notjusthealthy:

If you crave this, what you really need is this… and here are the healthy foods that have it.

This is SO cool. Thank you for posting!

If you are a soda drinker please read this!!!

healthfoodstalker:

Caramel coloring is often an ingredient, and sounds innocent enough.  But do yourself a favor and read on:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-f-jacobson/caramel-coloring-in-soda-_b_823639.html

FYI: I noticed on Wednesday at the grocery store that caramel coloring is present in most beef-based canned soup. I think I’ll buy the organic kinds instead…Also, the bad kind of caramel coloring shows up in beer and soy sauce quite often.

Food swaps to minimize bloat

Note: this is not meant to be a diet. It’s a list of things to avoid if, say, you have a night out in a sexy dress coming up and you want to look fantastic in it. The site recommends eating this way for 4 days beforehand. But as a general rule, I avoid sodas, most fried foods, sugar substitutes and chewing gum on a daily basis anyway.

1. Reduce your salt intake: it causes you to retain water.
2. Avoid carbonated beverages: those bubbles make your belly bloat up.
3. Swap whole grain for refined grains & reduce the amount of breads/pastas/cereals you ingest: unless you work out vigorously, your body doesn’t need that kind of fuel and will turn it into fat.
4. Cook your veggies: eating them raw takes up more space in your digestive track, making your belly look bigger.
5. Skip spicy foods: they cause more stomach acid, which irritates stomach lining.  
6. Don’t chew gum: it makes you swallow air.
7. Avoid fried foods: this one is just a no-brainer. 
8. Watch out for gas-causing foods: Legumes, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, onions, peppers and citrus fruits. 
9. Skip sugar substitutes: your body can’t digest them and they cause many types of GI irritations.
10. Be careful of acidic drinks: Alcohol, coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and acidic fruit juices all irritate the GI and can cause bloat.

(Source: prevention.com)

Guide to what’s fresh at the grocery store

I’ve spent years of my life fumbling around in grocery stores, guessing at which fruit or vegetable is in season, and being repeatedly disappointed at the taste of what I brought home. This has prompted me to do some research into which items are at their peak taste in each month of the year. Bonus: items that are in season are usually cheaper, due to their abundance; but price and availability will always vary due do things such as the distance items have to be shipped, how the weather has affected crops, etc.

All year-round:

• Fruit: apples, avocados (the brand will vary), bananas, lemons, oranges (but they are hit or miss)
• Vegetables: beets, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, chard (depends where you live), potatoes (some varieties), romaine lettuce

January

• Fruit: grapefruit, kumquats, limes, papayas, pears, tangelos, tangerines
• Vegetables: bok choy, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, cabbages (red, white and green), cauliflower, leeks

February

• Fruit: grapefruit, kiwi, kumquats, limes, papayas, pears, tangelos
• Vegetables: asparagus, bok choy, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower

March

• Fruit: grapefruit, kiwi, kumquats, limes, mangoes, pears, pineapple, strawberries
• Vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, bok choy, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, lettuce

April

• Fruit: cherries, grapefruit, kumquats, limes, mangoes, pineapple, strawberries
• Vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, bok choy, broccoli rabe, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, rhubarb, spring peas, zucchini

May

• Fruit: apricots, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pineapple, plums, raspberries, strawberries
• Vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, bok choy, broccoli rabe, cauliflower, celery, green beans, lettuce, okra, rhubarb, spring peas, zucchini

June

• Fruit: apricots, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupe, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pineapple, plums, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon
• Vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, bok choy, broccoli rabe, cauliflower, celery, corn, green beans, lettuce, tomatoes

July

• Fruit: apricots, Asian pear, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, grapes, kiwi, limes, mulberries, nectarines, peaches, pineapple, plums, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon
• Vegetables: celery, corn, cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, summer squash, tomatoes

August

• Fruit: Asian pear, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapes, kiwi, mulberries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon
• Vegetables: celery, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, lettuce, summer squash, tomatoes

September

• Fruit: Asian pear, blackberries, grapes, kiwi, nectarines, peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries
• Vegetables: artichokes, bok choy, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, eggplants, green beans, lettuce, pumpkins, spinach, tomatoes

October

• Fruit: Asian pear, blackberries, cranberries, grapes, kiwi, kumquats, limes, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries
• Vegetables: artichokes, bok choy, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, green beans, lettuce, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potatoes, winter squash

November

• Fruit: Asian pear, cranberries, kiwi, kumquats, limes, grapes, pears, persimmons, plums, pomegranates, raspberries, tangelos, tangerines
• Vegetables: artichokes, bok choy, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, spinach, winter squash

December

• Fruit: cranberries, grapefruit, grapes, kiwi, kumquats, limes, papayas, pears, pomegranates, tangelos, tangerines
• Vegetables: artichokes, bok choy, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms, sweet potatoes

If you want to know what is in season locally, Field to Plate has this handy guide that will tell you what is fresh in your state. Unfortunately for people who live in, say, Iowa, your local chart may only have about five different types of produce available in the winter months. Lucky for me, most stores ship produce in from other states. This guide to winter vegetables is a really helpful way to make sure you are getting a variety in your diet during the colder months.

Thankfully, your local farmers market will always have a variety of vegetables to choose from during the summer, so you may only need a guide to fruits then (only a small selection of fruits are grown in my state). I’ll update this as I find more information.

Sources:
Women’s Health Magazine, 23 Ways to Eat Better 
CUESA, Seasonality Chart - Fruits and Nuts and Seasonality Chart - Vegetables