Nutritious choices made simple®
Guiding Stars simplifies selecting a healthy choice for supermarket shoppers. We provide at-a-glance star ratings for both national and store brand products – on shelf tags, on packaging for store brands and online. Behind the scenes, the program also supports grocery retailers to create a more healthy and equitable food system. Let me explain some ways in which we do this.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Some risk factors for heart disease you cannot control, like your age or family history. Others you can, like your diet and lifestyle. Did you know that the science behind Guiding Stars aligns with many diet recommendations from the American Heart Association? Shopping with the stars is a simple way to shift towards a more heart-healthy diet.
Guiding Stars is an objective, evidence-based, nutrition guidance program. It provides a simple tool for consumers to quickly identify more nutritious choices while shopping. Our intent has always been to support people’s health, regardless of weight. We rate foods as good, better, and best to give consumers at-a-glance advice: the more stars a food earns, the more nutritious it is. Simply by choosing more foods that earn stars, shoppers can improve their nutrition without dieting.
Hunger knows no season, and yet there’s something especially heart-rending about the reality of human hunger during the holiday season. If you are fortunate enough to have plenty of food on your table, it can be hard to imagine the toll that a daily lack of food takes on what’s supposed to be a season filled with joy. And yet, we all know that there are many people who want for nourishing food.
Nearly three-quarters of American adults are overweight or obese. Health professionals are taught that being overweight is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. Perhaps this is why people who have an overweight or obese Body Mass Index (BMI) receive guidance focused on losing weight. The Health at Every Size (HAES) movement pushes back on a weight-focused approach and aims to define health in a more inclusive way. It is gaining traction with nutritional professionals, especially online, so we thought we would share a brief overview.
With the growing number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in our communities, how to protect yourself from getting sick is in everyone’s search history. Of course, the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. For this reason, health professionals advise that we practice social distancing as much as possible right now. Boosting our immune systems so we are less likely to get sick sounds super appealing right now. It’s widely circulating online, and some products and diet plans are being marketed to prevent or cure the Coronavirus. Is it even possible to boost our immune systems? Can we do it by improving our diet and eating certain foods? Are there vitamins or herbal remedies that we should consider? What else can we change in our lifestyle to get our immune systems in tip-top shape? Let’s tackle these questions as we discuss healthy ways to support your immunity.
“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.
Plant-based diets are a flexible way of eating that can be tailored to your individual preferences and lifestyle. It celebrates and emphasizes plant-based foods, but it isn’t limited to them. Here are my top 3 tips to pay attention to when starting to eat in a more plant-forward style.