by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor

Remember when the experts were telling us to eat more soy? Tofu, edamame—lap it up! Then, wouldn’t ya know it, we were told it causes cancer. Thyroid problems. Male infertility. Too much of a good thing …

In “The Soy Controversy,” registered dietitian Janel Ovrut considers the evidence to give us the bottom line: what we know and what we don’t about soy right now.

What do you think? Do you eat soy? Has it ever worried you? I, for one, love it. Roasted soy butter (like peanut butter), edamame, tofu … yum ….

by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor

Did you know it’s legal to sell meat from cloned animals–but the USDA has asked companies not to because people are wary of it? We just posted a debate about whether it really is safe here.

Though meat from cloned animals isn’t supposed to be in your grocery store, meat from their offspring has been there for years. Proponents say it’s no different than regular meat. Skeptics say we don’t know that yet. What do you think? (You can share here or in the article’s comments section.)

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by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor

Just around the corner loom … dum, dum, duuuuum … New Year’s resolutions! Let the dieting begin!

This week, we focus on one type of diet that has not only your waist size but your entire physical health in mind: the food combining theory.

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by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor

Impending kiddie sugar high scaring the heck out of you? How ’bout enticing them away with a steaming bowl of boiled jack o’ lantern guts (i.e. pumpkin soup)?

We’ve scoured the Web (get it? spider? no? OK) and unearthed pumpkin recipes galore.

Whatever you pick, just don’t tell the kids it’s healthy … unless you really want to scare them.

Happy Halloween!

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• Healthy Halloween recipes–great for children, adults and parties.

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IF YOU LIKE …

dessert

… TRY …

angel food cake topped with unsweetened frozen berries and fat-free whipped topping. (Let the berries defrost and get nice and juicy; add some fresh if you like.) One serving is around 200 calories.

—Jennifer Neily, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D., L.D., health and wellness, exercise and sports nutrition expert in Dallas, Texas

IF YOU LIKE …

butter on baked potatoes

… TRY …

olive oil and balsamic vinegar for more flavor and less saturated fat.

—Robyn Priebe, R.D., C.D., Director of Nutrition, Green Mountain at Fox Run women’s health retreat, Ludlow, Vt.

by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor

Do you like to cook?

Some of our favorite things to post on Twitter are healthy recipes. For this Twitter Friday, we’ve rounded up a few of the best from the last month or so.

We’d love it if you’d share links to your favorite online healthy recipes in the comments section below.

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IF YOU LIKE …

muffins, pancakes or waffles

… TRY …

adding puréed, cooked pumpkin, sweet potato or carrots for beta carotene. Grated carrots or zucchini also works well in pancakes and muffins when trying to eat more vegetables.

—Robyn Priebe, R.D., C.D., Director of Nutrition, Green Mountain at Fox Run women’s health retreat, Ludlow, Vt.

by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor

It’s time for our monthly Twitter roundup. This time, we have a ton of tweeters and bloggers to highlight. If you’re not on Twitter but like reading health blogs, just skip to the second section.

But before I get to that: a quick plug for our free preview issue since the offer ends Sunday. My Family Doctor is a unique, fun-to-read, trustworthy, magazine written by health-care providers for the general public. We feature the latest information on how to prevent and treat disease, tell you which alternative remedies really work, and tackle widespread myths and rumors.

Now, on to the Twitter fun.

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by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor

For Baby Boomers and more, it’s just plain dangerous to eat at Denny’s! So says the activist group Center for Science in the Public Interest, often called “the food police.” They’re suing Denny’s because, they say, its food has too much sodium. Some of the meals have more than the recommended daily limit for salt, CSPI says.

What do you think: Is this lawsuit necessary or ridiculous? Please vote in the poll at the end of this post. Here’s the background.

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