One of the most underappreciated parts of some of the foods we eat is fiber. Fiber can:

• Make us feel more full and satisfied.

• Help with digestion and gut health.

• Reduce "bad" cholesterol 

Often, I hear terms like “buy local” and “eat local foods”. But what does “local” mean? There is no legal definition of “local”, and it may depend on who is using this term and their personal opinion of what “local” means. 

You need a sweet treat but don't want to add too many calories or carbohydrates/sugar to your meals ...what can you do?

Here are 10 ideas to satisfy that craving without going overboard and that contain nutrients that will contribute to health more so than just having candy or a pastry: 

Do you have celiac disease or do you follow a gluten-free diet for another health condition?

Did you know there is a Facebook group for that? I set up this group over 10 years ago and it now has over 1000 members. Look for “Gluten-Free Asheville and WNC” on Facebook. 

Question: My father-in-law is now living with us, and he has Type 2 diabetes, but he also has a sweet tooth. Should I be buying sugar-free candy and cookies for him or is there a better option? 

Haywood County Schools Board of Education passed its budget for 2025-26, and despite multiple years of contraction and yet another budget focused on offsetting losses and minimizing expenses, the school system continues to outperform other districts across the state.

Question: My mother-in-law is elderly and doesn’t want to cook at all and only wants to microwave food for herself. What are some ways I can make sure she’s still eating healthy? 

Lately there’s a lot of noise about buying products with fewer ingredients or ingredients you can pronounce. This isn’t the first time over my 30 years as a dietitian I’ve seen this sort of rhetoric. 

In the past couple of years there had been mutterings about seed oils which have grown into a roar of anti-seed oil sentiment thanks to various wellness influencers and podcast pundits with no education in food, food science, nutrition or nutrition science. 

Question: I do a lot of driving for my job and am trying to avoid eating fast food or having to brown bag it. What are some ideas of food that I could buy at Ingles Markets if I stop by?