The mineral zinc is essential to your health, but dietary deficiencies are on the increase. Vermonters in particular may be getting less in their foods. How can this be?

Are we a nation at the mercy of a food system that has co-opted common sense with the lure of endless and ever-available combinations of fat, salt, and sugar? David Kessler, M.D., Food and Drug Administration commissioner under Presidents Clinton and Bush and author of the 2009 "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite," thinks we are.

Ticks are an unwelcome reality of the warmer weather, especially the deer tick, which can transmit the bacterial infection known as Lyme disease.

Few have heard of this new nutritional buzzword called resveratrol, but many have danced to the Bee Gees famous disco song "Stayin' Alive." So what do the two have in common? They both address one of our greatest desires - to stay alive as long as possible, at least as long as we are healthy.

You've read the story about fats over and over. Omega-3 fats from fish are good for your health and trans fats in margarine are bad. Polyunsaturated vegetable oils are good for your heart and saturated animal fats are bad. Haven't we heard enough? Well, no! That isn't where the story of fats ends.

APRIL FOOL! It's really embarrassing to have an April Fool jokes pulled on you. The best defense is to be on your guard all day long. Sometimes the attempt to embarrass you is obvious like putting a "kick me" sign on your butt. And, of course, in the end, this hurts. But some people like to give you misleading information and then laugh as they tell everybody how stupid you were to believe it. Well, let's not have that happen with information about nutrition and foods. So to help you, here are some things you might hear that are nutritional jokes.

Oats have long been considered one of the healthiest foods available. As a result, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows manufacturers of whole oat cereals such as Cheerios to put a label on the carton saying, in part, "may reduce the risk of heart disease." But this happened long after the popular song "Mairzy Doates" (written by Al Drake in 1943 for his daughter) told us that young horses and deer also eat lots of oats.

Individuals and families facing the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are invited to participate in a Caring and Sharing support group series. The Arbors at Shelburne and Armistead Caregiver Services will host the series from 9:30-11 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. The Arbors at Shelburne is located at 687 Harbor Rd., Shelburne.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) has given $10,000 to support a local Wellness and Resiliency Program at South Burlington High School.