"HealthyFood" news and stories

Heeding First Lady Michelle Obama's call to improve our country's access to better food and reduce childhood obesity, Wal-Mart today announced a five-year plan to reduce the price of fresh produce sold in its stores and to lower the salt, fat and sugar content in its Great Value house-brand food products, reports the New York Times.

Wal-Mart will also be urging its highest-selling suppliers, like Kraft, to follow suit. Similar initiatives have been made by the city of New York and major food corporation ConAgra, which set a goal to "reduce sodium content in its foods by 20 percent by 2015," notes the Times.

Every single month of the year has a "National _______ Month" designation. Heck, I think every day has celebrates something. June has a few celebrations, and National Fruit and Vegetable Month is one of them.

Of course, you should eat a lot of fruit and vegetables all year round, but if one month can get you going, then it's a good thing. June is usually the month when I start to eat more salads and apples and oranges anyway, as I'm sure it is with a lot of people, so it's good timing.

Here's more info and tips about the month, along with links to other sites about healthy eating. And if you insist on eating a whole pizza tonight, at least put some mushrooms and onions on it.

If you're like me, you could stand to lose a few pounds. Maybe you're overweight or out of shape, or maybe you're blood pressure and cholesterol is higher than you (and your doctor) would like. So you resolve to really get in shape. To start exercising every single day and eating better. You sit down and make a list of the foods you won't eat anymore, and maybe you even buy a book that will tell you what to eat and what not to eat. I've done this several times.

But I was thinking: yeah, I'll get in shape and eat better, but there are just some foods that I just don't want to give up, no matter what. Sure, maybe I'll cut down on them drastically, or save them for those special "cheat days," but I can't give them up completely. Here are my 8:

1. Pizza. Probably my favorite food. A perfect food, really, and I don't see how I could give it up. Tomatoes and veggies are good for you, though I too often find myself eating an entire pizza instead of just a couple of slices.