The Better Letter

Wander the streets of Paris, Milan, or Barcelona, and check out the thin, fit locals.

Anxious about wearing a swimsuit over spring break? You still have a few weeks to tune up your body.

James Beard Award-winning chef Sarah Stegner recently developed a healthy menu for her restaurant Prairie Fire, and in the process, she learned several lessons and came up with substitutions that anyone can apply to his or her diet.

Nutty with a little hint of floral, this rice is perfect with stir fry or curry.

If you think there’s temptation in your kitchen, imagine being Sarah Stegner, chef of Prairie Grass Café and Prairie Fire.

The farmers markets have just opened, and we finally have fresh, local vegetables. It’s time to eat in a new, seasonal way-and the bookshelves are filled with works by experts who want to influence how and what we eat.

Whole oats—called groats—and steel-cut oats are delicious and whole grain, but they take a lo-o-ong time to cook.

While not low calorie, this trail mix has the energy to keep you going and it’s full of delicious ingredients that are great for you.

Forget depriving yourself. Try a new tactic this year: adding to your diet.

We eat these sweet potato “fries” at least once a week in our house because they are delicious, good for you and cost just pennies to make.

This was given to us by a fellow hockey mom who knows that veggies are only good for you if actually eaten.

Take the fruits that are in season in the winter and make a super-healthy, low-calorie salad. A nice change from wooly tomatoes and lettuce.

Less (of the real stuff) is more.

Some women take lemons and turn them into lemonade. And others make fabulous granola.

"Dense,” said my husband, trying to come up with a compliment for the very healthy, but heavy muffins I had just made. We were 20 minutes into our weeklong experiment, and we were ready to cheat.