By Lauren Schmitt, MS, RD

October 20, 2012 (San Diego's East County) -- Are you worried about gaining those dreaded pounds during the holiday season?  There is no reason to accept the fact that weight gain is inevitable during the holiday season.  You have the power to stop that vicious cycle.  If your eating habits are not as healthy as you would like, use the few months prior to the holidays to make healthy changes. 

It takes six weeks to change unwanted habits, so start now.  That way, once the holidays hit, you have a healthy foundation to work with.  People who eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight year round are less likely to overindulge time after time during the holiday season. 

By Mayan Avitable 

February 4, 2012 (La Mesa ) -- If you're looking for Valentine's Day recipes, there should be one or more to your liking on the Internet. Frankly, there are so many you might have a hard time deciding.

January 12, 2011 (San Diego) – Want to cook up a dish savored by your favorite Hollywood celebrity from a bygone era? Frank DeCaro, author of The Dead Celebrity Cookbook—A Resurrection of Recipes from More than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen, will sign copies of his book January 14 at Babette Schwartz gift store, 421 University Avenue in Hillcrest.

“Frank DeCaro reminds us that many Hollywood celebrities enjoyed cooking long before it was ‘cool.’ The man everyone knows as the movie critic on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart has compiled recipes from over 145 of Hollywood’s favorite stars who are no longer with us, publicist Kim Weiss observed.

Obesity - The Solution, by Max Sturman (Do It Naturally Foundation, San Diego)

Book Review by Dennis Moore

February 20, 2011 (San Diego)--There is no more timely or urgent message than that found in Max Sturman's Obesity - The Solution. A February 1st story in the San Diego Union-Tribune states, "In a new attempt to help an overweight nation slim down and improve its long-term health, the government released new dietary guidelines that called on Americans to eat less, cut down on salt, bulk up on fruits and vegetables, and try water instead of sugary soft drinks."

Sturman, a 93-year-old San Diego author, has been delivering this message for years in fitness and healthcare books through his Do It Naturally Foundation, a non-profit that he founded.  His longevity is no accident--but, he believes,  the result of healthy living and a diet based on natural foods.

Recipe courtesy of Home Made Simple (See our review of the Home Made Simple book in our San 

Diego Bookshelf section--and scroll down for this sweetly simple recipe.)

November 6, 2010 – Chutney, a sweet and spicy relish originally from India, was imported to merry old England in the 17th century, where it swiftly gained popularity. Jelly-like in consistency, chutney is customarily made with fruits, vinegar, and spices of East India.  Now you can brighten up your holiday table with these festive flavors!

Recipe courtesy of Home Made Simple

November 6, 2010 (San Diego’s East County)—The flavors of fall abound in this tasty autumn dish provided by the publisher of Home Made Simple. See our San Diego Bookshelf section for a review of this new book—but first, scroll down for the authors’ flavorful recipe for pumpkin-black bean soup.