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Shopping Seasonally at the Supermarket

March 11, 2020March 11, 2020 by Garrick Brown

Supermarket shopper expectations are higher than ever. We expect to be able to buy almost any food, anywhere, at any time. And at a low price. In order to retain customers and avoid losing them to aggressive competitors, grocers aim to stock a consistent assortment of fresh foods regardless of season or location. Because most produce is now available year-round, we can lose touch with the seasonality of foods. Let’s discuss some benefits of shopping seasonally and nutritious ways to do this at our local supermarket

Better Vegetables

March 6, 2020March 5, 2020 by Melissa Walshe

Most of us have that one vegetable that we struggle to understand. Why do we hate it so much when other people can’t get enough? The truth is that proper preparation technique matters more with some veggies than others. A small change in your cooking routine can make the difference between bitter and sweet. Join us this month as we explore a few of the tips that can up your reputation as a chef du vegetable.

Fresh, Canned & Frozen Vegetables

March 4, 2020March 4, 2020 by Garrick Brown

I’ve led my fair share of healthy shopping tours. While walking through the aisles of the supermarket, I explain the Guiding Stars program and how it helps shoppers identify more nutritious choices. One of my favorite things to point out is that you can find the best nutritional value in fresh, canned, and frozen produce. I select an obviously nutritious product like fresh green beans then show canned and frozen versions in the store that also earn our best score: 3 Guiding Stars. If a tour group is focused on eating better on a budget, I’ll note the varying unit prices among the three forms. Through this exercise, I discuss some key factors to consider when deciding between fresh, canned and frozen vegetables. I also want to share those here, in our latest edition of Surprising Stars.

Honoring National Nutrition Month: Eat Right, Bite by Bite

March 2, 2020March 2, 2020 by Allison Stowell

An annual March tradition, National Nutrition Month (NNM) highlights ways of making conscientious choices to improve your diet and emphasizes the helpful role that dietitians play in maintaining a healthier lifestyle. The NNM 2020 theme, “Eat Right, Bite by Bite,” celebrates small steps for creating big change. Using a step-by-step, weekly approach to shift toward healthier habits, NNM 2020 helps you establish a path to better eating that everyone can achieve and maintain.

Dairy-Free with Avocado & Tofu

February 28, 2020February 27, 2020 by Melissa Walshe

The curry below does include milk in the recipe, but please note that it works very well substituted with any unsweetened dairy alternative, such as almond, soy, or oat milk. Avocado is a great source of heart-healthy fats, making it a better-for-you option for creating a smooth and creamy sauce. Silken tofu also works as an excellent, nutrient-rich base for sauces and has a, well, silky texture when pureed.

Elimination Diet Empathy

February 24, 2020February 19, 2020 by Julie Greene

“Any food allergies?” the nutritionally woke waitress asks with a smile as she takes our order. “Why yes,” I answer, “Do you have any dishes without fermentable short-chain carbohydrates?” Smile fades to furrowed brow. “Uuuuuum, let me talk to the chef and see what we can do.” If you have ever tried the FODMAP diet, you know how real this imaginary interaction can seem.

Dairy-Free with Glorious Beans

February 21, 2020February 19, 2020 by Melissa Walshe

Bean sauce is already a popular appetizer. Hummus, traditionally made with chickpeas, can be a creamy replacement for sandwich spreads, for pizza sauce, and for roasted veggies. Chickpeas are not your only option, though! Any bean can be turned into a sauce. White beans, like cannelinis, are an excellent mildly flavored bean if you want something that will disappear under the seasonings you’re adding. Black beans have an earthiness that makes them work well paired with strong flavors like cilantro, jalapeño, and lime. Red beans, like kidneys and pintos, have a hint of sweetness that plays well with root vegetables like winter squash and sweet potato and warmer spices, like a Jamaican jerk seasoning.

Why Don’t More Yogurts Earn Stars?

February 19, 2020February 18, 2020 by Garrick Brown

Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables

If you have ever looked at the dairy case in the supermarket, you know that there are a lot of options for yogurt. If you were to shop one of our client’s stores you might be surprised by the lack of Guiding Stars-earning yogurts. This is not to say that their assortment is less nutritious than their competitors, but rather that the sweeteners added to yogurt have a negative effect on nutrient density. In fact, just 20% of yogurts earn Guiding Stars due in large part to added sugars.

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