We’ve been led to believe some foods are bad for our health because of what they contain: dairy, carbs or caffeine. Rene Ficek, registered dietitian and lead nutrition Expert at Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating, dispels the myths commonly associated with six foods that often get a bad rap including eggs, cheese and coffee.

For those living with diabetes, a constant watch over what they eat is mandatory. A quick online search for diabetes control and prevention recipes results in more than 43 million links. That’s a lot of links to wade through. For something less overwhelming and better curated to the needs of diabetics, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) launched a microsite called “Recipes for Healthy Living” in 2011 that features 14 new recipes (including some gluten-free), meal plans, cooking videos and other healthy eating tips every month.

We all know the drill to becoming healthier: Eat better & exercise more. Easier said than done when the biggest hurdle is getting started or staying motivated. My latest piece for Chicago Health magazine's print issue highlights 5 smartphone apps designed to help you stay motivated. Whether it's setting realistic goals or making the challenge fun by engaging in some friendly competition, it is possible to get healthier using technology:

"Everyone should remember that eating raw is not just eating salads. You will get bored and you won’t stick to it,” says Karyn Calabrese, a health advocate, author and owner of three restaurants, a beauty center and day spa, all in Chicago. “I would have never made it this long if that is all I had to eat. I grew up cooking with my grandmother on Sundays and I wanted to incorporate all those recipes in the raw world. My cookbook, Soak Your Nuts, Conscious Comfort Foods, has both cooked and raw recipes from all of my restaurants that are delicious and simple to make at home.”

Access to accurate health information has become as easy as making a few swipes on your Smartphone. Want to know what medicine your child has allergies to? There’s an app for that. Or how to effectively monitor your glucose levels, lose weight, stop smoking? There’s an app for those, too. While there are thousands of medical or health-related apps to cater to any one specific need, we reviewed six we thought you should know about because they just might make your life easier and healthier.

This season’s flu shots will be more individualized, but immunization can begin in summer. Patients who have avoided getting the flu shot because of their fear of needles or allergies to eggs (egg protein is among the ingredients of some influenza vaccines) will have other options this season: seven of them.

Tammi Jacobi’s Good Intentions in Wicker Park (Chicago) has teamed up with licensed physician Dr. Brian Murphy to open the first medical marijuana clinic in Illinois. Pat Quinn signed a bill on August 1 legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes in Illinois that supporters say is the strictest in the nation.

Most of us blindly buy products sold in major stores, certain that they have been tested for safety. Why would we think the soap we use to bathe our kids or the products we clean our homes with might be slowly killing us? We have been deceived into trusting manufactured products; believing that government regulations are in place to prevent toxins from being used as ingredients in everyday products.

Learning that someone you love has cancer often unleashes a whirlwind of emotions from fear to anger. Then reality hits: You need to figure out how to take care of, and provide support for, your loved one, or, if you’re the one diagnosed, you have to start searching for answers. The last thing you want to worry about once you’re in treatment is where you and your loved ones will be staying or how everyone will handle those expenses. Two Chicago nonprofits bridge the gap with peer mentoring and affordable guest housing. No two people go through a diagnosis the same way, and these two unique organizations offer important options to help the patients get what they need so they can concentrate on just one thing: getting healthier.

We believe that [all children] should have the chance to discover new-to-them wholesome foods that will change the way they think about eating and preparing food. But for many families with school-aged children, the dreadful question during mealtime is chicken fingers or hot dogs?

There is no denying it-we are busy. Overscheduled, multitasked and continuously taking on more than we can, or should, handle. And it's taking a toll on our minds and bodies, making it difficult, if not impossible, to focus and stay sharp.

There is no shortage of nonprofit organizations doing great work in Chicago. For families dealt with a devastating blow like news that they have been diagnosed with cancer or they don’t have health insurance to cover prescriptions that can keep them from an emergency room visit, those organizations can mean the difference between life and death. Literally. We interviewed three of those organizations in our community that are making a difference every day for thousands of our neighbors and friends.

Not everyone who seeks out plastic surgery is looking for breast augmentation or rhinoplasty services. In fact, for wounded veterans or burn victims, just looking like themselves and being able to function in society are among the reasons they undergo hours of treatment. Dr. Robert Galiano and his team of plastic surgeons at Northwestern Memorial Hospital are shaping the way regenerative surgery is done with help from the U.S. Army—and their results are promising.