Category Archives: grocery

Realistic Food Budget Tips

by grocery, habits, pantry, preparedness, preserving, storage, ,

 

With the rising cost of groceries many people are beginning to look more closely at their grocery budget. Unfortunately costs are probably going to continue for a while due to supply chain shortages and reduced resources. 

Although you want to save money on groceries this is not the time to revert to buying poor quality food solely to reduce your costs.  You still want to make sure you are nourishing your body and eating as well as possible.  

The idea of reducing your food budget needs to start with knowing where you are and what you’re actually spending.  You can calculate your family’s current grocery amount using the USDA Official Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home chart.  Once you know what your amount is you can begin to make changes from there.

While you’re working on a food budget, whether this is the first time or something you’ve done regularly, you need to keep it realistic. Be mindful of how many people you are feeding as you work to create a sustainable real food budget.

 

Food Budget Tips

Eating Out Costs

Figuring out how much you are spending on groceries doesn’t just mean what you buy for your pantry.  More than 30% of each food dollar in the United States is spent on eating out. You need to remember that when planning your food budget.  

If you eat out, either getting take-away or sitting in a restaurant, those costs should be part of your food budget.  Some eating out expenses, such as a vacation or trip to visit friend or family, may be more difficult to anticipate, but they should be included in the total.  

Track Your Spending

In the beginning of your planning it’s helpful to know what you’re typically spending your food dollars on.  Was it snacks, highly processed foods, or convenience foods.  It seems counterintuitive but real food can be a good buy.  That’s because it has higher nutrient density and you’re likely to be satisfied faster when you eat real food versus processed foods.  

As an example, a bagel or muffin and a cup of coffee seems like it’s not that expensive.  It’s also not nourishing.  When you eat a high carb, over processed breakfast this can spike blood sugar and you’ll find yourself feeling hungry mid-morning for a snack of some time.  When you have a real food breakfast you’re getting protein, healthy fats, and more nutrition.  You’re more likely to be able to make it through your morning until it’s time for lunch. This is not only better for your nutrition, it’s better for your budget as you’re not spending money on snacks. 

Meal Planning

One of the biggest ways to save money on groceries is to know what you’re going to eat.  Meal planning is really useful when it comes to making seasonal, inexpensive, real food meals.  Having a plan for shopping and cooking, and sticking to it, will help you get a handle on your food budget. 

As part of your meal planning look at doing some kitchen DIY.  There’s a great book, Make The Bread, Buy The Butter, that breaks down what’s worth it and what’s not when it comes to making things from scratch.  

One thing that can be a great way to save money is making your own bone broth, condiments, and salad dressings.  When you stop to consider the cost of the prepared items at the grocery store and the pennies it costs to make it at home, all of a sudden it makes sense to take the time to do it yourself. 

Consider making meals that you can cook once and eat again is a great way to save money. Simple yet nourishing and delicious foods are a great way to feed your family and manage your grocery budget.  Chili, soup, and stew are great choices for this strategy.  I’m also a big fan of what I call sequential eating — creatively using leftovers to make another meal.  When you meal plan it becomes easy to know what you’re going to make next with your leftovers. 

 

Shopping Tips

 

Farmer’s Markets

Buying fresh foods, produce, eggs, dairy, and sometimes meat, from a farmer’s market can be another way to get better quality food.  This tip may or may not be less expensive than the grocery store however you’re getting truly fresh food and you’re supporting your local farmers.  If you buy a large amount of fresh produce from the farmer’s market you can freeze it and have seasonally fresh food out of season.  

The Convenience Factor

The grocery store and food producers thrive off charging a hefty price to do things for you.  Think about if you really need it and/or the convenience it offers.  Or can you make it yourself.  Pre-shredded cheese for example or pre-cut vegetables are a premium price at the grocery store.  You can easily buy a block of cheese or a bunch of vegetables shred/cut it yourself for a big grocery savings. 

Get the Biggest Bang For Your Grocery Buck

If you're going to buy organic fruits and vegetables get the ones that really matter, the dirty dozen. Those are the twelve fruits and vegetables that are most likely to be contaminated by pesticides.  The grocery store would love to convince you that you need to buy everything organic but that’s not necessarily true.  If budget is a factor save your money by not purchasing those organic bananas and buy organic strawberries instead.

Buy Organic Dairy

From a health perspective I truly deeply believe that organic dairy is the way to go.  It has no added hormones, no antibiotics, and the cows are not fed pesticide-laden grain.  What goes into that cow goes into its milk, so it makes sense to not drink or eat those products by choosing organic dairy.  Having said that, it's not always easy to find or afford 100% organic dairy products, I truly understand that.  If you cannot add organic dairy to your budget it is important that you at least purchase products that are free of rBGH.  This hormone was created to make cows give more milk.  But it doesn't go away just because the cow has been milked.  So we consume it right along with the cheese or yogurt or whatever dairy product we are eating.  Check out the RGBH Free Dairy list and see how your brand stacks up.

Buy More Whole Foods

Yes those organic apples may seem more expensive.  But how much is that applesauce?  And how much more applesauce can you eat than whole apples?  Orange juice?  Did you know that there is an average of four oranges in one eight ounce glass of juice?  That glass goes down pretty easy but I think most people won't sit there and eat four oranges in one sitting.  On average the more whole foods you buy the more nutrient dense your dietary intake.  Overall this should equate to less money spent at the grocery store.

Eat Less Meat

Somehow we have become convinced that we NEED meat and we have to serve it at almost every meal.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Most Americans eat far too much meat.  We could stand to eat more beans and other legumes which are a great source of protein with less environmental impact and far less expensive.  A package of lentils costs less than a dollar at my local grocery store and makes five cups cooked.  That's a LOT of lentils and a lot of protein.

Waste Less

Reducing your food waste is probably the biggest money saver out there.  According to the USDA more than one third of the food that is grown is wasted.  Some resources put that at more than $1,800 per family per year.  That’s a lot of money and lot of food.  Stop for a moment and think about how much food you may have thrown out in the last week, two weeks, a month?  That's all food that you paid for.  You probably even cooked it, increasing its value more as you spent time and energy to create the dish which rotted in the back of the fridge before being sent to the landfill.   Planning and being more mindful can help you avoid food waste.  

Be Mindful

Remember that not every budget will be the same.  Food costs vary widely across the country.  They also tend to fluctuate with the seasons and availability of certain foods.  Then there’s the issue of how many people you are feeding and what their dietary needs are (if there’s a special dietary requirement). Before you begin to look at your food budget, you need to consider all of these things. 

Remember also that creating a budget is just one step.  Budgets can and do change depending on changes in your family system, income changes, if you are traveling, etc.  Once you’ve learned to create a food budget that works for you I encourage you to revisit it at least a couple of times a year to see how you’re doing and if you need to make any additional changes. 

Finally, it’s important to remember that if you are making changes to your eating habits and to your grocery budget, you need to make shift gradually and sustainably.  Change does not happen overnight.  In order to be successful with the changes you are making you want to shift one thing at a time.  Once you’ve mastered on change you can make another.  Over time you will find that you’re continuing to improve your grocery shopping habits.

[expand title="Sources"]

"Over A Third Of The U.S. Food Dollar Is Spent On Eating-Out Services". Ers.Usda.Gov, 2021, https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=58354. 

"Food Loss And Waste". Usda.Gov, 2021, https://www.usda.gov/foodlossandwaste.  

"Food Waste In America In 2021: Statistics & Facts | RTS". Recycle Track Systems, 2021, https://www.rts.com/resources/guides/food-waste-america/.

State, Chuck. "The Average American Household Wastes $1,866 Of Food Per Year - Futurity". Futurity, 2020, https://www.futurity.org/food-waste-united-states-sustainability-consumers/. 

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Should You Clean Your Organic Fruits And Veggies?

by fruit, grocery, vegetables, , , , ,

Are you eating organic fruits and veggies?

“Seven of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States are from chronic diseases. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables daily can help reduce the risk of many leading causes of illness and death,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Eating enough fresh produce is a great way to support your body and your immune system. As I've mentioned before, this is one food category where it makes sense to buy organic, especially for the Dirty Dozen.

Many vegetables and fruit have good levels of fiber for digestive support. They're also good sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  Not only are they good for your body, but they're also great for your appearance.  Scientific studies show that people who eat more fresh fruits and veggies appear to be more attractive. All of which are good reasons to eat a lot of them. 

 

Are you eating enough produce?

It turns out that only 10% of all Americans are eating the proper amount of fresh fruit and vegetables.  While there are a lot of people who are eating fruits and vegetables, they're just not eating enough of them. 

The Institute for Functional Medicine suggests 5-7 servings of vegetables and up to 3 servings of fruit per day. Broken down by category it looks like this:

  • Leafy greens - 3-4 cups per day – 1 cup is a serving. If you're going to cook them you need to measure them first.  This category includes cabbage, kale, spinach, bok choy, swiss chard, dandelion greens, mustard greens, and turnip greens.
  • Colorful veggies - 2-3 cups per day – ½ a cup is a serving. This category includes raw, steamed, or cooked vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, etc.
  • Fruits - ½ a cup (fresh or frozen) is a serving with a limit of 3 servings (1 ½ cups) per day.  Dried fruit does not count due to its high sugar content.  Your best option is to choose lower-glycemic fruits: cherries, grapefruit, peaches, nectarines, pears, apples, plums, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, and blackberries. 

 

The problem with your produce

While it's a good idea to add more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet there's a problem.  All that produce comes with agricultural exposures that can leave residues on your food. Things you can't see like bacteria, mold, contaminants from the soil, or the water used on the crops.  Your eye can only see the fruit or vegetable, not the other stuff.

One possible source of contamination might be poor hygiene from agricultural workers. Sadly it can happen.  And from planting to harvesting to packaging there's a lot of hands that are touching your food.  Hands which you can't control.

Another source of agricultural junk on your food is the wax applied by the producers. This coating makes everything look shiny and helps to reduce shrinking and wilting.  It's also used to help reduce scarring that can happen when produce is piled up on top of each other.  Yes, it's an edible wax, but do you really want to eat it? 

 

Do you have to clean everything?

At this point, you might be wondering if you need to clean all of your produce.  My answer is a short and simple yes.  Here's the longer explanation:

Any and all produce should be washed.  Even if it's organic.  Although the organic standards do not allow for certain pesticides and agricultural chemicals, there's still dirt, microbes, bacteria, and other contaminants.  The need to wash produce is also important even if you bought it at the farmer's market or grew it at home.  

One possible exclusion is bagged greens which may say triple washed on the container.  Technically you don't need to wash these again.  But if you're developing a habit it can't hurt to wash even the pre-washed stuff.

If you're going to cut and peel produce you want to wash it first.  This is to remove any bacteria or other exposures that might be on the rind and then transferred by the knife to the flesh of produce.  A prime example of this was the 2011 salmonella outbreak which was tied to cantaloupe.

 

The proper way to clean your produce

While it's not very appetizing to think about bacteria, dirty water, mold, or wax on your produce, you still need to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.  Just wash them first. 

At this point, you may think you need to wash all of your produce as soon as you buy it.  Actually, you shouldn't do that. If you wash it first, especially if it's something tender like strawberries, herbs, or greens, it can wilt faster.  Also, certain bacteria can continue to grow even in the refrigerator. So it's best to wash your produce right before you're going to use it.

I don't mean a quick rinse-and-shake under the kitchen tap. I'm talking about a produce cleaner that can get rid of all of the icky stuff. 

At which point you're probably thinking you can just buy one of those producer cleaners at the grocery store.  You could.  However, it turns out those commercial cleaners may not be too clean themselves. 

One study done at the University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension Service showed chlorine was a common ingredient used in most produce cleaners.  Yes, chlorine, as in bleach.  But if you've ever read the bottle in your laundry room you'll know that it's a toxic product that you are not supposed to consume. 

One CDC survey of consumer concerns regarding viral health issues showed almost 20% of those surveyed used bleach to clean their produce. Sadly the study also showed negative health reactions such as dizziness, headaches, nasal issues, and skin irritation, plus nausea or upset stomach.  These health issues were linked to domestic use of cleaning products including “disinfecting” produce.  Essentially pointing out that the use of bleach on food was not a good choice.  

Skip the bleach for your fruits and vegetables and choose a non-toxic, plant-based cleaner.

 

Get more veggies

Don't just clean your veggies; as mentioned above you need to eat more of them.  Here are some delicious suggestions for bumping your veggie intake:  

 

  • Breakfast – Cooked veggies can be a wonderful addition to almost any breakfast. They're delicious in omelettes or fabulous as a side dish for something else.  A special weekend treat is this Sweet Potato Crockpot Breakfast Casserole.
  • Grilling – We love grilling vegetables, especially in the summertime. You can also make extras so you have them on hand for a quick side dish or a snack.
  • Smoothies – Don't just make a smoothie with fruit.  Add some veggies and really bump up your nutrition like this Powerhouse Summer Smoothie Bowl which has kale and avocado in it.
  • Soups – Bump up the nutrition and add extra vegetables to a soup such as this Instant Pot Summer Vegetable Soup.
  • Sauces – Boost your veggie intake by adding them to sauces. You can add an amazing array of vegetables into a sauce such as carrots, celery, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms,  zucchini, and leafy greens.
  • Zoodles – Instead of pasta you can make zucchini noodles. They're fabulous and a great way to get a veggie bump in a recipe like my Zoodles and Sausage. You can also “zoodle” things like sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets for a delicious addition to salads or as a base for another dish.

Sources

 

  • Aune, Dagfinn et al. "Fruit And Vegetable Intake And The Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease, Total Cancer And All-Cause Mortality—A Systematic Review And Dose-Response Meta-Analysis Of Prospective Studies". International Journal Of Epidemiology, vol 46, no. 3, 2017, pp. 1029-1056. Oxford University Press (OUP), doi:10.1093/ije/dyw319.
  • Bolton, Jason, et al. Bulletin #4336, Best Ways to Wash Fruits and Vegetables. University of Maine Cooperative Extension Publications. 2020. https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/4336e/. 
  • "CDC Press Releases". CDC, 2016, https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p1116-fruit-vegetable-consumption.html.  
  • Centerforfunctionalmedicine.Com, 2021. CORE Food Plan. https://centerforfunctionalmedicine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/CoreFoodPlan-ComprehensiveGuide_v3.pdf. 
  • Cornell CALS. 2020 Worker Health, Hygiene, and Training. https://gaps.cornell.edu/educational-materials/decision-trees/worker-health-hygiene-and-training/. 
  • da Silva Dias, João Carlos, and Saeko Imai. "Vegetables consumption and its benefits on diabetes." Journal of Nutritional Therapeutics 6.1 (2017): 1-10. 
  • Food & Drug Administration. 7 Tips for Cleaning Fruits and Vegetables. 06/10/2018. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/7-tips-cleaning-fruits-vegetables. 
  • Whitehead, R.D., et al. You Are What You Eat: Within-Subject Increases in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Confer Beneficial Skin-Color Changes. PLOS One. Published: March 7, 2012. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0032988#s2. 
  • "Cantaloupe: Sometimes A Rough Fruit". Food Safety News, 2011, https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/03/cantaloupe-sometimes-a-rough-fruit/#.VoL6SKYarak. 
  • "Removal Of Trace Pesticide Residues From Produce". CT.Gov - Connecticut's Official State Website, 2021, https://portal.ct.gov/CAES/Fact-Sheets/Analytical-Chemistry/Removal-of-Trace-Pesticide-Residues-from-Produce. 

 

 

 

Eight Tips For Easy Meal Planning

by grocery, habits

It's dinner time. Again. All too often this means a mad scramble to throw together a meal.

In one scenario you're ravenous and in no mood to wait for your food to cook. So you order takeout or eat chips and ice cream for dinner.

Or it's witching hour and you've got hangry family members raiding the pantry for snacks. By the time dinner gets on the table no one is hungry.

You know you need to eat a nourishing diet to be healthy. You also know that when you don't have a plan you're going to reach for whatever is fastest and most easily available. Yet even though you know this it can be hard to change your habits. So you continually find yourself facing one or the other of the above scenarios over and over again.

Meal planning is a vital part of achieving optimal or complete nutrition. If you don't have a plan for what you're going to eat, you will end up grabbing whatever is fastest and most readily available.

This leads to eating an energy (calorie) dense/nutrient-poor diet. That can cause a whole host of health issues like weight gain, headaches, fatigue, bloating, diarrhea, and/or constipation.   

So what's the answer? Meal planning.

 

What is Meal Planning?

 

You've probably heard about meal planning. And if you're like most people you're envisioning this super-efficient-mad-ninja-kitchen-skills person and immediately discounted the idea thinking that this wasn't you.

Meal planning isn't difficult. It simply starts with deciding what you're going to eat in advance so you're not caught unprepared. By planning your meals you can make shopping, cooking, and preparing food, (and eating), a much simpler and healthier process.

 

Eight Tips to Make Meal Planning Easy 

 

1. Shopping

There are lots of ways to approach shopping. If you can only shop once a week then you'll want to plan your entire week's worth of meals. If you are able to shop every three or four days then only plan for those days. The trick is to not get too far ahead of yourself.

These days you don't even need to go grocery shopping. Many grocery stores offer curbside pick up where you can order ahead and they bring the groceries out to your car. Other services will actually go grocery shopping for you and deliver to your home.

Both of these services charge a modest fee plus, with the delivery option there is a tip for the driver. But one side benefit of not actually being in the grocery store is the ability to avoid the dreaded $50-Taco-Meat-Syndrome. That's where you run into the grocery store for 'just a second' to get taco meat. And you walk out $50 later.

You'll need to decide if the extra fees are worth the time savings for your family. But deciding your shopping strategy is the first key to success when it comes to meal planning

2. Snacks

All too often when you plan for meals you may forget to plan for healthy snacks. That's one area where you can really tend to let go.

You allow yourself to skip label reading, buy junky choices, and tell yourself that it's okay because 'it's just a snack.' The truth is that if you're going to meal prep and plan to eat well, you want to eat well all the time. If you're looking for a few good snack ideas (and really, who isn't) check out these tasty ideas.

 

3. Deliciousness

When choosing what to eat you need to make sure it's something that you (and your family) like. You can absolutely choose a bean burger entrée with cilantro lime sauce. But if you don't like cilantro (funny enough there are some people who can't stand cilantro and claim it tastes like soap), or bean burgers, this meal is not going to be a hit.

You will have put all that effort into a healthy meal that no one wants to eat. Not a great use of time, money, or ingredients. Plus then you're probably going to have a science experiment growing in the back of the fridge while you hope that someone will decide they're into bean burgers with cilantro lime sauce. It eventually get's moldy and you have to throw it out.

Choose what you really want to eat, buy good quality, healthy food items, and make sure your recipes and ingredients don't go to waste.

4. Recipes

Speaking of recipes...just because you're going to start a new eating plan doesn't mean you have to pitch all of your favorite recipes.

Yes, you're meal prepping, and that means thinking a little differently. But instead of trying to re-invent the wheel (so to speak) by choosing all new recipes, why not start by simply improving the recipes you already have.

Read the label, choose ingredients that are better quality (for example organic and grass-fed), and avoid additives, preservatives, and other harmful ingredients. If you want to add in a few new recipes that's never a bad thing. Let's face it we all love tasty food.

5. Organize

When you create a system to help you organize and plan, things go much more smoothly.

Figure out what day or days of the week are best for you to go to the grocery store. Make sure that you plan out (meaning write down, don't try to keep it all in your head) a strategy. If you write it down it's much more likely to happen.

So what are you writing down? The following items:

  • Your meals and snacks for the week
  • The ingredients that you will need to get to make these meals
  • When you plan to serve these meals. This is super important. You may make a list of what dishes you think you want to serve, but if you don't identify when you're going to serve them things sometimes don't get made. And that's when we get more of those interesting science experiments in the back of the fride
  • What time you plan to go shopping. This is super important. Because you do not ever. Not ever. Ever want to go to the grocery store when you are hungry. If you're ordering ahead like we discussed in #1 above, that's not a problem. But I promise, if you're trying to grocery shop while you're hungry two things are going to happen. 1. You'll buy junk food because your ability to resist is lowered by those hunger pangs and “feed me” hormones. 2. You'll over-buy because...well...you're hungry and everything looks good. Have a meal or a decent snack before you go grocery shopping and you'll do much better. (Plus you'll save money and that's definitely a good thing too)

6. Get help

When you're cooking for your family there is the temptation to simply get meals on the table however you can and as quickly as possible. When you're meal prepping (and to make things easier) one of my favorite tips is to get others involved in meal planning and preparation.

When family members, especially your kids, can take some ownership in the creation of a meal and what you serve they are often more open-minded about what they're eating. If you have more than one child at home you probably want to have just one child at a time in the kitchen unless they're older and work well together. Have each child choose one meal a week that they are responsible for planning and preparing (with supervision).

7. Contingency

Let's face it, no matter how much you plan there are times when something unexpected happens. A change in schedule, an unplanned illness, or some other interruption. In case of situations like this, it's a good idea to have a contingency plan. You may not have any leftovers handy, or perhaps not enough leftovers to feed the family. This is where having something that you can rely on for a backup, without having to fall back on takeout or fast food, will be helpful and ensure you have a nourish meal ready to go.

One backup idea is to have prepared foods available for a simple yet easy-to-prepare dinner such as soup or an omelet. Additionally with a well-stocked pantry, you can create a quick meal in a flash using ingredients you already have on hand. 

One of my favorite contingency plans is to have a few make-ahead recipes. These are healthy recipes that you can prepare in bulk, freeze, then prepare for dinner when you need them. I love doing this so much that I created my Fast Fun Freezer Meals program. Using this program you can quickly prep 20-24 servings of dinner at a time. You'll then have meals in the freezer for when you need them.

8. Adventure

Once you have a meal plan it's easy to get into a rut and start to rely on the same thing over and over. While planning provides a framework and makes mealtime easier, it can also start to feel limiting if you're continually following the same plan.

In order to make things interesting, you'll want to mix it up here and there. Not to make it overwhelming, leading you right back to where you started, but in a way that keeps meals interesting and fun. Plan to include one new recipe each week. This provides a little variety and can help you to avoid mealtime boredom.

To get into the flow of meal planning can take some getting used to. It requires you to create some new habits. But, once you've integrated these habits into your routine, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it. It’s a great way to make sure that each meal is nutritious and delicious.  And easy.

10 Ways COVID-19 Has Changed The Way We Purchase, Prepare, And Eat Food

by grocery, habits, health

Starting back near the beginning of 2019, there have been a large number of changes in daily life. One of the biggest is how people function in their kitchens.

According to the International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) 2020 Food & Health Survey, 85% of Americans have changed not only how they obtain and prepare their food, they’ve also modified their mealtime habits. 

Some of these food habit changes are good, healthy choices. Other habits, such as increased snacking, eating when bored, and inconsistent mealtimes, aren’t so great. 

Because we have no idea how long the current situation will last, we don’t know if the differences in shopping and eating habits will be a relatively short-term thing or if they will continue and become a long term trend. 

In this article, I want to focus on positive trends.  The goal here is for you to implement these in your own life. Hopefully you’ll take it one step further and share these items with your family and friends to encourage them to make more positive changes in their own food habits.

1.Healthy snacking- 32% of Americans shared that they are snacking more on fresh produce. Given that you should have 5-7 servings of vegetables a day, snacking can be a good way to get more veggies and less chips or other simple carbs into your diet.

2.Home cooking- 60% of those surveyed claim to be cooking more at home. This is a good way to ensure that everyone is getting whole, real foods and managing serving sizes. This can also be a good opportunity to share healthy recipes with your family.

3.Home baking – Since we started sheltering in place, the demand for flour and yeast rose. Being stuck (and safe) at home has inspired many parents and their children to bake. This is evident on Instagram, as photos of #bananabread and #sourdough starters have become viral with a whopping 5.6 million hashtags combined, as of Nov 21, 2020.

4.Eating together – Up to 41% of people shared that they make communal mealtime a priority now instead of everyone eating individually and/or grabbing meals on the run. It’s also the perfect time to share fun ideas for conversation starters with your loved ones.

5.Decrease in frequency of eating out – More than 80% of US consumers have anxiety about dining in casual and quick-service restaurants. And foot traffic to the quick-service restaurants has continued to decline since the US has declared a national state of emergency.

6.Prioritizing health – Approximately 70% of respondents said they’ve begun to make health and healthy habits a priority since the pandemic started, whether that’s been getting more exercise and sleep and making positive dietary changes.

7.Cooking new family recipes – In an article by New York Post, almost 30% of people mentioned that they have learned how to cook a new family recipe. A further 38 percent of these respondents shared that they’ve been able to enjoy more quality time with their loved ones. 

Recipes are part of a family tradition; being able to share them also shares the connections to the generations that came before us, and the culture that the recipe came from.

8.Eating local –  Consumers, aside from knowing where their food comes from, are also looking for food to support the local community. And this desire has increased by 430% during the pandemic.

9.Growing your own “victory garden” – More Americans are also learning how to grow their own food and plant their own “victory garden.” Even if it’s simply potted herbs on the kitchen counter, a planter with tomatoes, or a fruit tree,  they’re reconnecting with their food at a more basic level.

10.Online shopping for groceries – The online grocery business continues to grow significantly. Estimates are that by 2025, 20% of all grocery dollars will be spent online, with this segment of the market valued at an estimated $100 billion. 

Just as food producers and grocery stores work hard to create marketing that entices consumers to buy from brick and mortar businesses, they’re now working equally as hard to grab their share of this growing sector. 

I continue to learn about the things food producers, advertisers, restaurants, and grocery stores do to manipulate and confuse you so I can help you stay one step ahead.

Take a moment to look at how your family food culture has changed. Hopefully, from meal preparation to time spent eating together, you’re focused more on food as a communal time to reconnect and nourish together.  

As a nutrition professional, I’d love to hear what has changed in your kitchen or your family’s eating habits over the last eight months. I hope you’ll take a moment to share with me. 

[expand title=”Sources”] 

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Preparing An Emergency Food Supply, Long-term Food Storage 

by food storage, government, grocery, preparedness, storage, water

Pandemic, natural disasters, and terrorist attacks often come with little to no warning. To weather the storm, stocking up NOW would be a wise idea.

Some food, if properly sealed and stored correctly, can last for years. According to ready.gov, it is important to stock canned foods, dry mixes, and other staples that do not require refrigeration, cooking, water, or special preparation.

I’ve listed below necessary items for your emergency supply plan -- food, water, and other essentials -- to help you build your survival kit. 

Preparing an emergency food supply

As we all know, global crises like COVID-19 can easily disrupt the food supply. Planning to have at least a 14 day supply of food can help you build an emergency stockpile in your home.

Keep food that:

  • Has a long storage life
  • Requires little or no cooking, water, or refrigeration
  • Meets the needs of family members who are on special diets
  • Meets pets’ needs
  • Are not very salty or spicy, as these foods increase the need for drinking water, which may be in short supply
  • Have no artificial ingredients, MSG, unpronounceable chemical names, etc.

Note: Read the labels. Just because this is emergency planning doesn’t mean that you want to buy those kits with all the cruddy ingredients in it!

Recommended emergency food items

It should be understood that you only want to store what your family will eat. For example, don’t buy canned lima beans if no one eats them. Here’s what you should store in your pantry:

  • Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables
  • Protein or fruit bars
  • Dry cereal or granola
  • Nut or seed butter
  • Dried fruit
  • Canned juices
  • Non-perishable milk
  • High-energy foods
  • Food for infants (if you have one in your home)
  • Comfort/stress foods

How to store emergency food

Certain storage conditions may enhance the shelf life of foods. The ideal location is a cool, dry, and dark place. The most suitable temperature is 40° to 70°F.

  • Store foods away from ranges or refrigerator exhausts. 
  • Store food away from petroleum products. Some food products absorb their smell.
  • Items stored in boxes or in paper cartons will keep longer if they are heavily wrapped or stored in waterproof, airtight containers.
  • If you have extra space in your freezer, fill it with bags of water. This can help keep food cold if the power goes out. If you need to leave, it will provide ice for the trip. 

Also read Guide To Freezing Food: What You Can And Can’t Put In The Freezer to learn more on how long you can keep food in the freezer and food safety during power outages.

Essential tools and items for food preparation

Having the following items available will help you to prepare meals safely:

  • Cooking utensils
  • Knives, forks, and spoons
  • Paper plates, cups, and towels
  • A manual can- and bottle-opener
  • Heavy-duty aluminum foil
  • Wax paper and/or parchment paper
  • Propane gas or charcoal grill; camp stove
  • Extra water to be able to rehydrate dehydrated food
  • Fuel for cooking, such as charcoal 

Preparing an emergency water supply

Water can be a critical item, especially for those on a well without power. Do not store water in the plastic containers they come in (those leaks — ask me how I know that — one soggy closet floor later). Use an aquatainer, they’re made for longer-term water storage. 

  • Requirements are 1 gallon of water per day for each person and each pet for cooking and drinking. Also, store an additional gallon per person for sanitary needs.
  • Store at least a 3-day supply of water for each person and each pet. Try to store a 2-week supply if possible.
  • Observe the expiration date for store-bought water
  • Store a bottle of unscented liquid household chlorine bleach to disinfect your water and to use it for general cleaning and sanitizing.

Note: As much as possible, do not drink liquid that can dehydrate the body; i.e.,  caffeine, soda, and alcohol.

Recommended items for emergency supply kit

Aside from the food, water, and other items for food preparation, here are other recommended items to include in your family’s emergency supply kit:

  • Battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
  • Flashlight
  • First aid kit
  • Extra batteries
  • Whistle (to signal for help)
  • Dust mask (to help filter contaminated air)
  • Plastic sheeting and duct tape (to shelter in place)
  • Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for personal sanitation)
  • Wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities)
  • Local maps
  • Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery
  • Glow stick for pets’ collar (so you don’t trip over them at night)
  • List of important addresses and phone numbers
  • Gas refill (always refill your tank if you are at ½)

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How To Pick Healthy Non-Perishable Snacks

by additives, artificial colors, grocery, health, ingredients, nuts, pantry, protein, shopping guides, snacks

by Mira Dessy, The Ingredient Guru

Americans have a snack habit. We've become accustomed to eating multiple times throughout the day. Sometimes we snack because we're hungry. But more often than not it's because we are bored, thirsty, or possibly responding to emotional stimuli.

Occasionally we snack because we are on-the-go and are looking for something to tide us over until we can get to mealtime.While there's nothing wrong with an occasional small bite between meals, snacking can become a problem when it fills you up with empty calories. This means things like chips, crackers, muffins, or cookies. Another problem with snacking is if you eat so much that you are no longer hungry by the time you get to the real meal.

What's a snack?

Ideally, a snack should be small, just enough to blunt your hunger without filling you up, and balanced with protein and a little healthy fat. When snacking you want to make sure that you are eating clean, nutrient-dense foods rather than high calorie, low nutrition foods, sometimes referred to as energy-dense. Here are some great, non-perishable choices for healthy snacking:

  • Nuts – choose raw nuts as your best nutritional choice. Even better is if they are sprouted.
  • Nut butter – many of these now come in squeezable tubes and can be a quick grab-and-go non-perishable snack. Be aware that there can be a lot of sugar in some of these, choose the best option possible by reading the label
  • Canned fish – such as sardines are a great choice. These can be a nourishing snack and also provide some healthy omega 3 fatty acids
  • Jerky – this can be purchased or made at home. These days there's a wide variety of jerky products made from meats such as salmon, venison, lamb, bison, pork, turkey, and more. Check the label to be sure there are no added artificial ingredients
  • Energy bars – be sure to read the label and make check that you're getting a true protein bar, not a glorified candy bar with an excessive amount of sugar. Just like with the jerky, you want to make sure there are no added artificial ingredients (sweeteners, flavors, etc)
  • Dried and seasoned chickpeas – this can be a tasty way to get a crunchy snack on-the-go without having to worry about spoilage
  • Seaweed or kale chips – okay there's no protein in this one (so you may want to pair it with a handful of nuts or some jerky), but if you're looking for a good veggie-rich crunchy snack these can really hit the spot

Snacks to avoid

When choosing snacks be sure to read the label. Don't choose one just because it says "protein" or "# grams of protein" on the front label. You need to turn the package over and read the ingredients on the label. You also want to avoid the following in your snack products:

  • excess sugar (more than 4 g per serving)
  • artificial sweeteners
  • artificial flavors
  • artificial colors
  • ingredients you don't understand
  • starchy things (tapioca, potato, rice flours, etc)

You may be wondering why things like rice cakes, popcorn, puffed quinoa, puffed chickpeas, etc are not on this list. Sure, I get that they taste good. The problem, however, is that these exploded grains are very easily converted to sugars by the body. This means they hit the blood stream relatively quickly. There's also not a lot of nutrition in those puffed grain snacks. It's better to stick with something that's going to provide more of what your body really needs, protein and healthy fat.

Shopping The Perimeter Of The Grocery Store

by food fraud, gmo, grocery, habits, health, ingredients, shopping guides, Uncategorized

Is it Safe on the Outside?

There are over 50,000 items for sale in a typical grocery store. The sad truth is that most of them are not food. They are processed conglomerations of ingredients. Because of this, there’s a common myth that if you shop the perimeter of the grocery store you’ll be “safe” from food challenges. More and more people are shopping just the “outside” of the grocery store, convinced that if they avoid what's in the middle they're only getting healthy food. Unfortunately, this is not true.

Most grocery stores are set up in a similar pattern. Walk into the produce section which is usually near the bakery or the deli. Moving around the outside edges, the perimeter, of the grocery store you'll find the fish counter, meat, poultry. The dairy section is at the back of the store. This is because the further into the store you have to walk to buy staple ingredients, such as milk, eggs, and butter, the more time you spend in the store. The longer you are there the more money you are likely to spend. On the inside aisles is where you’ll find all of the packaged, canned, and frozen foods. You often have to walk through them to get from one section to the next, increasing the possibility that you will be tempted by what is in the aisles.

Does It Belong Here?

While the fresh food is usually found on the perimeter of the grocery store it's important to be aware of two big issues that impact that section of the grocery store. The first is something called product placement or product creep. Grocery stores and food producers are well aware that consumers are purchasing more heavily from the outer edges of the store. Their job, however, is to sell as much as they can. One way they try to influence consumers is by moving in items that would not normally be in a particular section (but that go with those foods).

One example of this would be finding packaged shortcake, glaze for strawberries, and cool whip or some form of canned whipped cream in the produce section at the height of strawberry season. The grocery store may attempt to promote this as being “for your convenience” but the truth is it's there to tempt you to purchase it and to increase their sales and profits.

Unfortunately, if you don't take the time to read the labels you may get more than you bargained for. That glaze for strawberries, for example, contains genetically modified ingredients, excessive sugars, artificial colors, and possibly MSG. Rather than just getting fresh fruit, if you purchase these add-on items you're also buying a wide range of chemicals and additives which may be harmful to your health.

This happens all around the grocery store. Salad dressings by the salad, seasoning mixes and marinades by the meat, etc. Product placement is a big factor for grocery stores. As a matter of fact, food manufacturers pay something called a slotting fee to grocery stores to determine where in the store their product will appear. This idea of manipulating the perimeter is a big reason that eggs and dairy are all the way in the back of the store. The grocery chain, and by extension the food manufacturers, are looking to get you to spend as much time in the store as possible and encourage impulse buying. They know that the longer you are there the more you will spend.

What's In What You're Eating?

Another major concern with shopping the perimeter of the grocery store is not just what the food items are, but what's in them. Unfortunately, it's things that we can't really see that pose an even bigger challenge to health.

Produce

When shopping in the produce department the second thing you need to be aware of is the Dirty Dozen. Those twelve fruits and vegetables which are highly contaminated by pesticides. Eating them increases the toxic body burden. This list changes each year as the Environmental Working Group evaluates the current state of pesticides and toxins used to grow produce. The only way to avoid the toxic burden of the Dirty Dozen is to purchase organic for those twelve fruits and vegetables. To make it easy to remember the list (and stay on top of the changes) simply download the Environmental Working Group's free app, EWG Healthy Living (ios and android).

Meat and Poultry

In the meat and poultry section buying organic is your best choice. Conventionally raised animals are given high levels of antibiotics, partially to keep them healthy in spite of the crowded conditions they are raised in. It’s also because these antibiotics act as a growth stimulator. Unfortunately, the antibiotics are passed on through the to end product when we then wind up consuming them. It’s important to note that the overuse of antibiotics in farming has led to an increase in antibiotic-resistant bugs. Conventionally raised animals are also allowed to be raised on genetically modified (GM) feed which is often heavily laden with pesticides. These items can have an impact on your body as well as affecting the environment. Note that the term “natural” is not the same as organic. Although there are some rules around the natural label when it comes to meat products, this label still allows for the use of GM/pesticide-laden feed. The only way to avoid added hormones, pesticides, and genetic modification is to choose organic.

Dairy

The dairy section is another area of concern. Not only because of the antibiotics, GM feed, and high levels of pesticides found in conventionally sourced dairy products, but also because of added hormones. rBST sometimes referred to as rBGH, is a growth hormone which causes cows to produce more milk. Studies have shown that dairy with rBGH tends to have more Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1). This, in turn, has been linked to cancer, specifically of the breast, prostate and gastrointestinal tract. Although it is possible to do the research and avoid dairy with added hormones if it is conventionally raised all of the other issues still remain. Once again, choosing organic is the best, healthiest option.

Summary

  • Be on the lookout for product creep — items that are in a category where they don't belong
  • Be mindful of the Dirty Dozen fruits and vegetable, buying organic for those choices
  • Choose organic meats to avoid added hormones and antibiotics
  • Avoid added hormones and antibiotics in dairy products by choosing organic
  • Read labels to help you avoid negative ingredients

Ingredients Based On Corn

by additives, gmo, grocery, ingredients,

Corn is one of the most highly genetically modified (GM) ingredients in the United States.  Because of the challenges that genetic modification presents for our health and for the environment, I encourage people to eat organic corn. This also helps to avoid the high levels of pesticides and glyphosate used in growing the crop. The ability to use these chemicals are the primary reason for the genetic modification in the first place.  

Varieties of corn

There are many different forms of corn. When eating fresh, frozen or canned, it is sweet corn which only represents approximately 1% of all the corn we grow in the United States.  Field corn, sometimes referred to as dent corn, is the most common variety grown in the U.S. It represents nearly 60% of the entire corn crop. This variety is used for ethanol and livestock feed.   

Other uses for corn include corn flour, corn starch, corn syrup and in the confectionary business.  Popcorn is a separate variety. According to the Popcorn Board, the average American eats 42 quarts per year for a total consumption of 13 billion quarts.

Corn is also used in the textile industry and as a biodegradable plastic.

On the label

Corn by itself is easy to identify in foods or on the label. The challenge is that it can be turned into a rather startling variety of ingredients. These ingredients make an appearance in nearly every single food category at the grocery store. This is problematic for the nearly 10 million people in the U.S. diagnosed with an allergy to corn. 

For those trying to avoid it, whether due to allergies or a desire to avoid GM contamination, it's not always easy to know which ingredients got their start from corn.  If you're looking to avoid GM products the easiest way is to choose either organic or GMO Project Verified products.  In the case of a food sensitivity or allergy use this list as a resource to help you know which products to avoid.

Corn-based ingredients

  • Ascorbic Acid - also sometimes listed as vitamin C
  • Baking Powder - this may contain cornstarch
  • Brown Sugar - made from white sugar with caramel coloring added 
  • Calcium Citrate - also known as 'calcium salt of citric acid' 
  • Caramel - coloring agent frequently used in soft drinks.  Can be made from cane sugar but most commonly made from corn; a known carcinogen
  • Cellulose - a form of plant fiber (note: this ingredient can also be made from wood) 
  • Citrate - this sour flavor enhancer comes in several different forms: Calcium Citrate, Magnesium Citrate, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Citrate, etc. 
  • Citric Acid - made by adding the mold Aspergillus niger to a base of corn steep liquor, molasses, hydrolyzed corn starch, or other cheap sweet solutions
  • Corn
  • Corn Meal – as well as being used for cooking, cornmeal can be used for dusting baked items
  • Corn Starch – may be found in OTC tablets
  • Corn Syrup - may be found in liquid OTC medications such as cough syrup
  • Decyl Glucoside - often found in shampoo and other personal care products
  • Dextrin, Maltodextrin – used as a  thickening agent for condiments, frozen confections, and other foods
  • Dextrose (glucose) – found in sweets, may also be present in processed meats
  • Ferrous Gluconate - an ingredient found in black olives
  • Flavoring - Artificial or "Natural Flavors" may be corn-based
  • Golden Syrup 
  • Honey - HFCS is sometimes fed to bees causing their honey to then have corn in it
  • Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)
  • Iodized Salt - Dextrose may be added to iodized salt to help stabilize the iodine 
  • Lactic Acid 
  • Magnesium Citrate - Magnesium salt of citric acid
  • Magnesium Stearate
  • Malic Acid
  • Malt/Malt Flavoring
  • Maltitol - a sugar alcohol made by hydrogenating maltose
  • Maltodextrin
  • Maltose
  • Mannitol - This sugar alcohol is often blended with corn-based sugars
  • Methyl Gluceth - a cosmetic emollient
  • Modified Food Starch
  • Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) - MSG can be made from corn
  • Polydextrose
  • Polysorbates (i.e. Polysorbate 80)
  • Potassium Citrate 
  • Powdered Sugar - may contain cornstarch
  • Saccharin
  • Sodium Citrate 
  • Sodium Erythorbate - may be made from beets, corn, or sugar cane
  • Sodium Starch Glycolate - may be made from corn, rice, or potatoes
  • Sorbitan - made by dehydrating sorbitol  
  • Sorbitan Monostearate - may be found in various types of yeast (baking, brewing)  
  • Sorbitol – this sugar alcohol often appears in diet candies or gum, can also be in oral care products
  • Starch – unless otherwise specified (such as potato starch) this is probably cornstarch
  • Sucralose - Splenda is often made with dextrose or maltodextrin 
  • Sweet’N Low - made with dextrin 
  • Vanilla Extract – may be made with corn syrup 
  • Vinegar, Distilled White 
  • Xanthan Gum - often grown on a base of corn or corn sugar 
  • Xylitol - can be made from birch or corn, in the US it is frequently corn
  • Zein – used in time-release medications

More Food Allergy Info

All About Eggs
Do You Have Oral Allergy Syndrome?
Food Intolerance Testing

 

 

 

 

What’s That Flavor?

by additives, artificial colors, gmo, grocery, ingredients, labeling, snacks

what's that flavor

Food manufacturers are always looking for new ways to keep consumers engaged with their brands.  They're also looking for new ways to encourage you to eat, or a new flavor to tempt you with.  After all, the more you eat, the more profitable their product is.  Unfortunately this has turned us into a nation of snackers.

We've been so effectively marketed to that we think we have to have snacks.  Even more than that, when we say the word snack most people think chips, pretzels, granola bars, or other high carbohydrate foods which deliver a lot of calories and little to no actual nutrition.  

a snack is not a meal

Unfortunately the more we snack the less hungry we are when meal time comes around.  So perhaps we don't eat a real meal.  And then a couple of hours later we're hungry again and it's time for another snack.  By the time you get to the end of the day it's possible that you've simply snacked for the entire day.  You go to bed, wake up, and do it all over again. The challenge is that you're just making yourself hungrier and hungrier.  Your belly may be full, but your body is not nourished.

Snacking is not meant to replace mealtime.  It's a mini-meal.  A little something to keep you going if you're hungry in between regular, nourishing meals.  Preferably something that has a little protein and a healthy fat.  Healthy snacking can help to keep your blood sugar stable.  All day snacking, especially with high carbohydrate snack foods can put you in the front row seat of the blood sugar rollercoaster.

manufacturer manipulation

As part of their effort to keep you snack-engaged, food manufacturers sometimes run campaigns designed to get consumer feedback on flavors.  One example is the Pepsi Co. “Do Us A Flavor” campaign which they've been running since 2012.  [I'm deliberately not linking to it because I don't want to participate in bringing attention to it — you'll see why in just a minute]  Thanks to this campaign they've come up with different, unusual flavors of potato chips such as Korean Barbeque or Smoked Gouda and Chives.  Some manufacturers are looking to build brand excitement by “retiring” flavors or creating “limited editions” in an effort to create a scarcity effect.

By creating these campaigns the manufacturers are hoping to build further brand engagement.  To hook you a little bit more closely to the brand.  They don't need to guess at developing new products.  Consumers tell them exactly what they want so the manufacturer can make it.  It allows them to save money and tempt you to eat more snacks.

All of these flavors, however, don't add up to good nutrition.  They simply add up to more chemicals and more calories. 

new flavors

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resources

If you're looking for a healthy snack check out this article on protein snacks to boost energy.

Want to know more about flavors and how they're used in food?  

When you're looking for a snack, remember, a snack is not a meal.  Choose a little something with some protein in it and have just enough to get through your day to your next meal.  You'll feel better and your metabolism will be more balanced because of it.

Taste Versus Flavor

by additives, grocery, ingredients, labeling, Uncategorized

There is nothing better than the taste of biting into a fresh, homegrown tomato, juicy and full of flavor. Or is there?

For decades, commercial food manufacturers have been trying to improve upon nature’s ability to provide us with enticing flavors in our diet. The “natural flavor” additives discussed previously are just one facet of this effort to manipulate flavors.

We don't often think about it, there is a difference between taste and flavor.  Taste is the perception of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (or savory).  Smell, temperature, texture and more all go into creating what we perceive of as flavor.  Here's a video that explains a little about it:

Screenshot 2015-12-21 12.55.23

Flavor Manufacturing Companies

The confusion comes in when our senses are manipulated in order to convince us that something tastes good.  Processed food manufacturers employ separate companies tasked with creating flavor compounds that manipulate and attract consumers.  They spend tens of millions of dollars to find what is just the right balance to make something appealing.  For example, if it's a snack chip how salty and fatty does it need to be, how much crunch, how much texture?  This is something that they look at for each and every product.

It goes beyond simple combinations however.  Wild Flavors, a flavor-development company based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has created an additive called “Resolver” that they claim can overcome undesirable taste components by attaching itself to a given receptor on the tongue and preventing that particular taste from being perceived.  Alternatively, companies like Givaudan and Cargill  create tastes rather than prevent them and are responsible for thousands of flavors we experience in everyday products.  They manufacture flavors for a vast number of foods and beverages, as well as pharmaceuticals, oral care products like toothpaste or mouthwash, lip balm, vitamins and even pet food.

Food Addictions

The more sinister result of this Frankenstein approach to flavor manipulation is the creation food addictions.  Global food conglomerates don’t deny that one of their goals is to develop products that consumers will purchase again and again.  It is troublesome that these companies appear to place commercial interests above public safety and health.  These addicting flavor concoctions are often made from an extensive list of chemicals.  In fact, more than 300 individual compounds may be necessary to endow a food with the flavor associated with a ripe strawberry or the fresh, homegrown tomatoes we love.

How can this type of manipulation possibly benefit consumers?

Unfortunately flavor profiles are often secret and hidden on the label under the terms “natural” or artificial flavors.  This is because they are considered valuable intellectual property.  Food manufactures try to conceal the fact that processed foods are flavored with a myriad of chemicals with unknown long-term effects on the human body and brain.

The good news is that as the public becomes more informed, and concerned, about the chemicals and artificial ingredients added to our food there has been significant backlash.  In response, some companies have begun to remove some of these harmful ingredients.  Just this summer, General Mills announced it will strip all artificial flavors and colors from its cereals by the end of 2017.  Other companies are also beginning to remove artificial ingredients from their products.  Not because they want to, but because consumers are demanding it.

This serves as a reminder of the power we have when we take personal responsibility for what we consume and take initiative to educate ourselves about what is in the foods we eat.