You CAN have your snack and eat it, too. 🤫 If you`re a busy snacker, your go-to solution for a quick energy boost might be a vending machine, but a little planning will probably help you strike a balance between nutrition and convenience. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

1️⃣ Make it whole. Foods in their natural forms (or only lightly processed) like fruits, vegetables, or nuts will keep you fuller for longer.

2️⃣ Choose a power combo. Aim to incorporate at least two of the following into your snack: protein, fiber, and healthy fat! Examples include apple slices with nut butter and hummus with vegetables.

3️⃣ Packaged, but powerful. Choose packaged items that are mostly whole food-based like dried chickpeas or whole-grain crackers and pair with something that has protein or fat like hummus or cheese.

4️⃣ Think beyond typical "snack food." Save that small amount of leftovers or consider out-of-the-box combinations like a vegetable and hummus sandwich or composed bean salad.

When it comes to snacking, make sure you listen to your hunger cues and choose flexible, nutrient-rich options that satisfy and can create a balanced and fulfilling snack routine. If you find yourself snacking on something "less nutritious," it`s totally okay! Eating should be a pleasurable experience. #BalancedEating #SnackIdeas #MindfulEating #NourishYourBody ...

Our commitment to Fair Trade Tea is worth savoring. 🍵

In October 2015, we were the first food service company to commit to sourcing Fair Trade tea in our cafés nationwide. Nearly 10 years later, we are as committed as ever to the enhanced social responsibility and transparency that the Fair Trade label provides.

Here`s how we got there:
➡️ Tea plants thrive in warm, humid climates, meaning most tea is imported from abroad.
➡️ We have long fought for improved labor conditions for farmworkers domestically.
➡️ Unfair labor conditions abroad are myriad. In India alone, tea plantation workers have reported issues of forced labor, gender discrimination, low wages, and high rates of child labor.

What`s in your cuppa?
Our partner, Numi Organic Tea, provides us with assorted herbal and caffeinated Fair Trade Certified teas, ensuring fair wages, safe working conditions, and community development premiums to support health, education, and infrastructure projects.

Learn more about our commitment to ethically sourced tea at the link in our bio! #FairTradeTea #EthicalSourcing #NumiOrganicTea #TeaLovers #FarmworkersRights #FairTradeMonth #FairTradeMonth2024 ...

Did you know that the markets for bananas, coffee, tea, and chocolate are volatile to price changes? Or that the supply chains are highly vulnerable to exploitation?

That`s why fair trade entered the scene back in the 1950s in an effort to create fair, safe working conditions while enriching folks growing and harvesting these goods!

Today, the Fair Trade Certification ensures that workers at certified farms receive fair treatment and fair pay while giving transparency to consumers about whether their product was ethically sourced.

How do farms seek certification? It is a complex and rigorous third-party certification process that takes many months to ensure minimum requirements for labor standards are being met. Following this, there is an annual audit to maintain the label.

We are proud to source Fair Trade tea companywide, working towards better conditions and compensation for producers this Fair Trade Month and beyond!

Learn more about Fair Trade certifications at the link in our bio, including more about price minimums and premiums. #FairTrade #EthicalSourcing #SocialResponsibility #FairTradeMonth #FairTradeMonth2024 #FairTradeCertified ...

Maize continues to be a staple food across Latin America and the diaspora, showing up in diverse cuisines that reveal the impressive versatility of maize. Here`s a breakdown of eight ways corn is used across Latin America:
1️⃣ Tortillas de Maíz (Corn Tortillas)
History: Originated over 12,000 years ago in the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico
Description: Flattened, nixtamalized corn-based dough commonly used for tacos or fried as tortilla chips

2️⃣ Arepas
History: Traceable back to the indigenous peoples of modern-day Venezuela and Colombia
Description: A round cornmeal patty stuffed with everything from beans and plantains to cheeses and meats

3️⃣ Pupusas
History: Originated around 2,000 years ago in the Pipil tribe occupying modern-day El Salvador and Honduras
Description: Various cheeses, beans, and meats are added to masa, flattened, and griddled; commonly served with curtido de repollo and a tomato-based salsa

4️⃣ Atol de Elote
Popular Central American street market fare consisting of pulverized corn heated up with milk, sugar, and various spices

5️⃣ Pastel de Choclo
History: Traditional Chilean dish found throughout South American that likely originated from the Mapuche in Southern Chile
Description: A casserole with layers of creamy corn, ground beef, raisins, olives, and hard-boiled eggs

6️⃣ Pozole
A Mexican soup made with hominy (nixtamalized whole corn kernels made from dent or flint corn), meats, chiles, and other aromatics

7️⃣ Majarete
History: A traditional Caribbean dessert
Description: A creamy corn pudding consisting of corn, coconut milk, spices, milk, sugar, and cornstarch; commonly served chilled with cinnamon

8️⃣ Sopa Paraguaya
History: Some trace its origins to the Cario-Guaraní indigenous people while others insist it was a cooking accident in the mid-1800s
Description: A cheesy cornbread traditionally served with grilled meats

#AmazingMaize #LatinAmericanCuisine #MaizeDishes #CornRecipes #TraditionalFood #IndigenousCuisine ...

Ever wondered how that sweet corn got into your chili and cornbread? Look no further than the history of Indigenous civilizations in the Americas.

Thousands of years ago, corn was a wild grass with a dozen tough kernels. Native Peoples in Mesoamerica considered corn a sacred grain, a gift from the gods, and a source of life.

Because corn informed a rich spiritual and cultural identity, Indigenous communities often evolved together with corn. As they hand-selected more suitable traits for maize, their oral histories, spiritual practices, and social structures changed.

How did these Indigenous communities use maize in their food? 👉 All corn products shared a key process called nixtamalization, which can be traced back to the Aztec, Inca, Maya, and other Native American civilizations.
1️⃣ Ripe kernels are soaked in water mixed with mineral lime or calcium hydroxide
2️⃣ The outer skin of kernels breaks down, enhancing flavor and nutritional value. Hominy is nixtamalized flint or dent corn.
3️⃣ Kernels are ground into masa, a corn flour used to make everything from tortillas to tamales.

There are over 150 distinct varieties of corn in Central and South America, but the biodiversity of heirloom corn varieties is at risk due to industrialization of the food system. We are honored to continue to enjoy the rich history of corn thanks to the devotions of Indigenous communities and organizations working to protect maize diversity.

#AmazingMaize #Nixtamalization #HeirloomCorn #CornHistory #TraditionalFoods #CulturalHeritage #HispanicHeritageMonth ...