A practical guide to the weird world of protein bars. Protein bars are what happens when we lose touch with the wholeness of a food. I say that as someone who consumes them, although after writing this missive, it will be far less.  Protein bars encourage us to look at the front of the package with their bold claims in grams. 10 15 20 grams per bar! No added sugar, 1g of sugar, 5g of sugar! We...

  I was wearing a glucose monitor on a long bike ride when I ate a bag of jalapeño cheese puffs. What can I say, things happen (even to healthy living advocates). My blood sugar rose to 170. And not just for a few minutes. It stayed elevated for hours after. That got my attention. Not because cheese puffs are “bad.” Not because I think every spike is a crisis. But because this is exactly how m...

We all marvel at our own ability to hit another birthday. Is it an accomplishment? Not exactly. Time marches sprints on regardless. Still, it's a thing. You got here, wherever that is.  And so it is with me. I'm here, halfway through my fifties, and the thing I am marveling at is not so much that time passed, but that things added up. My menopause transition has not been painful. I have my heal...