We’ve all heard the news: Cooking at home is the remedy for a host of budget and health concerns that many of us struggle with today. Want to save money on your grocery bill? Cook. Need to slow down and reconnect with family and friends? Cook. Want to eat healthier meals and cut unwanted calories or ingredients? Cook. Read more

IDAHO Wednesdays Read more

DEAR DOCTOR K: I’m a healthy young person, but I tend to have a lot of gas, bloating and diarrhea. Could a gluten-free diet help me? DEAR READER: Gluten-free eating is essential for people with celiac disease, which is an intolerance to the protein gluten. This protein is found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. Read more

Q. As far back as I can remember, my stool has floated. I never worried about it until I saw something on the web about pancreatic cancer and floating poop. I did some research and found that if you have pale poop that floats, it could be serious. There might be something wrong with the gallbladder, liver or pancreas. Since I have lived with this for decades, I reasoned that it probably wasn’t pancreatic cancer, or I would be long gone. Read more

Competing in the unofficial wheelchair division – in the back with the strollers – Donna Husick and Gail Ableman probably will not win Bloomsday on Sunday. But when they finish, it’ll represent a couple of victories. Read more

Doctors love scientific explanations for how things work. That is why they are quick to prescribe medications for a variety of conditions. Food and Drug Administration approval provides reassuring evidence of effectiveness. Dietary supplements, herbs and home remedies rarely have scientific support and usually lack an explanation for the way they work. That may be why it is hard for physicians to recommend such treatments. Read more

When the alarm goes off at 6 a.m., getting out of bed and heading to the gym may seem like an impossible task. Good news! Recent studies have found that exercising with a partner boosts motivation – and it’s more fun than doing it alone. Ivy Ingram Larson, the star of the “Full Fitness Fusion” DVD, created this partner workout. Larson suggests moving quickly between exercises in order to keep your heart rate elevated. Repeat the circuit three times. Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – At one time or another, Jana Begor has tried most of the commercially advertised diets, not to mention the grapefruit diet and the cabbage soup diet. She became a vegan. She tried the raw food diet. Sometimes, she lost weight. And then she regained it. Read more

Jim Quigley figured the job would be right up his alley. Raised on a wheat, potato and hay farm in the Tri-Cities, the 21-year-old Quigley took a temporary job inspecting potatoes in Kennewick for compliance with state grade requirements prior to shipment to market and, ultimately, to consumers. Read more

WASHINGTON – Diners will have to wait a little longer to find calorie counts on most restaurant chain menus, in supermarkets and on vending machines. Writing a new menu labeling law “has gotten extremely thorny,” said the head of the Food and Drug Administration, as the agency tries to figure out who should be covered by it. Read more

NEW YORK – A judge struck down New York City’s pioneering ban on big sugary drinks Monday just hours before it was supposed to take effect, handing a defeat to health-minded Mayor Michael Bloomberg and creating uncertainty for restaurants that had already ordered smaller cups and changed their menus. State Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling said the 16-ounce limit on sodas and other sweet drinks arbitrarily applies to only some sugary beverages and some places that sell them. Read more

Some of life’s journeys require more preparation than others. If your destination is Bloomsday’s finish line on May 5, it’s time to start preparing. Just slide into comfortable shoes and step out the door. Read more

Another study has found an association between eating meat and premature death, this time linking the consumption of bacon, sausage and other processed meats with cardiovascular disease and cancer in a study of nearly a half-million Europeans. “Overall, we estimate that 3 percent of premature deaths each year could be prevented if people ate less than 20 grams processed meat per day,” Sabine Rohrmann of the University of Zurich, who led the study, said in a statement. (Twenty grams is about 0.7 ounces; a hot dog comes in at 50 to 70 grams or more, depending on the brand, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website.) Read more

March is full of fun things to celebrate. It is National Caffeine Awareness Month, as well as National Flour, Frozen Food, Noodle, Peanut and Sauce Month. There’s a recipe in there somewhere for sure. When food and health are concerned, March is also National Nutrition Month. National Nutrition Month is an education and information campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. It started in 1973 and has been held annually ever since. The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. Registered Dietitian Day, also celebrated in March, recognizes dietitians for their commitment to helping people enjoy healthy lives. The Greater Spokane Dietetic Association is a group of local nutrition experts who practice in our community. During the month of March their goal is to spread the word about the importance of nutrition in a healthy lifestyle. Read more

To put her daughter to sleep, Colleen Robinson used to dance the Charleston, the baby in her arms. Now 4, Clodagh joined the swing-dance class her mother taught last week for mothers (and one father) and their babies and young children. The dance classes offer a way for parents to use their bodies and brains learning steps while their children learn, too, Robinson said. Read more

Drake Johnson takes Cheney Middle School’s after-school ethnic cooking class because the 14-year-old likes to eat. Alicia Fowler, 12, has a practical reason: “I’m depending on being a chef when I grow up.” Read more

WASHINGTON – In a finding certain to put new pressure on the purveyors of sugary foods and drinks, a worldwide analysis shows that regardless of its effect on obesity, the ebb and flow of sugar in a country’s diet strongly influences the diabetes rate there. The new study provides compelling evidence that obesity isn’t driving the worldwide pandemic of Type 2 diabetes as much as the rising consumption of sugar – largely in the form of sweetened sodas, experts said. Read more

DEAR DOCTOR K: I know I should exercise regularly, but I just can’t get motivated. Do you have any suggestions? DEAR READER: Practically everyone has heard that exercise is good for you. But not many people know just how good it is for you. Read more

Pour on the olive oil, preferably over fish and vegetables: One of the longest and most scientific tests of a Mediterranean diet suggests this style of eating can cut the chance of suffering heart-related problems, especially strokes, in older people at high risk of them. The study lasted five years and involved about 7,500 people in Spain. Those who ate Mediterranean-style with lots of olive oil or nuts had a 30 percent lower risk of major cardiovascular problems compared to those who were told to follow a low-fat diet but who, in reality, didn’t cut fat very much. Mediterranean meant lots of fruit, fish, chicken, beans, tomato sauce, salads and wine and few baked goods. Read more