Want to know the best way to detox? It’s not by fasting, eating, running, popping pills, or buying the latest diet book. I’ll give you a hint: it’s free, it’s automatic, and you’re doing it right now. You guessed it, breathing. Throw away all the detox fads and just get to breathing.

While wine is associated with heart health, hard liquor reminds us of headaches and hangovers. But the beauty of hard liquor is in its ability to extract chemicals from ingredients infused in it — think of alternative medicine tonics made from dried herbs. Sure, we’re not making a thousand-year old Chinese medicine tonic, but we can go for second best: the after-dinner digestif.

There are fewer strange memories of my childhood than that of coming home to a foaming oven, my mom in those yellow rubber gloves, on her knees in front of the frothing beast. I can still smell the Easy-Off oven cleaner as if there was an open can right next to me. It never seemed right that we would need to make such a fussy mess to clean our indoor fire pit. And, actually, we don't need to.

It was bound to happen: A hi-tech fancy future infusing our otherwise boring lives with gadgets that can do things like transform restaurant menus into the main attraction rather than the meal itself. Menus could use the upgrade; they haven't changed much since we stopped scrawling the Soup of the Day on cave walls. But come on now--it's 2011. Welcome to the era of electronic menus.

Bamboo is an incredible green plant - undoubtedly so. It's as strong as steel, more sturdy than concrete and grows to timber size in a year - making it a renewable junkie's fantasy. But I bet you never looked at these stronger-than-thou stalks and thought they might be beneficial to your beauty regimen. Think again. Add to bamboo's roster: versatility. 

Maybe you’re trying to cut back on your energy usage to save the planet, or maybe you’re just trying to chip away at your absurd PG&E bill. Either way, you don’t have to sit around home wrapped in blankets and mittens to save money and be eco. There are some pretty cheap (and green) ways to heat your house that you may not have thought of, and they’re a bit more comfortable than walking around like a mummified snowman all day.

Just because you’re giving up dairy products doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a perfectly thick, creamy vegan soup. Bust out your pots, ladles and blenders, as we’re teaching you the tools of the vegan trade: how to make a creamy soup without any cream. Or butter. And right in time for  a few winter suppers to come.

Ready to rock winter with the perfect vegan stew? You don’t have to be a master chef, or even a master vegan, to get the stew down to perfection. Here’s all you need to know about crafting the heartiest, tastiest vegan stew you’ll eat this season—from learning what essential ingredients you can play with to cheating with our sample recipe.

When I wrote this recipe I wanted something that my whole family could snack on. My mother has a gluten sensitivity so I decided to make this recipe gluten-free, which was actually very simple! All I did was buy gluten-free old fashioned oats. There is no compromise in flavor. It is a delicious and easy recipe for breakfast and snacks.

Makes about 5 cups

It's... not spring time. Not by a long shot, even here in the Midwest where winter doesn't last that long. Still, even though spring isn't yet in our reach, any gardener will tell you that as soon as the holidays end, our thoughts turn to one thing only: the garden. It's a bit early to think in terms of planting; some of us can't even see our garden plots for all the snow on top. But there are things we can do to satisfy that gardening itch, in the bleak midwinter. The busier you stay, the sooner spring will get here.

Whether you hate leftovers or love them (yes, you have to a pick a team), we can all agree that the pile of little bits collected and turned into gourmet grub at Dickson’s Farmstand is top notch. This long-time local meat purveyor has just started taking their butchering scraps and turning them into mouth-watering sandwiches … no morsel is wasted.

It happens to all of us... well, except for the anomaly or two among us. We are utterly exhausted. We've got a ton on our minds. All we want to do is sleep so we'll be rearing for the day ahead... but it just won't happen. We lay in bed, the same thoughts rolling over and over again incessantly, preventing us from getting any shut eye. When taking a look at the root of your insomnia, you may find anxiety, stress and fatigue resulting from the demands that life seems to place upon us. Your body may be asking you to slow down, your nervous system rebelling. Slowing down can be difficult, but yoga and meditation can help.

Diet, schmiet. Ditch your strict eating regimen and give your metabolism a boost by eating. Yes, eating! Just by consuming certain drinks and foods, you can give your body a kick-start in calorie burning, and speed up that seemingly slow metabolism of yours. Here’s how…

In a city with more than 20,000 restaurants (we’re talking to you NYC), it’s nearly impossible to hone in on just one. Until now, hungry NYCers were forced with a dilemma: eat at your normal faves, or branch out and try something new. Although the latter sounds more fun (who doesn’t love trying new restaurants?), with the masses of eateries, you’re likely to spend an hour just picking through places.

It's ok; admit it. Lacking ingredients for a quick and healthy homemade meal is often the number one reason you turn to frozen or fast food. A stocked pantry transforms a kitchen into a creative way to connect with our food year round. While our produce options change with the seasons, staple foods like whole grains and beans, spices and baking ingredients are always useful.