Nutritious choices made simple®
Grocery shopping is an extra sweet experience for chocolate lovers this month. Supermarket displays are filled with everything their chocolate-loving hearts could possibly desire. Of course there are plenty of decadent desserts, but shoppers should notice more “responsible” chocolate treats available this year too. As we have said before “go ahead, eat the chocolate.” If, however, you are looking for more nutritious options, Guiding Stars makes your search simple.
We know that the food choices we make each day affect our health. Not only how we feel today and tomorrow, but in the future as well. Almost fifteen years ago, Guiding Stars was created to provide consumers with simple-to-understand nutrition guidance so they could make more informed and healthier food choices. That mission remains, as does our belief that credibility, objectivity and transparency are critical to our success. We recognize, now more than ever, that many factors influence what people choose to eat. Nutrition is personal and our guidance needs to meet people where they are at in order to be relevant. In 2021, we plan to focus more on how Guiding Stars can help individuals and families on their personal health journey. I want to share some of what you can expect from us in the year ahead.
Canned vegetables are budget-friendly, convenient, and can be a great source of nutrients. They are certainly worthy of their proverbial moment in the sun on the Guiding Stars blog. (To extend shelf life, be sure to store them in a cool, clean and dry place.) Believe it or not, though, many canned vegetables do not earn Guiding Stars.
The purpose of Thanksgiving is more than sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. It’s a once-a-year reminder to reflect and focus on gratitude. Food guilt should have no place at the holiday table, but it’s common to struggle with this. The goal is to enjoy your favorite Thanksgiving foods without regret. For this month’s Surprising Stars, we want to share our star-earning versions of classic Thanksgiving vegetable casseroles. These are delicious options if you’re looking for traditional comfort and heartiness with improved nutrition.
In addition to eating plenty every day, health professionals recommend eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables because it’s the best way to get all of the vitamins, minerals, and nurients you need. Each color group of produce is rich in specific nutrients that help form a well-balanced diet. No single fruit or vegetable – not even superfoods – can provide all of the nutrients you need. Since Halloween is in just a few weeks, we thought we would dig a little deeper (perhaps 6 feet below the ground…) on the color orange. In this edition of Surprising Stars, we will discuss why the color orange is important for our health, share some ways to eat more orange fruits and vegetables and get clear on colors in the Guiding Stars algorithm.
Protein is an essential macronutrient that must be included in the diet at an adequate amount for good health. Due to their high protein content, foods made from meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts, and seeds are considered part of the Protein Foods Group. According to USDA’s MyPlate, protein foods should make up ¼ of our plates. However, these foods contain a lot more than protein and nutrient density varies because of it. In this edition of Surprising Stars, we will explain why Guiding Stars does not consider protein level as it evaluates the nutrient density of food.
As kids start to head back to school and family calendars become increasingly busy with after-school activities, there’s even more interest among shoppers in convenient snacks that do not compromise on nutrition. Snack bars check off a lot of boxes for consumers looking for on-the-go snacks. They are available in appetizing flavors, have a long shelf life, are packed in attractive single serving packaging, and are perceived as a healthy choice due in part to convincing health claims by manufacturers. However, in terms of nutrition, not all snack bars are created equal. For this edition of Surprising Stars, let’s discuss why there are less Guiding Stars-earning snack bars than some might expect and how to ensure your selection within these foods is nutrient dense.
Supermarket sales continue to show shoppers’ growing interest in and demand for local foods. In the Hartman Group’s Health + Wellness 2019 report, 69% of consumers say they look for locally grown or produced foods and beverages when shopping. To meet this demand, grocers are sourcing and marketing more local foods in their stores. The same Hartman report noted that consumers across the board see locally sourced foods and beverages as healthier, but is that true? In this edition of Surprising Stars, let’s explore how Guiding Stars evaluates local foods and determines if they really are a nutritious choice.