Are you loading up your shopping basket with extra calories?

What’s in Your Post Holiday Shopping Basket?

New Year means new resolutions, and for many of us that results in a promise to be healthy, eat better, drink less. But according to a new study from the University of Vermont, along with researchers from the University of Ohio and the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, in the first few months of the New Year families may be buying more food on their shopping trips than the rest of the year!  Researchers tracked around 200 households at a northeastern grocery store for seven months between July 2010 and March 2011 and found that they were spending more and buying more in the post-holiday months. They were spending three times as much on nutritious and healthy foods, but also they were buying more food overall. According to nutritionist Lizzy Pope , lead author of the study, "The calories in their total basket were much higher than any other time of the year." 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/01/08/375655844/how-food-shopping-turns-new-years-resolutions-into-res-illusions

De-stress with Gut Bacteria!  Looking for a way to reduce stress? Forget the pills try this... according to new research from neurobiologists at Oxford University; they have uncovered some preliminary evidence of a connection between gut bacteria and mental health in humans. Researchers say that supplements designed to boost healthy bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract ("prebiotics") may have an anti-anxiety effect by altering the way people process emotional information. Previous research has documented this effect in mice, but this new study is one of the first to examine it in humans. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/04/gut-bacteria-mental-healt_n_6391014.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living&ir=Healthy%20Living

New Trends in Innovative Water!  One of the biggest trends in 2014 was coconut water, and now specialty waters are booming! Delicious Living rounded up some of the most innovative waters hitting the shelves – take for example, Almond Water made from   boiled sliced almonds, water, cane sugar, and almond extract – not uniquely functional, just refreshing. Or, Artichoke Water? With just 40 calories per 8 ounces, artichoke water contains liver-supporting phytonutrients like silymarin. And then there’s Melon Water - rich in anti-inflammatory antioxidants, potassium, and citrulline, and muscle-supporting amino acid, so a good replacement for your sports drink? 

http://deliciousliving.com/nutrition/7-waters-deliver-innovative-nutrition?NL=NH-03&Issue=NH-03_20150101_NH-03_979&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_5_b