THE OUTSTANDING BLOG

After a rough year, there’s one thing on everyone’s mind: can it just be summer already? The first day of summer might be officially marked on the calendar, but the true kickoff happens on the day that you host your first barbecue party and invite all your family and friends. You’ve pulled out all your short shorts, you’ve dipped into the self-tanner, and you’re ready to go, but all that BBQ equipment has been collecting dust for many months – so have your skills at the grill and your general party-planning abilities. Thankfully, you’re in the right place, because we’re...

There are some wonky ingredients out there, and many of us have tried some crazy stuff over the years to see if we can get any of the supposed benefits. They can come from unexpected places or familiar sources right under our noses! In the case of sunflower oil, we’re dealing with a powerful, versatile ingredient that comes from the beloved sunflower seeds we’ve been munching and crunching for years. Or at least, whenever you’re at a ball field (or maybe never).  Sunflower oil is often overlooked compared to other cooking oils, but we think it deserves a closer look...

Sometimes it feels like you need a degree in chemistry to figure out some of the ingredients in your favorite foods. Some of those items are tough to pronounce and seem to originate from a different dimension. The truth is that many of those ingredients come from natural sources and are totally safe to consume, so don’t worry too much – you just need to know the facts. Citric acid is the perfect example of an ingredient that is commonly misunderstood but is actually quite important in a whole bunch of recipes and cooking techniques. We’re here to make sense...

When you commit to gluten-free living, it tends to involve a lot more research than you expected. You end up scanning labels, asking questions, and reading articles like this one to figure out what foods are off-limits for your new diet. It’s not all gluten-free brownie mix and butterflies.  That’s because there are so many unexpected sources of gluten in our food, and many items you thought were safe turn out to have that hidden gluten within. Going gluten-free is like playing a game of The Floor Is Lava, except the lava is the gluten, and the floor is almost...

Stroll through the grocery store, flip the channels on TV, and scroll social media for just a few minutes, and you’ll see junk food front and center no matter what. More than any other time in history, junk food is more accessible to the masses, and marketing efforts have gone into overdrive. The packaging is irresistible, the prices are low, and when you dig in… yum. But on the other side of that snack attack, we face the consequences in the short and long terms. We know that junk food is bad for us inside and out, but we can’t...

Some of the world’s most nutritious food sources come from some pretty freaking weird places. These “superfoods” live up to that name by offering a high density of nutrients that even scientists have trouble understanding. Maybe you’re just getting into superfoods now or maybe you’ve been interested in them for years, but there’s one that you may have missed in your research so far – chlorella. Wait, what?  This may not be the most hyped superfood on the market, but it’s a hidden gem that you should take another look at. Today we’re doing a deep dive on chlorella, what...