With the season of New Year’s resolutions in full swing, Heinen’s Fine Foods in Barrington is making it easier for us to stay on target and reach our health and wellness goals in 2013. In fact, they have a whole department in the store dedicated to subject, their Wellness Resource Center, and we decided there’s no better time than now to get to know the center’s resident wellness expert, Kadi Shipley.
With a degree in dietetics from the University of Akron, Kadi is in charge of answering questions about the thousands of products Heinen’s carries to help us improve our diets for better health. “The research is there for why eating healthy is important, but what people need to embrace individually is how good eating-well makes you feel. If people experience stress, fatigue or discomfort with their bodies, I want them to understand there are ways to eat that can solve these problems.”
When it comes to the latest health foods, drinks, vitamins and supplements available today, Kadi’s tried and tested hundreds of products. So we asked her to share a short list of things to know and products to help improve our daily diets. She boiled it down to eight great recommendations…
1. Eat Yourself Super
On a corporate level, Heinen’s Fine Foods works closely with the author of Eat Yourself Super, holistic physician and disease prevention specialist, Dr. Todd Pesek M.D. According to Kadi, “Dr. Todd has a strong history and portfolio of research in preventative health and vital living, with a focus on eating superfoods. Dr. Todd describes superfoods as: health empowering, nutrient dense, calorie sparse and plant-based foods. Plant-based eating is the way people eat in countries that don’t have the disease population that we have in America with our over consumption of processed foods. Some things we are recommending this year, with the help of Dr. Todd’ research, are vitamin D supplements, kale chips and chia seeds.” You can pick up a copy Eat Yourself Super in Heinen’s Wellness Resource Center.
2. Chia Seeds
Chia is a species of flowering plant in the mint family native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. Kadi says chia seeds are growing in popularity among health-conscious eaters here in Barrington because these little seeds pack huge health benefits. “Chia seeds have one of the highest concentrations of omega-3 acids in any food. They are also high in calcium, protein, fiber and potassium. You can get your chia in almost every format, from powder to add to smoothies, to raw seeds, chia seed drinks in our energy drink cooler and energy bars in our health foods aisle.”
3. Kale Chips
“Vitamin D is prevalent in seafood, meats, mushrooms and kale, which we offer in our produce department. We also offer kale chips here in our Wellness Center.” Kadi says kale chips are a super snack because of their Vitamin D content. “There’s a lot of research that supports Vitamin D’s aid in the reduction of cancer and in fighting the winter blues. And people in the Midwest are really challenged for natural vitamin D at this time of year.”
4. Good Greens Bars
Kadi also says she’s hooked on Heinen’s Good Greens Bars. “The Good Greens Bars have an entire 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, that’s 100% of your daily fruits and vegetables in one bar. They contain Omega-3’s, protein and fiber. We have 10 flavors ranging from triple chocolate to pumpkin spice. Heinen’s is the only place you can get Good Greens Bars outside of Ohio.”
5. Garden of Life Raw Protein
“The Garden of Life raw protein is one of our biggest selling items and we offer it at a nice price.” Kadi says Garden of Life Raw Protein is gluten-free, dairy-free and a great way to add plant-based protein plus vitamins, nutrients, live probiotics and enzymes to your diet. “People laugh when I tell them I work out just so I can earn a shake made of the raw protein mixed with almond milk when I’m done.”
6. Coconut Nectar
“Coconut nectar is the best sweetener I’ve found. It’s got a great taste and it’s so smooth. I use it in my tea. Coconut nectar is a raw food, it’s low-glycemic, and healthy.” Raw foods are uncooked, unprocessed and often organic foods including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, meat and non-pasteurized/non-homogenized dairy products.
7. Synergy Drinks
“I also love the Snergy Drinks we carry here at Heinen’s. They’re made with a blend of probiotics and powerful antioxidants and each bottle is designed to nourish your body from the inside out. I used to drink the mango one every day but then Tom Heinen told me I had to try the Ginger flavor. I thought he was crazy to think I would like to drink ginger, and now I can’t get enough.”
8. Go! Foods Program
Here’s another great tip from Kadi: If you’re shopping at Heinen’s and looking for the store’s most healthy food choices, look for the “Go! Foods” label on prepared foods and on grocery items throughout the store. The Go! Foods program was created by Cleveland Clinic, one of the top ranked U.S. hospitals.
All foods marked with the “Go! Foods” label at Heinen’s have been certified by Cleveland Clinic nutrition experts who verify the food labels meet national nutritional guidelines, containing:
Minimal saturated fat
No saturated fat
Minimal added sugars
Whole grains
Low sodium
“Offering our customers healthy food choices is a team effort at Heinen’s between our corporate offices, Dr. Todd, the wellness consultants like myself, and the chefs, and it’s in line with Heinen’s entire mission of bringing you the highest quality in foods. I’ve been working with our in-store Chef to create more recipes that contain superfood grains for our salad bar and prepared foods section. This resulted recently in Sprouted Quinoa Tibouli, and I just gave him some of the Organic Traditions Risotto Mix so keep your eye out for some prepared foods made with that.”
But the most important thing Kadi wanted us to share is the fact that she’s always happy to answer our questions about food, health and wellness.
Whether you’d like to change your diet to proactively improve your health or you’ve just been diagnosed with a new health issue, Kadi has a wealth of information to share. “I’m not here to tell people they have to completely change the way they live or what they eat. But I do want to help them improve their lives in a way that can help them curb diabetes, high blood pressure or simply get more energy or better sleep. Whether it’s a gluten issue, pain, inflammation, or simply stress and fatigue, come on in and I’ll walk you through the store and our offerings.”
You’ll find Kadi stocking new products and visiting with guests in Heinen’s in-store Wellness Center from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., five days a week. The Wellness Center is located near Heinen’s customer service desk by the checkout aisles and just before the frozen foods section.
Also check out the Wellness section of the store for natural bath products, coffee and tea alternatives, natural sodas, gluten-free, sugar-free and other dietary-restriction foods and household products.
Heinen’s Fine Foods is located at the Shops at Flint Creek, 500 N. Hough Street, in Barrington, Illinois. They’re now open from 8:00 a.m. To 8:30 p.m., 7 days a week. Click HERE to follow them on Facebook or find them online at HeinensBarrington.com.
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About the Author
Kelly Donlea is a Barrington mom, chef, cookbook author the owner of Organizing Dinner, a company that brings sensible cooking solutions to busy people. She has published several cookbooks and one of her specialties is helping parents plan family meals with fewer trips to the grocery store. Kelly also offers cooking classes and demonstrations in your home or public facility. To learn more about Kelly, her recipes and her services, you’ll find her Facebook page by clicking HERE and her website at OrganizingDinner.com. Kelly is going to be sharing recipes, cooking tips and special features about chefs and popular menu items at area restaurants right here at 365Barrington.com.
Please join us as we discover local culinary treasures and new kitchen classics in our regular Friday food feature here at 365Barrington.com called “Barrington Eats” with Kelly Donlea!
If you’d like to us to feature you favorite chef, restaurant or food store or if you have a food related question that you’d like Kelly to answer, make a quick stop at the 365 Barrington Suggestion Box and leave us a note in the form which you’ll find by clicking HERE or simply leave your comment in the box below.
