cancer treatment. While the science is clinically relevant, I knew that we needed to reach their taste buds.

X marks the spot: If you want to know about food, big flavor and vibrant health, you have arrived. This has been my world for 14 years, and I’ve made the momentous decision to share what I’ve learned in a delicious and digestible new blog. My mission: to help YOU connect the dots, get behind the stove and make food work to transform your health and your life.