Why is it so hard to ignore our craving for sweets? Blame it our genes.

Isn't it time to spice things up in your kitchen? Then start Romancing Your Palate in this new LIME series. Dr. Patricia Fine gets the mojo going with a special blend of simply-prepared gourmet meals, nutritional tidbits and pure passion.

These delicate spice cookies are a mainstay at New Mexican celebrations.

I'm on a quest for healthier desserts... thank goodness for slow-churned ice cream!

Dr. Fine does it again! A delicious dessert for those who can't indulge in dairy. Recipe included!

Isn't it time to spice things up in your kitchen? Then start Romancing Your Palate in this new LIME series. Dr. Patricia Fine gets the mojo going with a special blend of simply-prepared gourmet meals, nutritional tidbits and pure passion.

Recipe for a luscious and simple dessert.

Ben and Jerry are giving America some food for thought, literally. Their limited edition ice cream, a brown sugar flavored ice cream with apples and pie crust pieces called American Pie, is packaged in a pint with a pie chart that represents the federal discretionary budget on the lid. Sitting on the couch with a spoon in hand, it is impossible not to notice the big red slice of the pie goes to nuclear weapons programs, and compare it to the sliver dedicated to children's health care costs.

Yum, chocolate: is there any substance more synonymous with willful self-indulgence? Yet recent studies have shown it has health effects – and thanks to John and Kira Doyle, now it also has positive social ramifications.

John & Kira's is a Pennsylvania-based company that manufatures high-end chocolates. But instead of a fussily-decorated cardboard, these arrive in a simple pine box adorned with the loveliest of bows, stamped and sealed with wax. Inside lie not the usual drunken cherries or buttercremes, but fresh and fascinating concoctions of lavender, ginger, fresh mint, lemongrass, bergamot… the list is long and eyebrow-raising. The taste isn't traditional, but surprising and fresh.

I have just returned from a week in Paris. After spending a week eating, drinking and consuming mass quantities of art and culture, I returned to the States slimmer, clear-skinned, and brimming with a sense of history, proportion and an inner calm I haven't attained without meditation in years. What is this magic? What is it that makes French (and most of European) society so balanced, so reasonable, so healthy?