This week's blog post was written by our awesome dietetic intern Monica!
Happy Whole Grains Month! To celebrate, we here at ShopWell will be answering the most burning whole grain questions that consumers have.
Q: So, what’s the big deal about whole grains?
A: According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Healthy Americans, Americans are not consuming enough whole grains. Most of the grain products being consumed are made of refined grains.
Q: What is a whole grain, anyway?
Following a healthy diet every day is hard work. The hard work comes from consistently practicing the changes you made to your eating habits, day in and day out. However, follow a new eating pattern for long enough (generally longer than 28 days) and it will become a new habit for you. It likely will even become enjoyable for you. But occasionally life happens and you’ll be tempted to splurge from your usual eating patterns; this is normal. Allowing for some treats in a diet can encourage consistency with your eating goals over the long term. Are all foods created equal? No, but there is room for less nutritious foods in your diet as long as most of your daily intake consists of nutrient dense foods.
The rising prices for protein choices including beef and pork are putting a cramp on summer menu plans. Over the past year the increase in price by as much as 16% for some cuts of meat across the United States may have you thinking twice about your purchases at the grocery store. The increase in retail price is reportedly due in large part to the drought effecting the Southwest, particularly Texas and California, as well as the porcine virus impacting pork production.
Don't throw in the towel yet on your grilling plans for summer. Here are great healthy alternatives to grill that won't break the bank:
If you are gluten free, either as
a personal choice or for health reasons, you may think that it will be
difficult to keep up with the diet while on vacation. However, if you do some
planning ahead, you can spend more time enjoying your trip and less time
worrying about your next meal. Here are some tips you can follow.
Airport
Finding gluten free food at the
airport can be a bit of a challenge. Many times, airports are filled with fast
food stations and other unhealthy eateries. However, if you look hard enough,
you will be able to find some gluten free dishes, such as salads, wraps, and
veggie trays.
Today is the first day of spring. Because many of 
you are starting your spring cleaning, I want to ask: when was the last time you cleaned out your pantry?
Here are a few tips and tricks to get your kitchen in shape, so you'll be ready to get out and enjoy the sunshine.
Free your cabinets, fridge, and freezer of expired or contaminated food:
Take a first glance and throw out anything that you know is old, smells off, is turning color, etc. Look and smell each open container in the fridge and cabinet. Don't forget: when in doubt, throw it out.
What a great weekend!
This past Saturday we showed off our iPhone app and website to an excited crowd at the Noriega St. Food Fair in San Francisco, hosted by the Office of State Senator Leland Yee, PhD.
Despite the foggy weather, Brian, Marci, and our new intern Andrea were all on hand to demo ShopWell's grocery list enhancing features including Trade Ups and Shareable Lists. 
Our Head Dietitian Marci gave a fantastically informative talk about "Maximize Your MyPlate: Getting Your Food Groups Into Every Meal". She even stayed around after to chat with people individually about ways to get more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your
diet. Missed the handout and want to know more? Download ShopWell Maximize Your MyPlate or check out her tips from last week's post.
Are you in San Francisco this Saturday?
Come visit the ShopWell booth at the Noriega St. Food Fair 8/6 from 11-4pm. I'll also be giving a talk on "Maximize Your MyPlate: Getting Your Food Groups Into Every Meal" at 1:30pm.
Since this is such an important topic for all I want to share some of the info I will be discussing at the event.
Vegetables:
Here are some lists to try: Great Veggies for Snacking, Good Vegetables for Roasting, and Vegetables that Microwave Well.
Fruits: