I probably do not need to tell you that Sugar is delicious.

However health speaking, it’s not so sweet. Why not?

Sugar raises insulin levels, suppresses the immune system, promotes inflammation and robs our bones of minerals! Not to mention sugar can weaken eyesight, cause premature aging, arthritis, and contributes to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Chron’s disease.

Perhaps this is why artificial sweeteners have become so popular. People are trying to avoid the calories and unhealthy effects of eating sugar, yet are still trying to satisfy that sweet tooth.

Whether sweeteners are individually packaged or hidden in diet sodas and “sugar-free” food alternatives, it’s hard to avoid them. And why should we? They sound great, right? Sweeteners are not sugar, they have no calories, and they still give us that sweet and savory taste! 

But what if I told you that artificial sweeteners are can cause brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and even Parkinson’s Disease! 

If that doesn’t say something about how poisonous artificial sweeteners are, I don’t know what does!

For more information on artificial sugar-free sweeteners and what they can do to damage your health, check out the most recent Newsletter by Healthy Grocery Girl.

So what can you do instead to get your sugar fix?

First of all, I always recommend eating a moderate serving of the real thing, calories included verses calorie free chemically made alternatives. If you are craving chocolate, eat chocolate. Do not eat a sugar-free, fat-free, taste-free pudding cup.

For those looking for natural calorie free options luckily they actually exist!

Here are four natural sweeteners that are sweet in taste and sweet for your body!

Stevia 

- Stevia Rebaudiana is an herb which grows wild as a small shrub in parts of Paraguay and Brazil. The glycosides in its leaves give it its incredible sweetness.

Truvia 

- a non-caloric sweetener made from Rebiana, an isolated and purified extract of the Stevia leaf.

Xylitol 

- a sugar alcohol sweetener derived from xylose, present in some plant tissues.

These natural sweeteners come from plants and are easy for your body to absorb. Instead of that chocolate cake, sprinkle Stevia onto some plain Greek Yogurt for a delicious dessert! Heat up some apple slices with a little cinnamon to put with your Greek yogurt and it’s just like apple pie and ice cream without all the loaded sugar! 

Try adding Stevia in pancakes or in your morning oatmeal to give it a little sweetness! Sprinkle a little flax seed on top and be energized the rest of the day! 

Now that’s what I call delicious AND healthy!

Don’t forget that fruit is a delicious and natural way to satisfy your sweet craving. Have you ever had an organic raspberry or strawberry? The flavor is out of this world.

HAPPY HEALTHY EATING!!

Healthy Grocery Girl

I know it’s happened to all of us at one time or another. We are in a meeting, at work, running errands, or in the middle of an intense workout and all of a sudden we feel like curling up and taking a nap. Our body feels defeated and it’s as if we have to hold our eyes open just to keep going.

Our bodies are craving nutrients and energy, something nutritious and satisfying to quickly fill us up and give us that much-needed boost during the day. We need something that will feed our muscles and brain so we stay alert and energized!

  Nutrition Bars are a great on-the-go snack for all those busy bees who need to keep their energy up and feel satisfied!  

But have you ever eaten a “nutrition” bar and felt like you could eat five more? If you make a trip to the grocery store and browse the nutrition bar aisle, there are so many choices it’s overwhelming! We see bars that advertise “only 90 calories” or “made with real fruit.” Unfortunately, this advertising is not only sometimes false, but these low calorie low nutrient bars can be lacking in real nutrients and real nutrition. Here are some common “nutrition” bars that just don’t make the cut.

-Nature Valley bars     

-NutriGrain bars 

-Special K bars 

All these bars are low in protein, loaded with sugars and high fructose corn syrup, and some even have trans fats! Now that is definitely something to stay away from.

So what should we be looking for when choosing a nutrition bar? Here are four things to quickly scan when reading a nutrition bar label:

-Saturated fats –no more than 3g

-Trans fats – 0g to keep it heart-healthy

-Protein – at least 3g to give to keep you satisfied and energized

-Fiber – at least 3g to give you a feeling of fullness

Here are a few Healthy Grocery Girl nutrition bar favorites that are tasty, nutrient-rich and will keep you satisfied all day long!

-Kashi TLC Chewy Bars- contains whole, roasted almonds, succulent, sun-dried fruit, toasted sunflower seeds and a touch of wildflower honey, has 4g of Fiber and 6g of Protein

 -Pure Bars- these tasty treats are certified organic, gluten-free, all-natural, and vegan/vegetarian. Most have 6g of Protein and 4g of Fiber.

-Kind Bars-these natural fruit and nut bars have only the good ingredients packed into them and are healthy for any occasion. Most contain 7g of Protein and 3g of Fiber.

When it comes to healthy and beneficial nutrition bars, the less ingredients, the better! A good rule of thumb when looking at nutrition bars is making sure that you can see and pronounce the ingredients list! If you don’t know what it is, it’s probably not that good for you. The best nutrition bars are going to be loaded with nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and whole grains. Giving you plenty of vitamins, minerals, and energy-boosting nutrients.

HAPPY HEALTHY EATING!!

Healthy Grocery Girl

I am a foodie.

Does that surprise you?

Not only am I passionate about helping people achieve and live a healthy balanced life through natural eating but I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate goodfood!

However you won’t find me eating something nasty, “just because it’s healthy.” Food is meant to be healing, fuel and nourishment as well as enjoyment, social, meaningful, memorable, and inspiring!

Have you ever heard of the saying, “Eat Your Colors”, in reference to eating a variety of fruits and vegetables?  

Well today’s blog is for all my fellow health loving foodies. Enjoy these beautiful COLORfoodrific photo’s to “oooooh” and “aaaah” and drool over… and hopefully inspire some healthy munching as well!

And for those of you that think, or know someone who thinks that eating healthy is bland, boring, and tasteless… oh boy… here’s to changing the way you think about health food!

Peach Lemonade Coolers

Grape Granita

Spiced Hazelnut Hummus

The Twilight Salad

Fresh Tomato Mozzarella Tart

 Watermelon Pom Pops

Rosemary Roasted Almonds

Veggie Summer Rolls

Thanks Fattie’s Delight for the amazing inspiration and photo’s!

Happy Healthy Eating!

Healthy Grocery Girl

Balance. It’s so important to take time off from “work” to enjoy the outdoors, friends, quietness, and relaxation. That is exactly what I did this past weekend, and it was heaven!

Not only was the weekend relaxing…. but we ate like champs! So much good food!

Here is a sneak peak….

Saturday Evening Meal

Organic Grilled Chicken Breast

Organic Cooked Carrots and Green Beans

Organic Sauteed Spinach

Trader’s Joe’s Organic Corn Tortilla Chips and Salsa

A delicious Trader Joe’s Pinor Noir 

Saturday and Sunday Night Campfire Dessert:

Grilled Banana Smore’s on Hazelnut Dark Chocolate and / or Hazelnut Milk Chocolate and / or Dark Chocolate with Pistachio’s and Raisins & Trader Joe’s Organic Honey Graham Crackers. 

*Grilled Banana’s instead of Marshmallows is the way to go! It is amazing!

Sunday & Monday Morning Breakfast: 

Sunday and Monday Lunch:

Chicken Curry Salad in Whole Wheat Pita Pocket 

*Chicken Curry Salad: Chicken, Vegenaise, curry powder, celery, slivered almonds, sliced red grapes

Snacks:

Watermelon

Trader Joe’s Chips and Salsa

Red and Yellow Cherries

Kombucha

Sunday Night Dinner:

Grilled Ahi Tuna on the Fire with Potatoes, Onion, Bell Peppers and Mushroom

Organic Carrots and Green Beans

Camp Fire! Making Grilled Banana Smore’s!!

Needless to say when you go camping with HGG and awesome health loving friends it’s bound to be a retreat of good eating, lots of laughter, and much needed R&R. 

Some of my favorite moments of the weekend included; swimming in the lake, our awesome camp fire story telling, and accidentally throwing and getting a ball stuck in a giant tree. Needless to say I was overly excited to be asked to join the game, and in one throw, the ball was stuck in a tree. Game over. Oops! Good times and belly laughs!

Happy Healthy Eating Friends!

Healthy Grocery Girl

Chlorella is used for preventing cancer, reducing radiation treatment side effects, stimulating the immune system, improving response to flu vaccine, increasing white blood cell counts (especially in people with HIV infection or cancer), preventing cold, protecting the body against toxic metals such as lead and mercury, and slowing the aging process.

Chlorella is also used to increase “good” bacteria in the intestine in order to improve digestion; and to help treat ulcers, colitis, Chron’s disease, and diverticulosis.

Some people also use chlorella for the prevention of stress -related ulcers; treatment of constipation, bad breath, and hypertension; as an antioxidant; to reduce cholesterol;  to increase energy; to detoxify the body; and as a source of magnesium to promote mental health, relieve premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and reduce asthma attacks. It is also used for fibromyalgia.

Chlorella is applied to the skin for treating skin ulcers, rashes caused by radiation treatment, and a sexually transmitted disease called trichomoniasis.

So What Does Healthy Grocery Girl Recommend?

One of my favorite ways to consume Chlorella is through my morning smoothie! Here is my recipe:

Simple Green Smoothie

1 Serving Amazing Grass SuperFood (*contains Chlorella)

1 Tbsp Organic Ground Flaxseed

1 Banana or 1 cup. Organic Frozen Berries

1 cup Coconut or Almond Milk

1 tsp. Cinnamon

Ice / Water for Consistency and Volume

*note: bump up the protein in this smoothie by adding natural almond butter, natural plain greek yogurt or kefir with probiotics, or protein powder such as Amazing Grass Meal. Products I love are; Trader’s Joe’s Almond Butter, Chobani Greek Yogurt and Amazing Grass Meal (provides 11 grams of complete protein).

In case you’ve never heard of Amazing Grass SuperFood before, here is why I love them. AG SuperFoods provide essential organic, raw and delicious fruit and vegetable nutrition. It is amazing (pun intended) how much good nutrition is packed into one single serving of this stuff! Amazing Grass SuperFood is also gluten free, vegan and rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients!

Doesn’t all this Green Goodness just make you want to dance! It’s Fantastic!

Happy Healthy Eating!

Healthy Grocery Girl

We all know fructose is some type of sweetener, we see it listed on so many food labels: ketchup, soft-drinks, energy drinks, cereals, cookies, breads, crackers, ice creams, canned soups, and more. And most of us think fructose has something to do with fruits. So in some way it’s okay; it’s just some sweetener thing derived from natural fruit sugar.

But it’s not. Well it’s half true. Fructose is one of the main sugars from fruits, the others being sucrose and glucose, so that’s true. But the fructose found in processed foods is an entirely different story.

                               
Food manufacturers and producers are sweetening our food with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which does not come from fruits at all. It comes from a highly processed blend derived from corn, which many times can be genetically modified.

Too much HFCS in the diet means extra calories and can lead to unwanted weight gain. In addition to the unwanted pounds, weight gain can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

The best way to reduce HFCS and other added sugars in your diet is check the products that you consume and look out for it on the labels. Added sugars are listed on ingredient labels as HFCS, fructose, sucrose, glucose, corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, corn sweetener, honey and dextrose. Limit these as much as possible and try to get your sweet fix from whole fruit instead. Not only are you getting natural sugar this way, you are also getting much needed fiber and antioxidants.

The American Heart Association has specific guidelines for added sugar — no more than 100 calories a day from added sugar for most women and no more than 150 calories a day for most men. That’s about six teaspoons of added sugar for women and nine for men.

Just to put this in perspective, one 12-ounce soft drink or 1.5 fruit-flavored eight-ounce cups of yogurt has 10 teaspoons of added sugar, that’s already above the guidelines for the entire day!

                  

Most Americans get more than 22 teaspoons — or 355 calories — of added sugar a day, which far exceeds both the USDA guidelines and American Heart Association recommendations.

Tips to reduce the added sugar in your diet:

* Limit sugar-laden sodas.

* Limit candy high in added sugar.

* Limit the non-nutritious, sugary and frosted cereals.

* Check to see that your canned fruit is packed in water or natural juice, not syrup.

* Go easy on condiments like ketchup, BBQ sauce, and salad dressings.

* Check the content of yogurt and dairy products for added sugar.

* Avoid fast food - it’s usually high in HFCS.

* Have fresh fruit as a sweet treat.

* Snack on vegetables.

* Look for 100 percent organic labels, then it’s HFCS-free.

* Make your own 100% fruit and / or vegetable juice at home.  

                                         Hurom Slow Juicer  The Natural News Store

Learn more:http://www.NaturalNews.com/032494_fructose_sweeteners.html#ixzz1SwUV797h

Are you a busy mom? Are you a busy work professional? Do you own your own business? Maybe you’re all three!

Sometimes with all that is on our to-do list, going to the grocery store on a weekly basis can feel like a chore, and if you’re REALLY busy can be a chore that is overlooked!

Come on bachelors… how many of you have nothing but beer and an onion in your refrigerator?

And busy moms… wouldn’t it be nice to just open your pantry and always have on hand healthy grains and greens?

I love the idea of health foods delivered to your door, that will not perish in a week!

Check out Storable Organics for Healthy Grocery Girl approved long lasting staples….

Happy Healthy Eating!

It’s an American staple, especially for kids… it’s the Chicken Nugget!

But what happens when there are more nuggets of synthetic chemical than natural chicken? 

Natural News reveals some shocking details behind (rather inside) the popular Chicken Nugget. How about some Dimethylpolysiloxane, a type of silicone that is used in caulks and sealants, as a filler for breast implants, and as key ingredient in Silly Putty added to your chicken nugget? No Thanks!

So does that mean it’s the end of the nugget? No way! Healthy Grocery Girl to the rescue! Here are two natural and healthy chicken nugget brands to eat instead…

Coleman’s Organic Chicken Breast Nuggets

Apple Gate Farm’s Natural Gluten Free Chicken Nugget

Happy Healthy Eating!

Healthy Grocery Girl

Moseying around Whole Foods today, I decided to pick up some staples I was out of; Coconut Milk, Ground Flaxseed, Kombucha, Organic Broccoli and Carrots for dinner, and something else…. I was in the mood for a little crunch!

However I have been trying to eat Gluten Free lately (just for the heck of it… to see if I would feel any different.. more on this to come). So while I was surveying the Gluten Free section I noticed some Rice Chips that looked pretty tasty and decided to try out the Lundberg Sesame & Seaweed variety. 

Seaweed in my chip? This could go wrong real quick.

After thorough munching and taste bud mulling I would rate this snack between a like to love.

They are definitely crunchy, with only a surprisingly faint hint of sesame and seaweed (if you were afraid that would be a flavor fail). They are also delicious when dipped in hummus, salsa, and avocado!

Nutritionally, there is not much to them, which isn’t neccessarily a bad thing. While they are not a significant source of protein or fiber, they are very low in fat, sodium and cholesterol, which is good.  

Will I eat these everyday? No.

Will I buy these again when I’m craving a little healthy crunch? Yes, most likely I will indeed.

Happy Healthy Eating!