Cooking For Health

Across the Nation, Hospitals Strive to Improve Food Service

By Ellen Kanner, Contributing Writer

Ask anyone—patient or practitioner—to describe hospital food, and you’ll invariably get words like awful, horrible, or disgusting. That’s because for decades, hospital systems have viewed food as a line item, not as an intrinsic aspect of healing. But all across the country, that’s starting to change as hospital administrators realize the positive impact that good food can have, and the public clamors for healthier meal service options.

From the Mystical to the Medicinal, Mushrooms are Having Their Moment

By Ellen Kanner, Contributing Writer

Worldwide, there are 2,000-plus species of cultivated and wild edible mushrooms. All provide solid nutrition—even the seemingly vacuous white button variety. Some produce medicinal compounds. Whether in the kitchen or the clinic, mushrooms are the subject of rising popular interest these days.

Bar Wars: The Un-Sugarcoated Truth About the Clif vs KIND Controversy

By Ellen Kanner, Contributing Writer

On March 6, New York Times subscribers came upon a full-page open letter—in print and online– from the popular snack food company Clif Bar, challenging competing brand, KIND, to live up to its name and go completely organic. Was this an earnest plea for corporate responsibility or a shrewd marketing ploy? Either way, the ensuing “bar fight” underscores both the massive size of the “healthy” snack market, and the rapid growth of consumer demand for healthy and eco-friendly foods. 

Functional Formularies Offers Organic, Plant-Based Options for Tube-Feeding

By Ellen Kanner, Contributing Writer

A small independent company based in Ohio launched a feeding tube formula called Liquid Hope, comprised entirely of organic whole foods like chickpeas, sprouted quinoa, almond butter, turmeric, kale, sweet potato, and other high-energy, anti-inflammatory ingredients. Unlike most conventional enteral nutrition formulas, Liquid Hope is free from sugar, corn syrup, omega-6 laden oils, and dairy ingredients. It is making a profound difference in the lives of many patients. 

The Cult and Culture of Vegan Cheese

By Ellen Kanner, Contributing Writer

We’re witnessing a vegan cheese explosion these days. US sales of these plant-based, non-dairy cheeses jumped by 43% in 2018 , according to the Plant-Based Food Association, and are forecast to hit the $4 billion mark by 2024. Venture capital firms are all over it, and the market is thriving. These products have evolved a long way in the last decade. How healthy are they, and for whom? 

FDA Revamps It’s Field Guide to Food Additives

By Kristen Schepker, Assistant Editor

There are well over 10,000 chemical additives–flavorings, colorings, preservatives–that the federal government permits for use in food products sold in the US. While a few occasionally grab headlines–think monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrite, high-fructose corn syrup, aspartame–the vast majority garner very little public attention.

In “How to Change Your Mind,” Michael Pollan Explores Resurgence of Psychedelic Medicine

By Ellen Kanner, Contributing Writer

After decades on the margins of both polite society and medical research, psychotropic compounds such as psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and the like, are once again the focus of serious clinical investigation as potential therapies for a host of psychological and neurological conditions. In his newest book, How to Change Your Mind, popular author explores the resurgence of psychedelic medicine without bias, agenda, or pretense.

Innovative Med Schools Put Future Doctors in the Kitchen

By Ellen Kanner, Contributing Writer

The connection between food choices and wellness goes back at least as far as ancient Greece. Yet it’s taken two millennia for Western medical schools to make food part of medical training. Innovative medical schools around the country are beginning to introduce Culinary Medicine into their curricula.