I eat avocados almost daily. I enjoy them thinly sliced on my salad, paired with salty sunflower seeds, or with creamy protein-rich cottage cheese. They also make a great sandwich topping in place of mayo. Here is yet another way you can incorporate the ever-versatile avocado into your culinary life. When baking, substitute half the amount of butter in your recipe for mashed avocado. It not only Read more

A healthy lifestyle means taking care of your teeth — after all, excess plaque has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, and too much icky bacteria in your mouth can lead to gum disease and cavities. But if you're an après-lunch brusher, take note: you should wait at least 30 minutes to brush your teeth after a meal, according to a report in The New York Times. The directive is Read more

Go the extra mile with your food budget with these tips from LearnVest. For years, many people — my husband, mom, sister and even my son — told me to stop wasting so much food. Throwing away half a piece of chicken here or a handful of grapes there never seemed like such a big deal to me. If I was full or no longer in the mood for that particular food, then I had no problem tossing Read more

Eating healthy isn't always cheap, but it's a must if you want to improve your overall health. If you choose to buy organic or exotic options like dried blueberries — $13 for a small bag! — snacks can quickly eat up your food budget. Find out how to nosh on healthy nibbles and still have money left in your wallet. Cheese sticks: Instead of buying individually wrapped cheese sticks, save Read more

Historically, walnuts haven't been an ingredient that comes to mind often when I'm cooking — I typically eat them out of my hand and in banana bread, but that's about it. But recently, I attended a seminar with cooking host Joanne Weir and the California Walnut Board and Commission, where we enjoyed a walnut-centered lunch. From that broadening meal, I learned so many new ways to incorporate Read more

FitSugar reader For the Love of Fiber offers vegan, gluten-free, and kid-friendly energy bars inspired by the Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream flavor. She shared it with us in our Healthy Recipe group in the Fit Community. Chunky Monkey Super Omega-3 Energy Bars Makes 12 bars Ingredients: 1 ripe banana 12 medjool dates, pitted 1 cup raw walnuts 1 cup quinoa flakes ½ cup chia Read more

A crunchy coating on soft and flaky fish always takes me back to my childhood and those frozen boxes of fish sticks. That's why a recipe for fresh baked cornflake-crusted snapper seemed like the perfect way to re-create the nostalgic dish with a little more adult flair. Set up stations for the flour, egg white, and cornflakes, and your family will be sitting down for dinner in about a half hour. Read more

FitSugar reader Whipped shared this party-ready artichoke-walnut pesto crostini recipe in our Healthy Recipe group. Vegan Artichoke-Walnut Pesto Crostini Serves 4-6 The pesto can be made 2-3 days in advance and kept in the fridge. Otherwise you can freeze it for up to a month. Ingredients: 14 ounces canned artichoke hearts, drained 1 cup packed fresh basil 3/4 cups walnuts, toasted 3 cloves Read more

Baked fries are a healthy treat, and when you top them with flavorful additions like feta cheese and diced peppers, who needs overly processed condiments? FitSugar reader CarCarDawn shows us how it's done with her recipe for oven-baked feta fries, which she posted in our Healthy Recipe group. This recipe provides a lighter oven-baked version of cheese fries, with a Greek flare. Kali Orexi! Check Read more

Turn your pita into a healthy quesadilla — Vegetarian Times Flat-belly foods that will actually help you prep for bikini season — Fitness Skip the romaine and amp up your salad with these greens — Health Snack smart and try these low-calorie yet filling foods — Shape Too much salt! What it takes to redefine a low-sodium diet — HuffPost Healthy Living How cleansing can become a food Read more