We’ve all been there. There’s always a learning curve whenever you’re trying out something new. But sometimes it would be real nice if that learning curve weren’t so steep. If, instead, you could simply learn from other people’s mistakes.

Today I invited Kelly the Kitchen Kop to share her Top 5 Mistakes she made as a Real Food Rookie.

Last month, I shared two great videos which busted the Cholesterol Myth. After writing the post, I got a flood of emails. The typical comment? “If saturated fat and cholesterol don’t cause heart disease, what does?”

I’ve answered that question here at Food Renegade often enough, so I didn’t feel compelled to write a separate post answering that good (but beaten to death) question. But today (thanks to blogger Ed Bruske @ The Slow Cook) I discovered a video presentation that answers the question quite nicely.

It’s a talk given by Dr. Robert H. Lustig, MD, a UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth.”

Is agave nectar good? Is agave nectar bad? Believe it or not, I thought I’d written a definitive post on this topic.

As it turns out, I hadn’t. Earlier this week a reader emailed me, seeking an answer to the classic question: Agave nectar — good or bad? She pointed out that she’d done a search for agave nectar on this site and only turned up two entries. In one, I’d said to avoid it. In another, I mentioned that I’d used agave nectar while experimenting with kombucha and didn’t enjoy the results.

So, she concluded: “Why, if agave nectar is a natural sweetener, should it not be used? What about it is bad? I’ve been preferring it to honey and maple syrup on my waffles, pancakes, and yogurt.”

You can’t live without it — not even when hooked up to the most amazing machines doctors and scientists have ever created. If your liver fails, you die.

Among its most important jobs, the liver works in conjunction with your digestive system to help properly digest all three primary macro-nutrients: fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. It also works diligently to detox your body and keep you in homeostasis by cleansing and detoxifying almost two quarts of blood every minute.

Understanding how your liver works is one of the primary keys to unlocking vibrant health.

I confess. I had an addiction to Dr. Pepper. What finally cured me?

Kombucha — the fizzy, mildy sweet and tart, health drink that works wonders detoxing our bodies.