Gary Boyd's Public Library

Oldways' Mission

Oldways is the widely-respected non-profit "food issues think tank" credited with successfully translating the complex details of nutrition science into the familiar language of food. It is best known for developing consumer-friendly health-promotion tools, including the well-known Mediterranean Diet Pyramid.



Oldways also creates and organizes a wide variety of other educational activities, conferences and materials about healthy eating, drinking, lifestyle and the traditional pleasures of the table. Its educational programs are for consumers, scientists, the food industry, health professionals, chefs, journalists and policy makers.

Oldways initiatives include: The Whole Grains Council; The Latino Nutrition Coalition; The Med Mark Mediterranean Alliance Program; and The Managing Sweetness Program, among others. In 2007 Oldways published The Oldways Table, Essays & Recipes From the Culinary Think Tank, by K. Dun Gifford & Sara Baer-Sinnott with contributions from around the food world.

Years ago, after much experimentation, I learned a cool trick: if meat is marinated in olive oil seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, wrapped in plastic wrap, and sealed in a Ziploc freezer bag, then tossed in the freezer, the olive oil protects the meat from dehydration.