Even though I’d like to eat nothing but bacon, chocolate and creamy pasta dishes until the cows come home, having a food-centric job also requires an elevated awareness of balance in my diet. While I’m very enthusiastic at tastings, often helping myself to an extra final-recipe cookie or accidentally eating an entire slice ofa certain irresistable cakeat 3PM, I also head out the door for a run come 5 PM and keep dinner light afterwards. I also believe that a lot of good-for-you foods are also absolutely scrumptious, such as Artisana Coconut Butter, greek yogurt, sustainably sourced meat and fresh, peak-season produce. Healthy and delicious ingredients aren’t mutually exclusive; they often occupy the same space.

My food philosophy of balance carries over into the way I read food blogs. Disappearing into tantalizing blog posts about making ice cream in every color of the rainbow is met with an equal amount of reads about chia seeds, artisan nut butters and making hummus. All foods fascinate me and nothing is off limits, and for this reason, I really enjoy readingKath Eats Real Food. Kath Younger is a Registered Dietician in training, and her husband is a baker who also brews his own beer. In her thrice-daily posts, she chronicles each meal, which ranges from a bowl of oatmealso gorgeousthat you forget it’s breakfast, to athoughtful, colorful lunch, to a multi-courserestaurant meal with beer pairings. She eventraveled to Africalast year for a tour of the Lipton tea plantations. Plus, like me, she loves to exercise and isn’t afraid to get adventurous in the kitchen with combinations of ingredients. Kath Eats Real Food is one of my favorite blogs because it closely resembles the way I eat both for pleasure and to feel my best.