Milk is definitely in the news these days, specifically whole milk.  At your local Ingles Market, you can find a variety of cow’s milk options as well as non-dairy alternatives.   All of the milk sold at Ingles Markets is pasteurized.  Pasteurizing milk is a food safety measure.  Pasteurized milk is still a good source of protein, vitamin D, and other vitamins and minerals.  Our store brand of milk is Laura Lynn milk which is primarily sourced from local dairy farmers within about 150 miles of Asheville, NC. 

I got a question this week on LinkedIn (yes, you can find me there!) about chia seeds so let’s take a look:

What are they?: They are small black seeds from the chia plant which is native to Mexico and Guatemala.   They look a little like poppy seeds but are larger.

What’s the benefit of eating/using or cooking with them?
Chia seeds are a source of fiber, omega 3-fatty acids, and protein.  

The one micronutrient that most all would do well to increase is fiber.

“Fibermaxxing” has had a moment on TikTok with people conducting fiber challenges to see how much they could consume.

Most Americans don’t come close to getting sufficient fiber in their daily diet.

Two of the trends/fads that you can expect to see reflected in products on the shelves at your local Ingles Markets are callouts for protein amounts and callouts for fiber amounts.  

Both protein and fiber are macronutrients. 

Most people think about protein coming from meat, chicken, fish, eggs and dairy products and fiber coming from fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains.