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    Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, PREVENTION

    Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, PREVENTION

  • Test your portion control smarts!

    I'm so proud and excited to share a brand new nutrition tool the Prevention team and I have been working on: The Portion Control Pop Quiz! It includes a fun, visual interactive quiz and two printable portion control charts -- one for your wallet and one for your fridge.

  • 5 fun health facts about garlic!

    According to mythology, garlic wards off vampires, so it was hung on doors and windows, worn as jewelry, rubbed on cattle, and used to expose vampires in hiding (true blood-suckers refused to eat it when offered).But all folklore aside, garlic really does fend off some nasty and unwanted beasts, nam

  • How to gain weight healthfully

    Most of the people I meet ask for my advice about how to lose weight and keep it off, but some of my clients are actually trying to gain weight. Being extra-lean genetically is rare, but I do have some clients who say, "I eat a ton and can't seem to keep weight on." I also have clients who've lost w

  • Cancer-fighting superfood!

    I adamantly believe in the power of nutrition. Every day, more and more studies confirm just how effective food is for not only preventing disease but also fighting it!

  • Dine out without overdoing it! Healthiest meals at Ruby Tuesday, Chili's, Pizzeria Uno and Boston Market

    Are you planning to go out to eat this weekend? More than half of adults say that dining out is an essential part of their lifestyle. Americans eat out nearly one out of every four meals and snacks and spend almost half their food budgets on meals away from home. I did a fun TV segment on the Mike &

  • I met the omega-3 pioneer!

    Hi there! I'm back from the conference and I sat in on many great sessions. The highlight by far, however, was meeting Dr. Jorn Dyerberg, the man who discovered omega-3 fatty acids (he's like a rock star to us nutritionists).

  • Make tortillas your new favorite food

    In the October issue of Prevention magazine, my Grocery Guru column is all about one of my very favorite foods: tortillas! They date as far back as 3000 BC and they're growing in popularity today. In fact, they're one of the fastest growing products in the supermarket.I've always been a fan of Mexic

  • Does Splenda harm the environment?

    If you read my blog, you know I'm no fan of fake sugars. I just don't like anything artificial and I'm not convinced that any of them help people lose weight. But here's some surprising news about the "yellow stuff," a.k.a. Splenda, generally considered to be the safest of the bunch. Sucralose (Sple

  • Is your tap water giving you diabetes?

    I've written about the safety of bottled and tap water many times, from reports about drugs in our drinking water to the lack of regulation of bottled water. Now there's more bad news. Government data collected in 2002 and 2003 has linked low levels of arsenic from drinking water with Type 2 diabete

  • Fruit Finds: How to pick the best cherries

    You may have read my recent post on choosing the best watermelon. As promised, I'm back to tell you how to select the most amazing cherries.One of summer's best treats has to be fresh cherries. They're so delicious in everything from smoothies and cereal to garden salads, and of course, they're grea

  • Fruit Finds: How to pick the best watermelon

    Every once in a while as I'm picking out my produce I spot a fellow customer secretly trying to determine if a fruit is ripe. It's usually a stealth operation because they really don't know if the techniques they're using work, and they don't want to look foolish. But on the other hand, they don't w

  • Unhappy hour: The truth about those Buffalo wings

    According to Restaurant Business magazine, low cost dining spots like wing joints have become some of the country's fastest-growing chains. Cincinnati-based Buffalo Wings & Rings is now the nation's fastest-growing franchised restaurant.Several recent surveys have confirmed that tighter food budgets

  • Do you EATertain yourself?

    I was recently out with a group of friends and we were deciding what to do next. One asked, "Is anyone hungry?" and another said, "No, but I could eat." It made me think about all the clients I've counseled who struggle with socially driven eating as entertainment.

  • Baby bump or bean burrito?

    OK, I admit, I read celebrity magazines. I love seeing who's wearing what (what do you think about those knee-high Gladiator sandals?), who cut or dyed their hair, who signed on for the latest reality show, etc. But one magazine trend that drives me absolutely bonkers is the baby bump watch. Practic

  • Yikes! Hidden calories in ethnic food

    When I go out to dinner, Mexican is always my first preference (yummy guacamole!), followed by Asian (mmmm, ginger). Each cuisine offers food on both ends of the nutrition spectrum, from wonderfully healthy and lean to incredibly calorific. Here's what I mean:MEXICAN:

  • 1930s food prices make my wallet cry

    This past weekend my parents were in town and we visited lots of New York City attractions. One of the most fascinating was The Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. As we toured the apartments, we learned the true stories of some of the more than 7,000 people who lived at 97 Orchard

  • Candy and TiVO?: What's your coping food mechanism?

    When I get the blues (sad, depressed, down in the dumps), I lose all interest in food. I also tend to withdraw socially (I'm normally a big talker). All I want is snuggle time with my furry pets, my comforter and the remote control. But if I'm anxious, worried or mad, I crave salty, crunchy foods li

  • Would you take a frosting shot?

    Remember the Seinfeld episode when Elaine started a trend by tearing the top off a muffin and leaving the rest? Well, it seems most people buy cupcakes for the frosting! My favorite bakery, BabyCakes, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan has found a fix.This isn't just any old bakery. Everything is v

  • The flip side: 5 foods that get a bad rap

    My last post was about so-called healthy foods that really aren't. Well, here's the flip side-these 5 often-criticized foods don't deserve to be shunned. Here's why and how to eat them:

  • 5 'healthy' foods that aren't

    A few hours into a long flight the other day, the passenger next to me asked me a question I sometimes dread, "So, what do you do for a living?" I can't imagine being anything other than a nutritionist - it truly is my passion and I love it, but once I utter those words, people tend to become self-c