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I do not remember a time when I did not love spicy food. I grew up eating Sichuan food and I can almost imagine my mom introducing me to solids with a healthy dose of chilies. The brazen heat that is so enticing and exotic to so many people is my comfort food. When I crave something familiar, it’s not mac-and-cheese that I reach for, but red oil wontons and mapo tofu. It’s these dishes that tempt my taste buds, tease my sense of smell, and evoke a powerful feeling of nostalgia.

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August is the perfect time to curl up with a good book. This hot-and-steamy month is, appropriately, Read-A-Romance Month, 31 days dedicated to swooning and melting, yearning and burning. We asked Bobbi Dumas, founder of this homage to romance novels, to pick her favorite book each week. Naturally, we’ll be complimenting her suggestions with something to snack on. And since you’re likely to get hot and bothered, we decided to go with food pairings to help cool you down.

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• This week there was a bit of an uproar over the reality of nipple bacon. The average pig has 12 to 14 nipples, and it is technically edible. It is, however, very rare that you’d find one of them on your cut of bacon at the grocery store. As John Ratliff, the founder at Ends Meat in Brooklyn, New York explains to Extra Crispy, “You don’t eat the skin of bacon. You take the skin off.”

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Similar to a cantaloupe, except lighter in flavor and with a thicker, smoother rind, honeydew is, to me, a beloved fruit, a delicious mouth-watering treat that’s just the right amount of sweet. So it was something of a surprise to discover that, for most people, honeydew is a honey “don’t.”

In fact, honeydew may be the least loved of all melons.

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There are a dozen different ways to cut a tomato, but the best method depends on the tomatoes’ intended use. Tomato wedges are ideal for salads of all kinds — tomato salads, green salads, or for just eating drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. The goal for cutting tomatoes into wedges is to keep the tomatoes’ seed jelly intact once cut.

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With summer in full swing, but maybe, just ever so slightly, showing signs of winding down, take a look back: Have you eaten outside yet?

Outdoor eating can take any form: picnics, grill-outs, dinner parties in the backyard, beach parties. It can be as easy as bringing a sandwich out to the back stoop or eating breakfast on the front porch or crawling out onto the fire escape with a plate full of takeout. There are challenges to outdoor eating, to be sure, but think of the many, many months ahead when you’re stuck indoors, dreaming of wiggling your bare toes in the grass, sandwich in one hand and a cold wedge of watermelon in the other. Do it for that person, for that future you.

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4-Ingredient Nutella Mug Cake

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Mug cakes and their sweet sidekicks, like pie and pudding, are the super-simple, instant-gratification solution when a dessert craving strikes and you’re ready to dive your spoon in now. Before you get started, here are a few important things you need to know to make the mug dessert of your dreams.

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I have been an avid reader for about three years now.

I have struggled with my weight since I was about 13 years old. I suppose drinking six to twelve cokes a day didn’t help. My heaviest known weight was 240 pounds. Most big people don’t go looking for a scale. I know I was that big because that was when I was diagnosed as a Type II Diabetic. Of course, even that didn’t stop the coke habit because I was in denial. It took several more years of losing 30 pounds, and then finding it again, to get really serious. Even then, the path is never a straight line.

Three years ago July, I found an online nutrition coaching program—Precision Nutrition, a year long habit based program. At the same time, my wife told me that an ex-colleague of ours, who at 50 was in fantastic shape, was doing CrossFit and Paleo. I had never heard of either one. When I Googled Paleo I found Mark’s website.

Even doing the year long coaching program, I still wasn’t where I wanted to be with my health. While I did remove all processed foods, especially Coke, I still was about 190 pounds. I am 5’10”. I have done lots of reading and research. I learned about leptin from Dr. Jack Kruse. I started to understand how chronic inflammation due to insulin resistance was the root cause of my problems. I also found Dr. Jason Fung—a huge advocate of fasting. While I had lots of information, putting it into practice is always the hard part.

On February 7 of this year, I had elbow surgery for a repetitive motion injury from 25+ years of IT work. I knew that Naproxin wreaked havoc on my system, but post surgery you need something to get you through. Eight weeks ago I had a physical. My A1c was 6.6, which is high for me. I was up to 197 pounds and was not happy about it. I decided to do a n=1 experiment where I would utilize fasting and real food. I decided to have coffee in the morning and eat one meal a day for eight weeks. I am now down to 175. My blood glucose has normalized. I am in ketosis and feel great. I have plenty of energy to take on whatever sounds good.

I move a lot at a slow pace. A year ago I got a Varidesk and ditched my chair. I have been standing while working for a year now. If I can do this—anyone can. I also signed up for the Primal Health Coach Program the first day it was available. I am proud top say I am number 93.

Thanks for everything you have done for me,

Rick

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Sprinter and four-time Olympian Allyson Felix

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Last week, fueled by Olympic fever, we resolved to finally get our workout regimen back on track. And, naturally, any good routine requires food, right? Right. So, we turned to you for advice. We wanted to know what you nosh on before, during, and after you hit the gym — or the trails.

As it turns out, many of you had similar answers. For the most part, you tend to eat something light beforehand, take in plenty of water during your training, and load up on protein for recovery.

Here’s what you had to say — plus, we decided to check in with Shira Lenchewski, MS, RD, an LA-based nutritionist and dietitian, to see how your strategies stack up.

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