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FAMILY LETTER

Investing in Your Health We’re learning more and more about how foods affect our health — not just

On the Cover Hwy. 1 Red Beans & Rice For Cindy Rouse Acosta’s recipe, visit www.rouses.com cover photo by Romney Caruso • • •   Esther Says:

superfoods, but everyday foods as well. Food, it turns out, can save your life.

Our grocery stores are a natural setting for people to talk about nutrition and meal planning, so we’re excited to introduce our new Rouses nutritionist, Esther. Beginning this fall, Esther will be overseeing health screenings at our stores, shopping tours, nutrition classes, and community outreach health and wellness programs. She will also create shopping lists and recipes for our newsletters, ads and website, and answering your health-related questions on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RousesMarkets. Esther has always been interested in nutrition. After earning her B.A. at Southeastern Louisiana University, she went on to earn a B.S. in dietetics at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, and is working towards a Masters in Nutrition. “I want to be a source of factual and practical information. With Rouses I have the opportunity to impact not just what people eat, but how they eat.” It’s tempting to go all in when you’re starting a new eating or exercise program, but when you overcommit, you’re more likely to quit. Esther has been teaching us that

WHAT I’M COOKING I’ve been making a lot of curries, especially red curries. I really like Indian, Thai and other Asian food. Thai red curry sauce is a combination of red curry paste and coconut milk. I add chicken or beef, and fresh vegetables. WHERE I’M EATING I love Mexican food as much as Asian. You’ll usually find me at Felipe’s Taqueria or Juan’s Flying Burrito. I’m a huge fan of the Rum House in New Orleans, and they recently opened another location in Baton Rouge. I always order the nachos — steak, black beans, jalapeños, tomatoes, red onion, lime cream, cilantro and melted cheese. They’re a must eat. WHAT’S IN MY ROUSES GROCERY BAG Kashi Heart-to-Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat Cereal, plain Greek yogurt, Rouses Skim Milk and Rouses Chocolate Milk, my-go-to drink after a long bike ride. Protein depends on what I’m cooking that week. Produce changes seasonally, but I always buy enough to have two servings of fruits and five servings of vegetables a day. WHAT’S IN MY PURSE I try to avoid a snack attack by planning ahead. I always carry a bag of fresh veggies — bell peppers, snap peas, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and a personal size container of Wholly Guacamole.

small changes — like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and adding more nutrient-dense foods to your grocery cart — can yield big changes. It’s no surprise that the peanut M&M’s, cookies and Rouses potato chips on our office desks are now secreted to drawers below. But Esther says no food is taboo, just the word diet. “I don’t like the word diet. Diets don’t work. For me, it’s all about a healthy lifestyle and making realistic changes.” Realistic changes means buying and making food you know you will actually eat. Esther was raised in Baton Rouge, and like any Gulf Coast local, she knows just how important food is.“On the Gulf Coast, eating is how we communicate. Healthy has to taste good!” I couldn’t agree more. Donny Rouse 3 rd Generation

Donny Rouse & Esther, Rouses Nutritionist photo by Erika Goldring

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