Nutritious choices made simple®
As a Registered Dietitian, Garrick brings knowledge of nutrition and public health to Guiding Stars. Garrick develops, manages and coordinates nutrition and wellness programs and tools utilizing Guiding Stars for our clients and community. He is passionate about helping people lead healthier lives and making the healthy choice the easy choice. Garrick has experience in community, research, and clinical nutrition and most recently worked for the University of New England as the Senior Nutrition Program Coordinator for Maine SNAP-Ed. There he managed and trained nutrition educators in a statewide nutrition education program for low-income Mainers.
Garrick earned his bachelor's in Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Maine and his master's in Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Rhode Island. Garrick grew up in central Maine and feels fortunate to be living and working back in Maine.
Choose 70% dark chocolate or higher to get the most flavanols. I will caution that chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa solids are more bitter and less sweet. You can add sweetness to your snack or treat with natural sugars from fresh or dried fruit. Add nuts to your chocolate and fruit for a satisfying crunch and a source of healthy fat and protein.
In this new blog series that we are calling “Surprising Stars,” we will address categories of foods where consumers find a different number of Guiding Stars earning options than they might expect. For our first topic, we are tackling the bread aisle.
It’s January, which means it is New Year’s resolution season. You probably have heard coworkers, friends, and family talk about which foods they are cutting out of their diet in order to get back on track after the holiday season. I want to give a gentle nudge during this time of increased attention on what and how we choose to eat: let’s try to focus on eating more nutritious foods rather than trying to stop eating foods or entire good groups altogether, like grains. It may sound better to phrase a goal as trying to eat more of something rather than eat less, but I promise it’s not just semantics. Smaller, incremental change is more feasible and supports long-term success.
At Guiding Stars, we have empowered people to make more nutritious choices since 2006. From our beginning, we held the belief that small shifts in food choices can make a big difference. This month, we’re launching a new Nutritious Nudges blog series to demonstrate why small, positive changes are worth making.
With just a few weeks left in the year, it’s time to reminisce and reflect upon 2019. The Guiding Stars program has been bustling with activity this year. To keep you informed, we’ve compiled a few key updates and some of our favorite pieces of content here. Thank you for your continued interest and engagement in Guiding Stars.
The holiday season is here and with that comes an inevitable abundance of treats in our offices, homes and basically everywhere else. And who am I to complain? This dietitian has a sweet tooth and enjoys a cookie swap as much as the next person. Yet, with extra sweets available at work, a plate of your neighbor’s famous fudge delivered to your doorstep and multiple holiday parties to attend, it’s easy to lose balance.
During the holiday season, we see an increase in efforts to address hunger like food drives, fundraisers for area food banks and volunteering at food pantries, food banks, food rescue organizations or free, community meal programs. This additional help is welcomed by our hunger relief partners who support the 37 million people in the U.S. […]
Do you have Friendsgiving plans this year? This holiday, where you share a meal with friends in lieu of family, is increasingly popular among millennials. The concept might have started with college students or coworkers who didn’t have a place to go or the ability to travel home for Thanksgiving, but now it has taken on a life of its own. Groups of close friends (often in their 20s and 30s) gather the weekend before Thanksgiving for a feast in addition to the main holiday event. I’m sure you can understand the appeal of an evening with best friends and more of those classic holiday dishes. But this trend can double an already indulgent holiday. Don’t worry though, we’ve got you covered with our better-for-you Friendsgiving menu.