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AI 101: AI Explained
Do you struggle with AI? Have parents, friends, and others who struggle with terminology and understanding what AI is good for?
The guide defines basics terms that are often mentioned in numerous online videos and definitely can be confusing to a new user.
Check out my guide, free to use, no data collected.
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Which supplement should I take? #Supplement Explorer
Are you always on your phone looking at which supplements you should take? Do you look at reviews? How do you decide what to buy?
As someone who has been in the nutraceutical industry for over 10 years, I’ve worked with many suppliers and companies to understand why an ingredient is chosen, what research is behind it, and how to sell it to a consumer, so if you are looking for some answers to questions you may have, drop a comment, or even better check out the Supplement Explorer on the site. It is free to use, 3 questions, and a simple output. No info is stored.I made the Supplement Explorer purely for my use and then thought, well, if it is useful for me, maybe it is useful for others. The tool is not affiliated with any company or brand, but was just a way for me to showcase what I find useful. If you use it, do give me feedback as to what you’d like to see it on too.
Stay well and remember, before taking any supplements, check with your doctor if it is a good fit for you or not!
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Pushing boundaries
Earlier this week, I talked about how products with unique colors are gaining fame via Instagram but what these unique products are also resulting in is innovation. Why is that important to the consumer?
Without innovation, when you walk down an aisle and look for a product, you’d most likely just see one or two choices and not the many choices you have. Factors such as ingredients, packaging, sizing, convenience are all taken into account when designing an end product for the consumer but innovation can also be presenting something that you might not think you need or want.
What this means in the food and beverage industry is what can we put together that is unique yet familiar? A good example would be smash mallows (https://smashmallow.com/). Smash mallows are re-imagined forms of marshmallows and are a huge hit. By capitalizing on the snacking phenomenon and introducing new flavors, the company had a hit product. Similarly, something familiar is coffee. So when you see launches of turmeric lattes or broccoli coffee, you are immediately intrigued because what just happened to your coffee? Not only are you able to get your caffeine but now you are able to get some health benefits via added nutrients.
Are some of these unique flavor combos a fad? Perhaps but at least it drives traffic into a business as well as provides you nutrients that you might have missed out on that day.
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Environmental impact: food trend for 2019
Having traveled quite a bit this year, one thing that I noticed is that environmental impact is important to both the consumer and the manufacturer (including restaurants). Have you been to a restaurant lately and asked for a straw? Was the straw from recycled material or plastic? Simple changes like this can have a huge impact on our environment.
Consumers typically now have smart phones and are well aware about a company that is doing something good for the environment versus one that is not. Remember those little beads in your body wash? Those beads don’t dissolve and end up in our lakes and rivers so a company that is able to find a way to break them down is likely going to get more money from everyday consumers who are environmentally conscious.
Would you be willing to pay more for something if it was environmentally friendly? That is a question that most food manufacturers have to answer when developing their product. The cost benefit analysis is often overwritten if the consumer is demanding change. If you like a product and feel that it can be modified to help the environment, reach out to that manufacturer and see what they can do about it.
Let’s face it, most of us use Amazon and often wonder is there no solution to avoiding so much packaging waste? What is Amazon doing about it? Lots of questions and few answers regarding Amazon’s packaging situation but there are several companies that are currently environmentally friendly and this trend will continue to impact a consumer’s purchasing decision.
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Color: food trend for 2019
No matter what you read today, you are most likely seeing a list of trends either for this year or next year. From Spotify lists to best restaurants or places to visit, the trend list is big everywhere including in the food industry.
I’ll talk about one trend that is likely going to continue next year and you may already be aware of it—colors. Drinks and beverages that have colors that pop and are Instagram-worthy are likely to benefit from exposure, no matter how bad they taste. Do you remember the unicorn drink that was launched at Starbucks? Did you buy it for how it tastes or more because everyone had to have a pic of it. I fell into the latter category and I will admit the pic was nice, the drink not so much. If there were so many people like me out there, think of all the food waste that was occurring, not good, right?
What can you do about it? If you must buy that colorful drink, look at what’s in it and see if it will help your goals? For me, I really like the color of dragon fruit and if it is part of a smoothie that doesn’t have added sugar, then I’ll definitely look into picking it up. I also like the yellow, turmeric color so knowing that I’m taking in a healthy drink without a lot of cons would be something that I might gravitate towards.
Remember, the food industry knows people want to share and have Instagram-worthy pics so don’t be surprised to see more products with beet color or blue algae as those ingredients will result in that product standing out!
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Time is running out..Christmas is almost here!
Still looking for gift ideas?
Interested in products or items that I have talked about in my posts..visit the link below on Amazon and my fave products are there for you to browse:
Check back frequently for updates!
https://www.amazon.com/shop/2howyalldoing
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Pet food recalls
I’m sure if you are concerned about what you are eating, then likely you are concerned about what you are feeding your pets! There have been so many pet food recalls these last few weeks that you do wonder what is safe and what am I feeding my beloved four-legged family member?
AAFCO (or the Association of American Feed Control Officials) is typically the group companies turn to for guidance on pet food but note they are not a regulatory body but manufacturers do turn to them when deciding about ingredient usage (https://www.aafco.org/). Knowing that such a body exists, it would be beneficial to ask them questions when you are unsure about a product you are feeding your pet especially if you are not satisfied with the manufacturer’s answer.
Being a dog owner myself, I am super careful about what I eat and definitely am the same way regarding what I feed my pet so when I hear news stories about pet food recalls due to excess Vitamin D, that is alarming to me. Even though I work with food ingredients, the science of pet food can still be puzzling as pets react differently than humans plus they can’t speak when they are sick. So what can you do? How do you trust the food that you are giving is actually good for your pet?
My way of staying aware of what is going on in the industry is signing up for alerts on various pet food sites that will notify you when there is a pet food recall. Ask your vet if you are concerned with an ingredient and if they aren’t aware or sure, do the research yourself—Google has tons of useful info that you can utilize. Also, remember that the same vitamins that are good for you are good for your pets but the amounts pets need is different so be careful and double check what you are giving. As far as buying food is concerned, I typically stick with the same brand of food especially if my dog is doing well on it. I learn more about that manufacturer including how many recalls they have had and then decide if I should stick with that brand or not. If you aren’t convinced manufactured pet food is good for your pet, then perhaps you can cook for your pet or follow the raw food diet plan but I’d check with your vet before proceeding as you don’t want to think you are doing something good for your pet when in actuality you might be making them sick.
There is no way to avoid recalls but with some scrutiny you can help your pet lead his/her best life!
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The fountain of youth
As we age, one of the first things most of us do is try to figure out the best way to look younger. Maybe that involves hitting the gym more or looking on Google for what products I can buy to reduce my wrinkles or even changing what I eat, all of which we hope leads to us discovering that fountain of youth but does it work?
I’m all for updating your diet and workout routines to help you feel good but you shouldn’t be doing those things only for vanity purposes. Eating right and exercising are just some ways to prolong your life as the better in shape you, the less likely you might have health related issues. Now, if you are wanting to begin this life long process of eating right and exercising, I’d say start with the diet. How?
To start eating healthier, look for products that have antioxidant capabilities like goji berries, acai, or omegas. If you are a fan of tea, drink some green tea or kombucha and reap some of those health benefits from these items. If you don’t like tea, try to look for products that have probiotics as that may improve your gut health, which is so important to help with good digestion of your food and absorption of nutrients from those foods. Today, you can even find functional beverages that are fortified with lots of vitamins and minerals along with turmeric and ginger which may also aid your immunity and recovery.
Perhaps, there is no true fountain of youth, but you can definitely feel and look your best when you are eating quality foods and maintaining an exercise routine.
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Food first!
A growing trend in the food industry today is to have products be more clean label and of course have ingredients that sound like something you and I would know how to say and figure out what it is. With that approach being undertaken, what is now emerging is that the people are now putting food first and vitamins second. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
I’m a huge proponent of eating food to get the nutrients you need but two things must be considered when eating food. Do you want to eat something because it is food and it is time to eat or are you eating a quality food item that has benefits? Eating a cheese sandwich/burger may give you nutrients like protein, calcium, and various vitamins and minerals but is eating the burger the best way to get it? If you ate a burger everyday, I’m pretty sure your waist line would increase. I think there may even be a documentary on Netflix or online that talks about the 30-day McDonald’s diet. Either way, your choice of food definitely makes an impact on how many of those nutrients are actually available to you.
By putting vitamins second, I fear that we might be deficient in key nutrients like B vitamins if we aren’t eating enough leafy greens and healthy foods. Plus, how many of us actually eat completely healthy everyday or even eat enough veggies and fruits to make a dent in our recommended daily allowance of the needed nutrients? My guess is that very few of us do. So by not buying fortified foods, perhaps diseases like scurvy could see an increase.
As a consumer, what’s most important to me is that the food is healthy and I’m getting a benefit from it when I eat it. Price is also of importance to me because just because I want to eat healthier doesn’t mean that I want to break the bank in doing so. So should you put food first and vitamins second? Good question with no straight-forward answer!
fruit platter
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Convenience via Squeeze Packs?
One of my favorites ways to fuel up after a workout is via Fuel for Fire’s squeeze packs (https://www.fuelforfire.com/) which are so great in taste and have 10-12g protein in it but the true reason that I pick it up is for the convenience factor. I don’t have to worry about carrying a protein powder container or having milk with me to mix my protein powder in. The squeeze pack market will continue to increase as we have busier and busier lives.
Squeeze packs were always seen in the past for baby food products but eventually they made it into the sport nutrition market and now you can see it in most aisles in the grocery stores too. I love eating peanut butter and nut butters and now that Justin’s also has a squeeze pack (https://shop.justins.com/Classic-Peanut-Butter/p/JNB-003004&c=Justins@NutButters), I can enjoy my favorite treats on-the-go.
Do you buy squeeze packs for the taste or convenience? I like them for the variety of items that you can get in them from pet food to sauces to soups to more. I like that packaging wise I don’t have to fumble around for a can opener. Downside though is that you can’t recycle these usually due to how they are manufactured so they aren’t really good for the environment. Another thing I do have to pay more attention to is the serving size, calories, and sugar content in these because this little package could totally increase your sodium intake, carbs, and more so the same rules of picking healthy products must be applied when choosing which one to consume.
We all know that usually fast food isn’t healthy so why do we assume that squeeze packs are automatically healthy too?
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Do you drink Chai?
Chai is something that I grew up with as it was always served at home to guests or drunk by family members. It was a great way to begin your day or wind down your day and eventually it made its way overseas and became the favorite of many tea drinkers.
Chai tea is how it is known here in the US which is ironic because chai is tea so you are kinda of saying tea tea twice, lol! Anyway, in the US, you can order chai as hot or iced but my preferred way of drinking chai is hot as it soothes your body quickly just like a cup of hot coffee!
Chai is usually made with black tea with various spices like ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel, clove, and black pepper or you can just pick up a packet of chai masala from Amazon or Whole Foods or an Indian store so that you don’t have to figure out how much of each spice to add. Once the water has boiled with loose black tea and grated ginger in it, let this water boil and add the remaining spices. Top it with milk, strain, and serve. Your yummy beverage is ready to drink?
Each spice has it own effect but overall chai may be used to help with digestion, supporting your immune system, blood sugar maintenance, weight management and of course to get your antioxidants. Also, remember that Chai does have caffeine so limit your consumption if caffeine keeps you awake at night.
How often do you drink chai and how do you make it?
A cup of chai
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Got Christmas shopping to do?
Interested in products or items that I have talked about in my posts..visit the link below on Amazon and my fave products are there for you to browse:
Check back frequently for updates!
https://www.amazon.com/shop/2howyalldoing
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