If you are trying to eat healthy, chances are high that you’ve heard of a popular eating style, based on the traditional Mediterranean diet. But, you don’t have to live around the Mediterranean to adhere to it. Reasons for following the Mediterranean diet vary, and often, part of trying to make healthier choices. Let’s dive into the foods that are part...

It’s never too late to start eating well and many turn to the Mediterranean Diet as a guide. But what do you know about Mediterranean diet foods? Healthy Mediterranean food is only part of the answer. One reason it’s a popular eating style is because of heart health and is recommended by the American Heart Association with many write-ups by...

Think practicing the Mediterranean Diet means bread is off the menu? Not so fast. Learn about what you need to look for in Mediterranean Diet bread and discover the best bread for Mediterranean Diet, including recipes to make your own. The Mediterranean Diet is year-over-year the number one diet. If you were to look at the Mediterranean Diet pyramid, you’ll...

Eating on the Mediterranean diet, snacks are welcome. Sometimes, they verge on mini-meals and other times, they tend to be a sweeter treat, made with refined sugar-free options. This is where dried figs come in. Naturally sweet, the sugar in dried figs mean you can use less alternate sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar. A healthy snack based...

It’s National Nutrition Month and we wanted to demystify your questions about foods with dried figs in them. Today, we’re tackling the question: are fig bars healthy and its cousin, are fig rolls healthy. Fig rolls and bars are the quintessential cookie from childhood. They’re made with cookie dough that bakes up soft and enfolds the figgy filling in the...

If you consider all of the eating styles around the world, you’ve probably heard of or perhaps even participate in the Mediterranean diet. And, for good reason. This eating style is recommended by RDs and nutritionists and centers on whole foods. Learn more about it and find Mediterranean diet breakfast recipes and ideas for every meal of the day below....

by Lorelle Del Matto, MS, RDN At Valley Fig Growers, we’re always on the lookout for interesting information and new uses for figs. Recently a research article caught our attention that explored fig extract benefits, namely, how an extract of abscisic acid made from dried figs may provide health benefits (1). The study suggests that this extract may help to...

by Lorelle Del Matto, MS, RDN, CD Protein-rich cottage cheese is having a moment right now. We recently jumped on the whipped cottage cheese trend, pairing it with Sun-Maid and Orchard Choice Figs in sweet and savory preparations, great for a mini-meal, appetizer, or snack like whipped cottage cheese dip. It’s a tasty blood sugar balancing combo for which you...

You may be thinking, what is tryptophan?  Or, you’ve heard about foods high in tryptophan such as turkey which is often blamed for the “I need a nap” feeling after a big Thanksgiving feast. Stay tuned for an explanation – after a brief 411 answering the question I asked, and a chart of tryptophan food sources. Tryptophan is one of...

by Annie Siegfried, MS, RDN Is type 2 diabetes preventable? Lifestyle and diet changes can help prevent type 2 diabetes. Prevention is key: If you have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes—high blood glucose levels that don’t get to the threshold of a diabetes diagnosis If you’re currently at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes because of excess weight or obesity,...

by Annie Siegfried, RDN What do you know about dried fig iron content? Read on to learn more about dried figs iron content and then head to the bottom of the article for my brownie peanut butter fudge cups recipe. If you’ve been feeling weak and tired way too often, it could be due to iron deficiency. It’s the most...

It’s no secret—or is it—that dried figs are a great source of fiber. If you’ve ever been curious about how to add fiber to smoothie bowls or other snacks, dried figs are the answer. Find more ideas of smoothies with figs and resources to learn more about the fiber in figs below. Ideas to Add Fiber to Smoothie Bowls +...