According to the latest research from Cornell, wild blueberries are top-of-the-list when it comes to antioxidants (you know, those super healthy compounds that boost immunity and keep skin young by fighting cell-damaging free radicals). Among the 25 fruits tested, wild blueberries beat out pomegranates, blackberries, raspberries, and cranberries—as well as cultivated blueberries—in ORAC scores (antioxidants). Note: Researchers did NOT evaluate proclaimed superfruits goji, acai, and noni. Look for wild blueberries in the frozen section of your natural products store. For breakfast or a tasty afternoon snack, I like to thaw a half cup or so (just let sit in warm water from your tap for a few minutes) and top with yogurt and granola. They’re so delicious antioxidant scores hardly matter—but it’s a nice bonus!

My kids are past the trick-or-treating age, but food allergies are still on my mind a lot, with my son continuing a gluten-free and dairy-free “experiment” to see if it will clear up his persistent nausea. With Halloween coming up, I’m wondering how difficult it must be for those kids with food allergies to enjoy the fun. (I know, I know, they should all want to get toothbrushes instead of candy … but that’s another story.) The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) just posted this helpful checklist to help your allergy-needs child enjoy the holiday without getting sick. Among the ideas:

–Before Halloween, distribute safe snacks to neighbors and request that they be handed out to your child.

–Instead of trick-or-treating, host a party that focuses on costumes, pumpkin carving, games and other Halloween-themed fun.

–Remember that small candy bars passed out to trick-or-treaters may have different ingredients than their regular-size counterparts. Even if a certain candy is safe for your child, the ‘fun size’ version might not be.

–Teach your child to politely refuse offers of home-baked goodies like cookies or cupcakes.

–Consider participating in a charity trick-or-treat event to raise money for a good cause, rather than collect candy.

What other ideas do you have for helping kids during the Halloween craze?

Sodium amounts appear in each DL recipe as part of the nutritional analysis, and it’s one of those numbers I tend to watch carefully. American palates tend to favor heavily salted foods (and heavily sugared, for that matter), so it can be a challenge for us to provide recipes that don’t have a high sodium count — especially if it contains something healthy and flavorful but inherently salty, like olives. We tend to advise “salt to taste,” which allows for an awful lot of leeway! The USDA recommends an upper limit of 2,300mg daily, the amount in 1 teaspoon salt, but most people get a LOT more than that. Keep in mind something we’ve said before: You CAN retrain your taste buds to favor less sodium. (This is true: I’ve done it myself. It generally takes only a few weeks of really cutting back … and then you’ll find you taste salt more acutely and “need” it less.) Use herbs and spices to flavor foods (especially veggies); flavor with salt at the end of cooking (and try some coarse and unique varieties; you’ll use less); and keep in eye on sodium numbers when you buy packaged food. If something contains more than 20 percent daily value of sodium per serving (460mg), that’s high; if it has 5 percent (115mg) or less, that’s good and low.

And in honor of National Popcorn Month (October), try this Salt-Free Seasoning on popcorn!

It couldn’t have been scripted better. Without any comments from me, my soft-spoken 21-year-old niece picked up one of Colorado farmer Steve Ela’s peaches, took a bite, and exclaimed, “This is the best peach I’ve ever had in my life!” And then, of course, I couldn’t resist launching into my speech about why it was so good, starting with “It’s organic.”

Those of us who eat organic know how wonderful it tastes. But a growing body of research is proving (what many of us already believe) that organic foods are in fact more nutritious than conventional foods. In a report released last March by the Organic Center, a Colorado-based organization that supports organic research, with co-authors from Washington State and Florida Universities, researchers analyzed 97 studies that compared the nutrient levels of organic versus conventional foods. The most comprehensive look at organics since 2003, the study concluded that organic foods are up to 25 percent more nutrient dense then their conventional counterparts, and that they are particularly rich in polyphenols and antioxidants.

Organic starts with farmers like Steve Ela who take a financial risk, because it takes three years to convert conventional farmlands into soils that qualify as USDA organic. When you buy national, regional, or local organic food you are voting with your dollars to help support these dedicated growers. For more reasons to go organic and a guide to buying organic, check out Delicious Living’s organic shopping guide. Or check out the Organic Center’s Organic Essentials pocket guide for reducing pesticide dietary exposure.

Turns out the Hershey’s company is fudging the ingredients on some of their chocolate products, replacing cocoa butter with vegetable oil to save costs, says the Today show. This non-chocolate switcheroo means that their labels had to change, so some products now say “chocolatey” or “chocolate candy.” Kinda subtle and sneaky, if you ask me. Personally, if I’m gonna have chocolate — and I am — I’m going to eat the real stuff, both for unequalled taste and and chocolate’s associated benefits. One of my new favorites: Kopali Organics chocolate-covered cocoa nibs, goji berries, and bananas (how’s that for some high-powered snacks?). They taste killer, plus they’re all fair-trade, certified organic, and rainforest friendly. I know Whole Foods carries them, so try some today (or Kopali’s super-pure dried fruit — also awesome).

Take a look at the winning entry in a film contest sponsored by The Tea Council, entitled the “Calm-A-Sutra of Tea.” Nearly 700 college students entered to win the top $20,000 prize with a two-minute video about the health benefits of drinking tea. I had to admit, this has some great info … and better yet, it had me laughing out loud!

If you’ve been told not to drink grapefruit juice because it interferes with your medication, you may have to add apple and orange juice to the no-no list now. The Natural Foods Merchandiser reports. more

Starting school can be tricky for kids with peanut allergies. Writer and allergy-free mom extraordinaire Kelly Corbett — who wrote a food feature on allergy-free cooking that appeared in our March 2007 issue — puts out a great e-newsletter, and this week’s installment featured helpful tips for peanut-allergy kids at school.

And thanks to those of you who sent me ideas for my son’s new gluten- and dairy-free diet. He is already feeling much better! Still not completely healed, but we’re very hopeful. Now he’s at college, so it’s a little more challenging (he says even the breakfast eggs have dairy in them!) … so he’s learning how to speak up for what he needs.

Even Starbucks is trying to revamp its menu and “get healthy” by increasing the number of whole-grain, nutrient-dense, and fresh foods it sells. What a nice surprise to hear that longtime Delicious Living favorite Justin’s Nut Butters will now be on the menu! Look for Justin’s maple almond butter packets (super yummy!) alongside Starbucks’ multigrain rolls.

Sure, it’s best if kids don’t drink soda at all … but sometimes it’s helpful to have a transitional option to retrain a bad soda habit (I’m always alarmed at how many kids drink Coke for lunch … or dinner.) And if you’re going to drink something bubbly, it’s clearly better to go natural (look at Izze’s meteoric rise, for example!) than to settle for artificial-everything typical sodas. Now there’s a new kid on the healthy soda scene: all-natural Fruit 66. The pros: each 8-ounce can has only 95 calories; it’s 100 percent juice with sparkling water; it contains nutrients adding up to the equivalent of one fruit serving, including 100 percent of daily vitamin C; and a portion of proceeds goes to the School Nutrition Foundation. It’s healthy enough that it’s been approved for sale in schools in Los Angeles, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, and will soon be available in retail stores. Oh, and did I mention that they taste great? Check out Kiwi Strawberry, Apple Berry, Fruit Punch, and my fave, Orange Tangerine.