yogurt

Yogurt is one of the few real foods that hasn't been demonized in recent decades. Bread, butter, milk and meat have all come under scrutiny, but yogurt has retained its standing as a healthful food. While probiotics have become trendy, yogurt has always been a great source of the live bacteria – like acidophilus – that's beneficial to our digestive tracts. Plus, yogurt is a good source of protein and calcium. So what’s the problem?

Two things: One is that there hasn't been a good, local, organic yogurt widely available in the Twin Cities. And the other is the plastic containers, which Minneapolis and St. Paul recycling don't collect.

Photo Credit: Kate NG SommersPerhaps you shop at the local coops and look for that label on all of your purchases. But with a limited budget, maybe you’ve wondered what makes the most sense to buy organic. As a nutritionist working with people to improve the quality of their diet, I get asked this question a lot. So here are six suggestions for prioritizing your spending to maximize your dollars and your health.

I recently had the chance to conduct an email interview with Sandor Katz, author of the book Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods. The book is an excellent, fun, and straightforward look at fermentation, and an especially handy DIY tome for those so inclined. I'll admit to being a bit intimidated by the idea of fermenting my own foods (although I do love to eat sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, yogurts, and lots of other things in the book), but I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It's written in Katz' easy going style (the guy goes by the nickname "Sandorkraut," which says a lot about him), and is an approachable, easy read. Here's the interview:

Recently found another Twitterer named Elle who writes a great recipe blog. Elle is celebrating her first anniversary as a food blogger. Here's what her blog profile says:

Hi! Living in New England with my amazing husband, four kids, and six pets. I love to cook and collect cookbooks, which I read like novels. Doesn't everyone?

In any case, the site features all sorts of good, tasty sounding things. Some are even healthy, or seem to be, like this recent post about granola with yogurt, fruit, and nuts. (I'm fairly obsessed with granola, can you tell?)