The very hungry caterpillar
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The very hungry caterpillar

Most people think of gardening as a nurturing sort of activity, forgetting that gardeners must also ruthlessly defend their crops from creeping green invaders. My bloodthirsty gardener instincts are in full force when invasive weeds (such as creeping bellflower) or creepy-crawly pests (like the caterpillar of the white cabbage butterfly) threaten to devour my brussels…

Water of life
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Water of life

When we drink water, we are not filling up a water storage tank in our abdomen that is waiting to be topped up periodically. Rather, our bodies are actually made up of about 60 percent water, and it is distributed not only in the blood running through our veins, but also throughout the cells and spaces that make up every part of our body. We have an entire organ system (kidneys) devoted to making sure we have the right balance of water in our bodies at all times, as well as a complex network of hormones interacting in feedback loops to manage it all.

Hospitality in the age of allergies
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Hospitality in the age of allergies

I get exasperated by the fad diets and pop “science” that lately has been leading so many people to eschew wheat or embrace smoothies for scientifically unproven reasons. Yet, when a friend of mine decided to try eating gluten-free to address her ongoing intestinal distress, I suddenly found myself combing the Internet for new recipes and baking gluten-free bread for her. Why the abrupt change? Love.