Author: Kitty Broihier

Kitty has dedicated her career to helping businesses, public relations agencies, trade associations and the media navigate the ever-changing nutrition landscape. She is the president of NutriComm Inc., a consultancy specializing in food and nutrition communications. Kitty is also an adjunct faculty member of Southern Maine Community College’s Dietetic Technology Department. Kitty has served on the board of the Maine Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for many years, including two terms as president.

Use It Up

April 9, 2019April 10, 2019 by Kitty Broihier

Several of my sisters and I like to share photos of our “used it up” culinary creations on social media. I’m not sure if it’s because we were raised in a big family by two parents who were children during the Depression, but I think that likely has something to do with it. Our mother managed to feed lots of mouths by making wise and creative use of inexpensive, yet healthful, food. Seeing her refashion leftovers or aging ingredients into something new taught us how to stretch our food dollar and avoid wasting food. She wasn’t heavy-handed about teaching it; we just sort of “soaked it up.” We now all pride ourselves on being able to “make something out of nothing.”

Cooking with Veggie Purees

March 26, 2019March 12, 2019 by Kitty Broihier

Of course, most of us could stand to get more vegetables into our diets. Using purees is just one additional way to benefit from all the nutritional goodness in vegetables, such as vitamins, minerals, and health-promoting phytonutrients, but also fiber! Even though you’re making a puree out of the veggies and the texture may be smooth, the fiber is retained (unlike with juicing, for example).

Portion Pointers for Eating Out

March 12, 2019December 10, 2019 by Kitty Broihier

Although here at Guiding Stars we usually focus our blog posts on topics that relate to selecting and cooking food at home, we realize that most everyone dines out sometimes. But eating out each week—even just once a week—is known to add up to increased weight over time. So, here is a post to help with one of the most common issues that consumers have when eating at restaurants: eating too much! I know—it’s all so tasty and you want to get your money’s worth—I don’t blame you. However, there are a few techniques you can use when eating out that will allow you to enjoy the experience, stretch your dollar, and keep portions in control for good health, too.

Surprising Stars

February 26, 2019February 25, 2019 by Kitty Broihier

Once in a while we like to do a little “expose”-style post where we reveal some foods that have Guiding Star ratings that surprise you—and then explain why these foods warranted that rating. Our hope is that you might realize that a food you’ve been avoiding for fear that it isn’t that healthful is actually something that merits a place in your eating plan. Of course, that could work in the opposite way, too—something you routinely purchase because you think it’s nutritious or good for you turns out not to be “all that.”

Follow the Stars to a Healthy Heart

February 12, 2019February 21, 2019 by Kitty Broihier

February is American Heart Month, and in the past the Guiding Stars blog has covered various aspects of eating for a healthy heart including eating more whole grains, cutting down on added sugars, and eating more seafood. Science shows that consuming a diet that’s lower in sodium, saturated fats, and higher in potassium and fiber is beneficial for cardiovascular health. But of course, knowing what to do and actually doing it are two different things. What to do? Make heart-healthy food shopping easier with these tips.

A Few Take-Aways From “The Best Diet” Rankings

January 15, 2019January 9, 2019 by Kitty Broihier

Mediterranean Fish Chowder with Potatoes and Kale.

Given all the media hoopla, you’ve likely already heard—the Mediterranean Diet snagged the top slot for “Best Diet Overall” for the first time this year. Unless you read through the whole list, you may not realize how extensive it is—41 diets were reviewed! (That’s a lot of diets…wonder what that says about dieting in general…a topic for another day.)

Give Some Thought to Food Gifts

December 11, 2018December 12, 2018 by Kitty Broihier

Feeding others or providing edible holiday gifts is a long held tradition, and we’re all for it! Giving food gifts—especially homemade ones—is an act that comes from the heart and shows care and consideration. And that’s what you’re going for when you give a food gift, right? Purchased food gifts of high-quality provisions or local specialties are also welcomed by most (I myself love getting those nice boxes of citrus fruit) and the convenience factor for the giver cannot be beat.

Crowdsourcing Thanksgiving

November 20, 2018November 19, 2018 by Kitty Broihier

You know what crowdsourcing is, right? The basic idea is to solicit the opinions and experience of a “crowd” or group of people—typically in an online community. People use crowdsourcing for all types of projects and goals, maybe you’ve seen a friend on Facebook asking how to use Grandma’s antique washboard as a decorative object, or where the best breakfast in Toledo is—and what to order. Businesses use crowdsourcing techniques when looking for innovative ideas and non-profits use it for sourcing funding. There’s no reason YOU can’t use it to get help with your Thanksgiving meal!

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