This is a recipe from one of my dearest and nearest friends, L. Fusco. For more than four years, L. has been on a heroic journey to remove processed sugar from her life. She has recognized that while other people can eat one or two or three Swedish fish and be happy, she has to eat one or two or three pounds of Swedish fish to be happy. Since meeting the love of her life, Sherri, who also happens to be an amazing vegan cook, L. has embarked on an organic, gluten-free, processed sugar-free, vegan lifestyle and has never felt better. I am happy for her because she has learned the secret to food: eat what you know your body needs.  Some people can handle processed sugars and some people can’t, even in small amounts.  Some people need meat and potatoes and some people need tofu and brussel sprouts. To each is own is my food motto. While I dearly love sugar, I don’t love the inevitable crash afterwards. If you are like me and looking to lower your sugar intake, but still want something yummy in the morning to get you going, try these delicious homemade breakfast bars full of nutty protein and yummy dried fruit. They are easy to make and compared to the breakfast bars in the store, a cost-saver too! L. and Sherri’s Homemade Breakfast Bars of Love 1 lb dates, preferably fresh – must pit before processing 1/2 lb mix of nuts – peanut, walnuts, almonds – all salted, preferably 2 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter (just peanuts and salt) optional: unsweetened dried fruit or fruit leather pieces Process nuts until powdery. Process 1/4 lb of dates at a time until it forms a ball of goop. Scoop out goop and repeat until you have 4 balls of...

Certain foods inspire an illogical revulsion in me. I find mushrooms, for instance, impossible to separate from the fact that they grow upon decomposing matter. Their very texture conjures up images of rotting meat and dead, wet, brown leaves. For my boyfriend, it’s the sight of bone or cartilage; he can’t stand any sign that the meat he is eating was ever part of a dead animal. Raisins are also a deal breaker in his world. I love raisins, but I can imagine that anti-raisin feelings might be related to their cursory resemblance to rodent droppings, or his aversion to all things dried out. I have a fear of undercooked pork and chicken that is so intense that the mere thought of eating it makes my stomach hurt. I have been faced with social situations in which I have been served pink turkey and basically raw pork, and have had to swallow bits of both. While I did not immediately sicken and die as I feared, my stomach cramped before I had even taken a bite and made the whole experience akin to running a gauntlet. Yet, paradoxically, I welcome bloody beefsteaks and pink in the middle burgers. While canned food frightens me because it has been marinating in its metal casket for months, even years, and tastes like iron to me even after it’s re-cooked. Then there is the creeping realization that any number of ingredients in our food may be tainted with toxic chemicals or fecal bacteria. Buying local or organic ingredients would seem the safe alternative, except for the fact that the cost is generally prohibitive. And there is the sad reality that a certain amount of rat fecal matter is allowed in our food no matter what. Food fears are...