If your goal is to lose weight, look and feel your best and live a healthy, vibrant life, be aware of the damaging additives and synthetic chemicals in the foods you buy and eat. Seventy-five percent of the average American diet is from processed and packaged foods, which equates to approximately 10 pounds of additives eaten annually.

If the number of failed New Year’s resolutions are any indication, eating healthy in a fast-paced world still isn’t all that easy.

Looking for a few simple ways to freshen up the go-to dish of the Super Bowl? We cobbled together a mighty tasty basic guacamole, then came up with four ways to turn basic into unbelievably good.

I long ago fell in love with the clean, crisp, sweet taste of Meyer lemons. And recently, Mexican foods guru Rick Bayless reminded me why.

The problem with buttermilk is there isn’t a lot of “real” buttermilk around.

Back during my days at Gourmet magazine, my many duties included teaching cooking classes. I used to tell my students — especially the cooking-impaired ones — that if they made sure to greet dinner party guests with a special homemade drink, they would always win, no matter what else happened that evening.

With flu season upon us, many people question whether or not they should get a flu shot. Instead of putting your health at great risk by getting a flu shot, a healthier option is to boost your immune system naturally and limit immune suppressors.

The key to a great food experience around the holidays is extending it as long as possible.

Insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes and obesity (diabesity) are global epidemics that continue to rise and come with major health consequences. Type 2 diabetes is commonly associated with poor diet and inactivity. However, there is now evidence of autoimmunity in Type 2 diabetes.

Canned food is being collected by Ahwatukee Foothills Storage to benefit St. Mary’s Food Bank through Christmas.

Lately I have been hearing people claim that they are a “foody.” Initially, I had thought that term meant they are a fan of food. To me that was kind of funny because should we not all be fans of food? Our bodies need it and we all seem to be a fan of it from infancy and beyond. Ask any mother. Although the term “foody” according to the dictionary is, “a person having an enthusiastic interest in the preparation and consumption of good food.” Now that I can get on board with.

I discovered the inspiration for this recipe ages ago in an issue of the Australian edition of Vogue, a magazine I tried to hunt down as often as possible because it had a consistently innovative food section. Though my Jell-O years already were well behind me, I was struck by the cleverness of this recipe, particularly as a healthy snack for kids, and even more particularly at Halloween.

Duck is one of my favorite foods. No matter how you make it — roasted, braised, the legs confitted, the wings fried, the breasts grilled like a steak — it’s just plain scrumptious.

Just months after getting her lemonade stand off the ground to benefit the Arizona Humane Society, middle school student Megan Hansen is lending a hand to the USA Clydesdales Society this weekend.

The trouble with late summer’s bounty of zucchini isn’t in the volume of the vegetable itself. Rather, it is in the lack of creative recipes for using it.

Autumn’s a great time to fall for apple appeal, with cooler temperatures setting the stage for the fruit to star in gently steaming pies and alongside fragrant roasts.

A few years ago I created a recipe for a killer barbecue sauce. It was exactly the way I like it — thick, rich, a lot savory, a little sweet and bursting with cumin, smoked paprika and so many other delicious seasonings.

Toward the end of every summer, my family and I abandon New York City for my parents’ Massachusetts farmhouse, where the fields out back are lined with blueberry bushes. Some years the crop is tiny. Other years it is so good we are overwhelmed, calling up visions of Lucille Ball wrapping chocolates in the candy factory.

Summer makes us long for the grill. But by the end of the season, even our favorite burgers and dogs can feel a bit tired.

There is a right way to make sangria. It usually involves a dozen or more ingredients and plenty of time.

Water is one of the most important nutrients and often overlooked for detoxification, losing body fat, and optimal health. Your body is approximately 70 percent water, your brain tissue approximately 75 percent water, and your blood is 83 percent water.

Light, chilled and refreshing with a toothsome texture, ceviche is summer in a bowl. Add tortilla chips and it becomes a cross between a meal and a snack.

Slushies have taken on a surprisingly critical role in my family’s summer. And it’s my 7-year-old’s fault.

There are few foods as simple, delicious and complete as fresh seasonal corn on the cob. When it’s really fresh, I’ll even eat it raw. No boiling, no butter, no salt. It’s perfectly sweet and tender right off the stalk.

To me, summer is margarita season.