Understand what you eat, learn how to nourish yourself
Published food values and practical nutrition knowledge in one place.
Where would you like to start?
Understand the logic before doing the maths: the balanced plate, meal planning, portions, shopping, kitchen habits, drinks, eating out and snacks — a plain, general and non-judgmental guide. Every topic is short and practical; you do not have to read them in order.
Why is measuring a liquid different from measuring a solid?
With a liquid, the line on the container and your eye level set the measure; with a solid, the way you fill it does. And the same volume is not the same weight; when the ingredient changes, so does the equivalent.
What do you do when someone at the table insists?
Insisting at the table is usually the language of hospitality; feeding the person across from you is a form of care. What works is not refusing but setting up a table where the insisting does not have to repeat itself.
What do you gain by frying onions in bulk and freezing them?
A great many dishes start with the same step. If you do that step once and freeze it in meal-sized pieces, on later evenings you enter the pot after that step.
Does a smaller plate really make you eat less?
Plate size changes how much the same amount looks like. It does not decide on its own how much gets eaten; once a second serving comes in, the difference closes.
Should you prepare full meals or components?
Preparing components separately gives you more options for the same effort. A meal prepared from start to finish gives speed rather than options; the two belong in different places.
Why does reading the recipe all the way through help?
A recipe with an overnight soak in the middle of it is usually noticed after the burner is already lit. Reading the recipe to the end shows the waiting steps in the first minute.
How much is “medium-sized” in a recipe?
“Medium-sized” is not a measure but a range; two onions called by the same name are not the same weight. If you want a recipe to come out the same every time, go by weight rather than by count.
What is the tare button on a kitchen scale for?
The tare button takes the weight of the container off the display. Its real gain is not in weighing one ingredient but in measuring in sequence in the same bowl and weighing cooked food in its dish.
How often should you step on the scale?
The number on the scale swings through the day with fluid balance. So it is not a single reading that is read but the direction of readings taken under the same conditions; and how often is a matter for each person.
What does building a meal on one tray make easier?
Vegetables, protein and grains can cook on the same tray; the only condition is bringing their cooking times close together. The gain is not only in the washing up but in the time spent at the stove.
Heaping spoon or level spoon?
Unless a recipe says otherwise, a spoon measure is taken as level. In powdery ingredients the difference between heaping and level can amount to skipping up a spoon size.
How do pickles and olives keep after opening?
In an opened jar, what decides is not the time that has passed but whether the product stays under its brine and what goes into the jar. Both can be watched by eye.
This content is for general information; it does not replace medical diagnosis or treatment and is not personal nutrition advice. A plan tailored to you is prepared only by a licensed dietitian; if you are pregnant, have a chronic condition, take regular medication, are feeding a child, or have a clinical condition, a physician and dietitian check is required before starting a plan. For a plan specific to your health situation, talk to a dietitian.