Bryce Vickmark for The New York Times

Frances Joseph, a volunteer, distributed free food at the Mobile Pantry in Quincy, Mass.

A Mobile Oasis in a ‘Food Desert’

By JOHN HANC

A nonprofit agency delivers meat, produce and other healthful foods to hungry people in an area with no supermarkets.

Slide Show: Food Delivered, Fresh and Free

Recipes for Health

Simple Provençal Winter Squash Gratin

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Lots of garlic and fresh herbs add Mediterranean flavor to this dish.

See All Recipes for Health »

Sylvia Benjamin, left, sorts locally-grown peanuts that will be made into the fortified peanut butter.

Making Nutrition a Sustainable Business in Haiti

By DUFF WILSON

Abbott Laboratories uses cash and its workers’ expertise to establish a self-sustaining food enterprise.

Slide Show: Peanut Butter Plus

Nutrition experts say if the nation wants to make progress on the obesity crisis among children, what they eat at lunchtime has to be addressed.

School Lunch Proposals Set Off a Dispute

By RON NIXON

A proposal to cut back on potatoes and sodium in the federal school lunch program is being met by fierce resistance from agricultural and food service interests.

The Caucus

McCaskill's Campaign Prep: Lose 50 Pounds

By JENNIFER STEINHAUER

The Democratic senator from Missouri faces a tough re-election, and now feels ready to run.

Shrawan Nepali entertains the Curry Without Worry crowd.

Bringing the Haves and Have-Nots Together for Curry and Compassion

By CAROL POGASH

Every Tuesday, Curry Without Worry distributes spicy restaurant-quality meals — what its founder calls “soul-pleasing food” — at no cost to both the hungry and the well-fed.

A giant python swallows an alligator in Everglades National Park, Fla.

Snakes’ Feat May Inspire Heart Drugs

By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN

Researchers report that a combination of fatty acids expands the heart cells of a well-fed snake, a finding that holds promise for treating human heart disease and other ailments.

Study Shows Why It’s Hard to Keep Weight Off

By GINA KOLATA

Australian researchers found that obese people who lost weight experienced metabolic and hormonal changes even a year later that increased their appetites.

Deborah Lewison-Grant, left, a co-founder of the nonprofit group FoodFight, wants to change the way adolescents think about food.

In High Schools, a Critical Lens on Food

By HANNAH WALLACE

A new series of courses at 15 New York City high schools is aiming to make students aware of the politics, marketing and demographics of the food industry.

Personal Health

More Ways to Cope With Type 1 Diabetes

By JANE E. BRODY

Improvements in blood sugar control have resulted in an average increase of more than 15 years in life expectancy for people with Type 1 diabetes.

Health Guide: Type 1 Diabetes »

Vital Signs

Risks: Midlife Weight Loss Cuts Heart Risk

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

Being overweight as a teenager carries a greater risk of being an overweight adult, along with an increased risk of dying from heart disease. But overweight adolescents who slim down in middle age may lower their risk, a new study shows.

More Vital Signs Columns »

The Institute of Medicine's proposed food label would rate foods on three types of nutrients.

Label Plan Offered to Rate Food Nutrition

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

The Institute of Medicine proposed a nutrition label to rate foods by stars, with three stars signifying the healthiest product.

Exercise

Barry's Bootcamp, a Los Angeles-based chain, recently opened its first Manhattan location.

Smaller Gyms Struggle in a Search for Spaces

By JULIE SATOW

Niche gyms, smaller outlets offering personal training sessions or focusing on specific exercises, have struggled to find real estate in New York City.