By Ian Lee, HealthCastle.com May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, making it an important time to think about getting enough calcium. For dairy fans, it can be easy, but what about people who avoid dairy? Vegans and those with lactose intolerance need to work a bit harder to ensure they get the calcium they need to prevent the loss of bone density that comes with osteoporosis. Many people pop a calcium pill rather than investigating non-dairy food sources of calcium, according to dietitian Gloria Tsang, founder of nutrition network HealthCastle.com and author of Go …

Approximately one in nine adults, or 20 million Americans have chronic kidney disease with another 20 million at increased risks. There are around 16,000 dialysis patients in Georgia, according to the U.S. Renal Data System, USRDS 2009 Annual Data Report. "One of the major challenges that people experience when they first start dialysis is that they have a lot of foods in their diet that they can no longer have," Nesbitt Gignilliat, RD, LD, dietitian at Fresenius Medical Care said. "All of the sudden they have a lot of restrictions, especially in the South where we have a lot of common foods …

Maintaining a healthy diet is a goal for many people, but for those with chronic illnesses it can be a matter of life and death. Fresenius Medical Care North America, the nation’s leading network of dialysis facilities, and Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr., star of Food Network’s Big Daddy’s House, partnered to develop tasty, satisfying and new dialysis-friendly recipes as part of FMCNA’s Healthy Lifestyle initiative aimed at helping people with chronic kidney disease live a better life on dialysis. Fresenius Medical Care has clinics in Austell, Smyrna and Marietta. Fresenius Medical Care will expand …

Maintaining a healthy diet is a goal for many people, but for those with chronic illnesses it can be a matter of life and death. Fresenius Medical Care North America, the nation’s leading network of dialysis facilities, and Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr., star of Food Network’s Big Daddy’s House, partnered to develop tasty, satisfying and new dialysis-friendly recipes as part of FMCNA’s Healthy Lifestyle initiative aimed at helping people with chronic kidney disease live a better life on dialysis. Fresenius Medical Care has clinics in Austell, Smyrna and Marietta. Fresenius Medical Care will expand …

Maintaining a healthy diet is a goal for many people, but for those with chronic illnesses it can be a matter of life and death. Fresenius Medical Care North America, the nation’s leading network of dialysis facilities, and Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr., star of Food Network’s Big Daddy’s House, partnered to develop tasty, satisfying and new dialysis-friendly recipes as part of FMCNA’s Healthy Lifestyle initiative aimed at helping people with chronic kidney disease live a better life on dialysis. Fresenius Medical Care has clinics in Austell, Smyrna and Marietta. Fresenius Medical Care will expand …

I love baking during the holidays. It warms the kitchen and fills it with the wonderful scents of sugar and spice. As soon as one of those sugar plum fairies comes dancing through my kitchen, I’ll know I’ve gone too far. In the meantime, I’m going to bake and decorate some of my favorite cookies to eat, give to friends, eat, serve at parties and eat.  The first recipe is one of my very favorites. I got this from a friend when I was in college; then lost it due to my ever popular habit of writing recipes on the backs of grocery receipts, finally contacted her for the recipe again and have been…

by Kelly Whitaker, Fresenius Medical Care Marietta Located at 1277 Kennestone Circle, Suite 600 During the holidays, family and friends often gather around dinner tables to share in holiday cheer. But what about the millions of Americans who deal with the daily diet restrictions of a chronic illness, like chronic kidney disease. For these folks, enjoying holiday meals can be very difficult given that restricted diets limit food and fluid options. Fresenius Medical Care and Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr., star of Food Network’s “Big Daddy’s House,” partnered to develop tasty, satisfying and new …

Living far away from my family, I cling to the happy memories of my childhood. Growing up in an Italian household, many meaningful moments were surrounded around food. More than the holiday meals, with which we call gathered in the dining room eating on the fancy dishes, the simple times spent in the kitchen meant the most.  With all the food that passed through our kitchen, desserts were a rarity. Luckily, every once in a while, I accompanied my mom to the local bakery where  I would eagerly peer into the display case, trying not to press my nose so hard as to leave an imprint. Bypassing the…

Like pies, tarts are fun, versatile, and make people smile. The one distinct difference between the two is the omission of a top crust on tarts. Whether filled with sweet creams or fruit, or cheese, eggs and vegetables, the free-standing desserts are inviting to palates young and old(er). Because tarts can be served as appetizers, entrees or desserts, the possibilities for ingredients, taste, and presentation are only limited by one’s imagination. So, why not play around with various profiles? The result may be a captivating recipe. When first making tarts, it can be beneficial to find a …

We would love to hear what your favorite Christmas foods and recipes are! From Christmas cookies and pies to your favorite sides and roasts or ham, share with us. Tell us where you got it (or if it's your own creation) and why you love it. We'll post the recipes we receive. Send recipes to editor Melissa Kory at melissa.kory@patch.com Take a look at our Recipe Corner for holiday recipes.

Has your child learned to cook? These quick and easy recipes will introduce your budding chef to the joys of cooking. English Muffin Pizzas Top English muffins or bagels with pizza sauce, cheese and whatever toppings your child chooses. Bake in a toaster oven or oven until the cheese is melted. Mini-Muffin Mix-Ins Fill a muffin tin with a variety of muffin mix-ins such as berries, dried fruit, chocolate chips and nuts. Give each child a muffin tin of their own and allow them to partially fill the pan with mix-ins. Top the mix-ins with muffin batter, stir with a toothpick and bake according to…

Take a look at these holiday recipes and add your own. Sweet Potato Peach Puffs Fantastic Thanksgiving Sides Cranberry Cherry Relish Perfect for the Holidays In Search of the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Southern Fried Chicken and Milk Gravy Holiday Recipe: Homemade Pumpkin Pie

A few years ago, my sister found a recipe for turkey that's steeped in brine and herbs for a day or so, then stuffed with apples, oranges and onions before roasting. It was, my whole extended family agreed, the best turkey ever. Last year, my sister couldn't find the recipe. She found one that's similar, but without all the herbs. Then I found this one from Emeril Lagasse on foodnetwork.com. It may not be the very same, but it's gotten some great reviews. (Click on the link to see the recipe, photos and reviews.) If you have a better one, please share! But for now, this is what I'm going with…

The words “southern hospitality” bring to mind many pictures of smiling faces and lilting drawls. But the center of any southern home is the kitchen, where the meals prepared are more than just food. Southern recipes are a legacy of hometown memories, cool summer evenings and cozy winter mornings. Somehow grandmother’s kitchen doesn’t just feed the body, it nourishes the soul. So allow me to share some of my family’s oldest and best loved southern recipes.  Perhaps it’s best to start with my Grandmother Sylvia’s Famous Fried Chicken and Milk Gravy. Fried Chicken: Ingredients:      Family pack…

It’s time for Thanksgiving, my favorite time of the year! Not only do you get to see family, but the food is plentiful and delicious. If your family is anything like mine, there are multiple side dishes to choose from to accompany the all important turkey. Everything from green bean casserole to sweet potato pie has been served at our table and now, I would like to share some fantastic side dish recipes that may become a part of your Thanksgiving tradition. Ingredients Potato Casserole 3 lbs Red potatoes, sliced 1 lb Broccoli, chopped 1 10.75 oz can Cream of chicken 1 cup Sour cream ½ lb Ham…

One of the very fondest memories I have is traveling up to Tennessee to spend a week with Grandmother Sylvia and my Grandfather Bill during summer break. Grandma could almost always be found in the kitchen, ready and excited to show me how I could help her cook one of her yummy recipes. One of the last summers I got to spend with her she showed me how to make her famous peach cobbler. A neighbor of hers had been ill, so on that particular summer day we baked two batches, one for us, and one for her friend. I still remember the excitement of walking down the wooded lane with Grandma, our …

Every Thanksgiving needs pumpkin pie! Try the recipe below, and send your favorite holiday recipes to melissa.kory@patch.com Ingredients Pie Filling 1 sugar pumpkin 3 eggs 1 egg yolk ½ cup dark brown sugar ½ cup sugar 1 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground nutmeg ¼ tsp Allspice ½ tsp salt 1 12oz can evaporated milk Crust 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour ½ cup butter, cold and cut into small cubes ¼ tsp salt ¼ cup water Process Crust In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. On low speed with the paddle attachment, add the butter and mix until the mixture …

So much cooking to do; so little time. Just because the holidays are on the way doesn’t mean that we receive extra time in our schedules to prepare for them. Life still goes on as do our daily commitments. With some preplanning and cooking some things ahead, you can prepare and serve a Thanksgiving dinner without completely stressing yourself out. Go ahead and plan your menu now (or last week!). If you plan to serve pie for dessert, it can be made now and then frozen until you need it. Or, you can buy an already frozen pie, like Marie Callender’s pumpkin pie and cook that on Thanksgiving or …