Saturday, August 12, 2017 • Page 1B
Grocery shopping for the school year By Monica Thomas, MPH, RD, LD AdviceforEating.com As another school year begins, most of us find our grocery needs change and expand. It is not hard to see that grocery shopping has evolved in several ways over the years. Also, as society has become more health conscientious, we have begun to see an increasing demand for local and organic foods, as well as a substantial knowledge for all known food allergies/intolerances. So can you get it all? Does this grocery shopping experience exist? The answer is you most likely will not have this experience at just one store; but here are some of our favorites for you to try.
First, let us start with the superstore that will likely check off most of the items on your list. In one store, you can find pre-cut vegetables, organic protein powder, wild caught seafood and prepared ready-to-cook meals all at a competitive price. In addition to food items, you can also find kitchen items/appliances, cleaning supplies and a ton of other home necessities. Likely, the biggest appeal of HEB is that they offer curbside pickup. You can now order your groceries online and pick them up in the parking area marked for curbside. How easy is that? Unfortunately, this amenity is not offered at every HEB, but the larger locations are making it standard practice. The chain has also made a push to provide a greater number of local and organic food options. Examples
include fresh, local, farm-raised eggs and shrimp sourced straight from the Gulf of Mexico. Another new feature is HEB’s Meal Simple, which are ready to cook items that include salmon, chicken and vegetable sides. They can be found in the new Meal Simple section of the store. These items are great for those nights when you do not have time to spend in the kitchen making a gourmet meal. You can cook them in their packaging and they are done in minutes!
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farms to help them stay stocked and compete with other retailers like Whole Foods. In addition, you can find popular brands like KIND bars, BOOM CHICKA POP, KIRKLANDS Coconut Water, Wholly Guacamole and may others. If you can walk through Costco and find many of your family’s favorite products at a competitive price, the membership just may be worth it.
Presumably this will not be your one stop shop, but there are great benefits to shopping here regularly. If you like the term “bargain shopping,” then you will likeTrader Joe’s, especially for the fresh produce and tasty store brand products. Trader Joe’s products must adhere to strict guidelines that ensure there are not any artificial flavors or preservatives, MSG, trans fat, dairy ingredients from BST (also known as bovine growth hormone) sources or genetically modified ingredients.
Online Shopping The grocery shopping experience has been “Amazon’ed” online. Online shopping can be great for those hectic weeks where time will not permit a satisfactory trip to the grocery store. New services like Instacart, Favor or Amazon Fresh allow one to purchase groceries online and be delivered right to your door. If you think online shopping is too expensive, check out Thrive Market. The online store sells many popular organic brands at wholesale prices and will be delivered to your door. It does require a membership fee to join, but can be worth
While shopping weekly at Costco may not be necessary, it is a great way to stock up on nonperishable items. Additionally, it is a convenient option for large families to buy bulk in a cost-effective manner. It also provides a wide variety of organic meats, fish, produce, grains and snacks. It may surprise you to know that Costco owns organic
Don’t forget your back to school checkups For The Leader The back to school season is a time when families shop for backpacks and school supplies, but physicians with Memorial Hermann Medical Group (MHMG) hope parents will also use the return of school as a reminder to schedule an annual exam for their child. “Annual exams allow families to develop a relationship with a family medicine physician or pediatrician. By building that relationship, the physician is able to better track a child’s development over time and create an accurate medical history,” says Kesha Zaveri, D.O., a family medicine physician with Memorial Hermann Medical Group The Heights. Physicians will perform a head to toe physical of your child. Parents can expect the physician to feel the thyroid gland, check for scoliosis, and listen to the heart, lungs and abdomen, among other things. As a child gets older, the exams can also
be a time to discuss changes in their body and any mental health concerns that may arise. “Pre-teens and teenagers may feel more comfortable asking certain questions to a physician, rather than a parent. When your child has an established relationship with their physician, it opens the door of communication and enables us to educate them on the changes they may be seeing in their bodies or with their emotions,” says Dr. Zaveri. “Additionally, should your child be involved in a sport, most schools require a sports physical, where a physician can also address issues like nutrition and injury prevention.” Memorial Hermann Medical Group offers both primary care and a wide range of specialty care by board certified physicians in convenient locations around the greater Houston area. Find a nearby Heights-area Primary Care Clinic or Urgent Care Clinic.
the extra expense to shop organic products regularly. Online shopping is also a great way to conveniently buy products you cannot find in stores yet. While this option may not be your weekly go-to, it is a perfect alternative when you are in a time crunch. How did these local favorites rank in latest Consumer Reports magazine? Each store was ranked by consumers based on store cleanliness, competitive pricing, fresh store-prepared foods, staff courtesy, checkout speed, produce quality and variety, meat/poultry quality, store-brand quality, selection of healthy options, prices of organic options and local produce quantity. Trader Joe’s ranked 3rd overall with a score of 86 out of a 100, followed by Costco, and HEB. With so many grocery stores options, our best advice is to meal plan! As you gear up for another school year, meal plan and make your grocery lists according to your preferred store to ensure success.
Local resident to appear in national Down Syndrome Society video - Sept 16 For The Leader Milo Castillo of Houston will appear in the bright lights of Broadway on Saturday, Sept. 16, as part of the National Down Syndrome Society’s annual Times Square Video presentation. The featured photographs highlight Milo Castillo is headed for Broadway to be a children, teens, part of the National Down Syndrome Society’s and adults with annual presentation. Down syndrome, reminding the world in a very big way about the contributions and milestones of people with Down syndrome. These collective images promote the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. The photo of Milo Castillo who happens to have Down syndrome, was selected from over 2,000 entries in the NDSS worldwide call for photos. Almost 500 photographs will appear in the video, which will be shown in the heart of Times Square.
Memorial Hermann once again earns top recognition by U.S. News & World Report For The Leader TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital holds the No. 2 spot for the third consecutive year as one of the country’s top rehabilitation hospitals according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospital rankings for 2017-2018. TIRR Memorial Hermann has been included in the prestigious rankings since the report’s inception in 1989. “TIRR Memorial Hermann continues to transform lives with innovative, results-driven rehabilitation. We are honored once again to be ranked the No. 2 rehabilitation hospital in the United States,” said Carl Josehart, Senior Vice President and CEO, PostAcute Care Services at Memorial Hermann. “Every patient’s rehabilitation journey is unique; our team of experts is committed to providing the best care possible focused around the
individual needs and goals of each of the people we serve, anchored in leading-edge research and innovation.” In addition to TIRR Memorial Hermann’s recognition, specific Memorial Hermann service lines were also honored nationally by U.S. News and World Report, including: * Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Cardiology & Heart Surgery and Neurology & Neurosurgery; * And Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery. The prestigious recognition of Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Texas Medical Center, Memorial Hermann Mischer Neuroscience Institute at the Texas Medical Center and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital – in addition to
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the rehabilitation services at TIRR Memorial Hermann – is evidence of the System’s enduring commitment to high quality, exceptional patient care. “I am proud to be part of an organization that is honored nationally, year after year, for delivering exemplary healthcare services to the Greater Houston community,” said Chuck Stokes, President and CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System. “This recognition could not be achieved without the patient-centered work and tireless dedication of our employees and affiliated physicians every day throughout the System. These rankings are a testament to their efforts.” The annual U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings, now in their 28th year, are designed to help inform and guide patients to hospitals that deliv-
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er outstanding care across a number of clinical specialties, procedures and medical conditions. The U.S. News methodologies include risk-adjusted survival and readmission rates, volume, patient experience, patient safety, quality of nursing care and other care-related indicators. “For nearly three decades, we’ve strived to make hospital quality more transparent to healthcare consumers nationwide,” said Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis at U.S. News. For the 20172018 rankings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide in 25 specialties, procedures and conditions. In the 16 specialty areas, 146 hospitals were ranked in at least one specialty. In rankings by state and metro area, U.S. News recognized hospitals as high performing across multiple areas of care.
D.A.C.B.N. Nutritionist 11500 NW Frwy - Suite 201 Houston, Texas 77092 Tel: 713-686-0828 www.drjunkin.com
Diabetes/Nephrology
Kim J. Horn, M.D. 713.863.7063 www.kimjhornmd.com
internal Medicine/Pediatrics Nutrition/ Weight Loss
Ana M. Torres, M.D. , P.A. 713.863.9200 427 W. 20th St. Ste #503 Houston, TX 77008 www.Thetorrescenter.com
obstetrics / Gynecology
Dr. Stephanie Fulton Stephanie Fulton, M.D.
1740 W. 27 St. Suite 301 Houston, TX 77008 713-880-2727 www.fultonobgyn.com
Major Hospitals
Memorial Hermann Greater Heights 1635 North Loop West Houston, Texas 77008 Tel: 713-867-2000 memorialhermann.org Physician Referral 713.222.CARE
St. Joseph Medical Center in The Heights 1917 Ashland Street Houston, Texas 77008 Tel: 713-757-1000 Physician Referral 713-757-7575
Our dedicated nurses and staff have achieved national recognition for world-class care. Visit memorialhermann.org/heights