Susan Burke March

St. Valentine’s Day is a global celebration. In the U.S. it’s chocolate and flowers; in the Philippines, it’s become a tradition for thousands of couples to wed in massive public ceremonies. Here in Cuenca, restaurants are promoting their special dinners for lovers, and all the party clothes stores on my block display red-dress-clad mannequins clad...

As a member of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, I’m privileged to have as colleagues some of the most accomplished Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) in the world! Our guest columnist this week is Diane Johnson, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin Universities with a Master’s Degree in Nutrition,...

Every morning you’ll find me walking on the Rio Tomebamba. I try and make my walking hour aerobic, and use my walking sticks to “pump it up,” (you wouldn’t believe the strange looks I get — I guess I’m the strange-looking one). When I return home I try and stretch for about 10 minutes. But,...

As a member of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, I’m privileged to have as colleagues some of the most accomplished Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) in the world! Our guest columnist this week is Mark A. Mahoney, PhD, RDN.  Mark has spent his entire professional career working to help improve the health of individuals and...

Like many of you, I’ve been advised to take calcium supplements. With health insurance what it is (and was when my employer provided health insurance), every couple of years my company would change coverage, and I’d have to change doctors to stay in “network.”  As I aged into my 50s and started getting bone density...

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.                                                ~ Zig Ziglar New Year’s resolutions are a time-honored tradition, often a promise to do something better next year. The British research group ComRes found that the most common New Year’s resolutions include: Lose Weight...

As 2017 draws to a close, I’m reflecting back on our third year in Cuenca. I never get tired of my early morning walks on the Tomebamba, but lately since we’ve moved downtown, I’m mixing it up with walks in the city. I love the sunrises in Cuenca — the early morning light is very...

Body Temperature Have you ever wondered how 98.6° Fahrenheit or 37° Centigrade became “normal” body temperature? In the 1850’s, a German physician named Carl Wunderlich collected data on 25,000 patients, taking their temperature multiple times. Wunderlich was the first to show how the body temperature fluctuates naturally throughout the day and night, and he was...

Are you one of the many consumers that have heard that the mineral magnesium is important for good health — but are not sure why? If so, you’re not alone. A recent survey shows that 90% of U.S. consumers are aware of magnesium, but 70% don’t know the specific health benefits. You might have heard...

Are you still confused about the “best” and “worst” fats? Are low-fat diets best for weight loss? Or is that old news? Myths “Fats” is not a four-letter word signifying obesity; fats are essential components of a healthy diet.  However, all fats are not equal in terms of health, and in fact, eating too much...

In the 1960s the idea that diet influenced heart disease was new, but there was a debate among experts about which was the culprit — fat or sugar. Health experts weren’t convinced that all fats were “bad” and even that far back some wanted to examine the role of sugar in the diet more closely....