Posted by Elena del Valle on August 19, 2013
Up to 20 percent of broccoli’s nutritional content is from protein
Photos: HispanicMPR.com, Truth Be Told
Although only seven percent of people in the United States claim to be vegetarian and increasing number of consumers indicate they are purchasing meat alternatives, according to Meat Alternatives US June 2013, a Mintel report available for purchase at $3,995. In 2012, sales of meat alternative products across a variety of conventional and specialty channels, reached $553 million, according to the survey company’s data. That was equivalent to an 8 percent growth compared to 2010.
Popular meat alternatives include seitan, almonds, soy and soy derivative products such as tempeh and tofu, legumes and beans, dairy products such as cheese, milk and yogurt, quinoa, and broccoli to name a few. Some people consume these items to cut back on the costs of expensive meat products. Some shoppers like their health benefits while others seek to replace meat and protein in their diets.
Tofu Shirataki noodles
One such product promoting health and variety is Tofu Shirataki noodles made with tofu and Japanese yam powder or konnyaku. The products are touted as a low-calorie healthy alternative to wheat pastas since each four-ounce serving has only 20 calories and three grams of carbohydrates. The promotional materials point to the benefits of soy and added protein. Similar examples cram the shelves of supermarkets and health food stores.
Thirty-six percent of respondents to a March 2013 survey of 2,000 adults by Mintel said they buy meat alternative products. Those consumers indicated they purchase such products for their health benefits rather than as meat substitutes.
Many respondents (67 percent) who didn’t say they purchased meat alternatives indicated they preferred real red meat while 34 percent said they didn’t enjoy the flavor of alternative products and 20 percent said they didn’t like the texture.
Asians and Hispanics rely more heavily on the use of meat alternatives compared to other consumer segments and Hispanics want variety, according to Mintel findings. These market segments appear to consume meat alternatives more than once per week.
White shopper who responded to the survey over index in their consumption of meat alternatives because they believe they are healthy. Respondents from other race groups said the are more likely to buy the products for their the taste.
Asian (45 percent) and Hispanic (46 percent) shoppers who took the survey said the are more likely than average to cook with meat alternatives in addition to meat and less likely than average to use the products as meat substitutes. Hispanic and Asian survey takers said they are also more likely to serve meat alternative products as a side dish than as mains.
In addition, the report indicates Hispanic shoppers who took the survey said they are interested in information about these products. They would like to know about the ingredients they are made from and how to cook with them.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 14, 2013
By Chris McGinnis
Business travel expert
Best Western
Chris McGinnis, business travel expert, Best Western
Photo: Melissa Wuschnig
Higher prices on airfare and lodging are a healthy indicator of the travel industry’s comeback. In fact, most major airlines are reporting strong profits in recent quarters after several years of capacity reductions, consolidation and the addition of new fees.
As the industry continues to experience a revival, business travel costs are increasing across the globe. In the U.S. the average per diem for food, hotel and miscellaneous expenses in the top 100 cities rose to $262 this year, up 1.6 percent over last year. As businesses prepare for the fall business travel season, business owners and managers can prepare for the season and save the company’s travel budget by considering the following:
Click to read the entire article Budget and save when traveling for business
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 9, 2013
Consumer.ology cover
Photos: Nicholas Brealey Publishing
Our unconscious mind makes decisions without checking in with our conscious mind. So believes Philip Graves, a consumer behavior observer. It doesn’t always matter what we think we should do or anticipate we will do in a given situation if we’re asked in advance. Instead, what matters is what we actually do when the situation arises. Often the two conflict, according to Graves.
In Consumer.ology The Truth about Consumers and the Psychology of Shopping (Nicholas Brealey Publishing, $19.95), a 225-page softcover book published this year, Graves addresses consumer behavior as it relates to shopping.
He proposes that people’s psychological traits are more likely to determine their behavior in response to something new than whatever they might believe or respond when asked by a researcher. The unconscious mind and context mold our thoughts and behavior in unexpected ways, according to him.
For these reasons, in his view, market research is a waste of money, a false science. This is proven, according to him, because people frequently don’t do what they say they will do when responding to surveys and market researchers questions.
“It’s hard to generalise by sociodemographic groups and, often, not particularly helpful to do so: often it’s better to look at a type of behaviour and work back from there. That said, as a generalisation, I see men and women going about shopping in quite different ways sometimes,” Graves said by email when asked whether he has observed shopping trends by groups of people with common characteristics.
“Men are often more specific in their focus and less good at browsing to find what they want; they also tend to have a greater need to feel powerful in interactions with retailers (although, in the face of genuine product expertise this tends to go away). That said, I would say that more and more men are shopping in a way that was characteristically female a few years ago: enjoying browsing and using shopping as a leisure pursuit in its own right.”
In lieu of market research he suggests the AFECT approach (analysis of behavioral data, frame of mind, environment, covert study, and timeframe) for companies to evaluate the usefulness of consumer insight favors the method he believes “embraces a true awareness of the consumer decision-making process and how the subconscious mind drives shopping behavior.”
It took the author one year to research the book which was first published in 2010. Later he decided additions were necessary and spent a month on the extra content for the updated edition published in 2013. When asked about challenges and rewards of writing the book he said: “The biggest challenge I’ve had in presenting the issues from the book is when I run into people’s beliefs surrounding traditional market research. Rather than participate in a constructive debate or weigh up the evidence, some people who have been heavily involved in market research won’t consider the issue scientifically. I understand the psychology involved, but it still sometimes surprises me that people with so much to gain by reevaluating what they do aren’t willing to do so; after all, this is about their job, not their religion!
The biggest reward is, without doubt, the opportunities that having the book out there in the world have brought to me; opportunities to travel the world, meet fascinating people and explore their challenges with them. So far I’ve given talks at events in the UK, Brazil, Belgium, Germany and the US (including to the EU and UK Cabinet Office), become an associate of the UK’s leading economics consultancy, Frontier Economics, and joined the advisory board of Next IT, a US technology company that leads the market in intelligent virtual assistants. The joy for me comes where other people take my work and invite me to help them build on it through applying the principles to their business.”
Philip Graves, author, Consumer.ology
To the question of whether it’s ethical to attempt to influence people’s unconscious minds without their realizing it he responds that all communication is intended to influence. Graves has twenty years of experience observing consumers, first as a traditional market researcher and later using psychoanalytical techniques. He has advised Comet, ITV, Whirlpool, Doc Martens, New Convent Garden Food Company, Camelot, Virgin Media, Hotpoint, Lloyds TSB, Pepsi, and HSBC.
Click to buy Consumerology
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Posted by Elena del Valle on August 2, 2013
Boxing for Cuba book cover
Photos: Fulcrum Books
In the 1950s, the Vidal Family like many in Cuba who saw the country spiraling downward, sent their three children to the United States in search of safety and a better future. Operation Peter Pan made that possible but instead of placing the brothers with relatives in Miami, as the Vidals had hoped, they were sent to the Sacred Heart Orphanage in Colorado for four years.
Guillermo Vicente Vidal, one of the boys, now an adult living in Denver, shares his and his family’s story in Boxing for Cuba An Immigrant’s Story (Fulcrum Books, $18.95). The 248-page softcover book first published in 2007 is divided into 14 chapters.
Bill Vidal, author, Boxing for Cuba
In the book, the author shares his best memories of his and his family’s immigrant journey toward a new life in the United States. Peppered among the pages, especially in the early chapters, are a few black and white photos of Vidal and his family.
Born in Camagüey, Cuba, Vidal grew up in Colorado. Following graduation from the University of Colorado, he held various government positions before becoming the city’s first immigrant born mayor. Vidal is now president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Denver.
Click to buy Boxing for Cuba
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Posted by Elena del Valle on July 29, 2013
Carl Helvie, RN, author, You Can Beat Lung Cancer
Photo: Carl Helvie
A podcast interview with Carl Helvie, RN, Dr. PH, author, You Can Beat Lung Cancer (see Cancer survivor tells how he did it with alternative, integrative methods), is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, he discusses surviving lung cancer with alternative interventions with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Carl is a registered nurse with two masters (University of California, Johns Hopkins University) and a doctorate in public health and wellness (Johns Hopkins University) and 60 years of experience as a nurse practitioner, educator, author, and researcher. He has been recognized with the Distinguished Career in Public Health Award from the American Public Health Association in 1999 and listings in Who’s Who, Who’s Who in Virginia, Who’s Who in American Nursing, Outstanding Educator in America, Men of Achievement, American Men and Women of Science, and a listing on Wikipedia. He has published eight books and contributed chapters to four additional ones. He is a 39-year lung cancer survivor who after being given six months to live by conventional medicine personnel turned to natural interventions.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Carl Helvie, RN” or click on the play button below. You may download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home by clicking on “Get HMPR Podcast” above the podcast player. The podcast will remain listed in the July 2013 section of the podcast archive.
Click to buy You Can Beat Lung Cancer
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 24, 2013
By Allison VanNest
Director of Public Relations
Grammarly.com
Allison VanNest, director, Public Relations, Grammarly.com
Photo: Allison VanNest
Are English language learners and non-native speakers at a disadvantage in the U.S. workforce? As the rest of the world begins to rely on English as the primary language of business, and more people are learning English more proficiently, the answer to this question may be, “yes.”
According to a recent study by Grammarly, a leading writing enhancement app, the accuracy of a person’s spelling and grammar may help to predict his career success. One way to get ahead on the job – and in the job search – is to improve your written communication. But to do this, we have to take a closer look at the current state of our educational system.
Read entire article English as a Competitive Advantage
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 22, 2013
JJ DiGeronimo, CEO, Purposeful Woman
Photo: Purposeful Woman
A podcast interview with JJ DiGeronimo, CEO, Purposeful Woman, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, she discusses using social media to build business with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
JJ is a businesswoman who loves her work and her family. She has developed leadership strategies designed to increase the influence and impact of working women. In her books, her blogs and her presentations, she strives to help high impact women prioritize, align and achieve their individual goals.
She is the founder of Purposeful Woman, Tech Savvy Women, and Journey Charms. She is the author of The Working Woman’s GPS. She’s a spokesperson for Science Technology Engineering and Math (S.T.E.M.).
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR JJ DiGeronimo” click on the play button below. You may download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home by clicking on “Get HMPR Podcast” above the podcast player. The podcast will remain listed in the July 2013 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 15, 2013
Aaron Young, CEO, Laughlin Associates
Photo: Laughlin Associates
A podcast interview with Aaron Young, CEO, Laughlin Associates, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, he discusses corporations versus LLCs with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
For 20 years Aaron has been advising companies on which type of business form is right for them. His company, Laughlin Associates, is located in Reno, Nevada. At age 18, he formed a recycling company in Portland, Oregon, before recycling was popular. He grew that business to 5,000 customers before selling it and using the money to become one of the first cellular phone dealers in Portland. He built that business to include three stores and a large service center, still in operation today.
He sold the company and became vice president of sales for ITEX, a publicly-traded NASDAQ company with 350 offices around the world. After three years, he left the company and formed several small corporate-services businesses before buying Laughlin Associates. He writes a monthly column in Small Business Today and blogs for Small Business 411.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Aaron Young” click on the play button below. You may download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home by clicking on “Get HMPR Podcast” above the podcast player. The podcast will remain listed in the July 2013 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 12, 2013
In Living Color
Nina Jablonski, professor, Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University believes there is no such thing as a pure race. Her research indicates skin color developed as a way for humans to adapt to their surroundings and over time became a means, with little relationship to reality, to label someone’s social worth. In Living Color: The Biological and Social Meaning of Skin Color (California University Press, $29.95) she explores these concepts.
The 260-page hardcover book published in 2012 is divided into two main sections. In the first half of the book, she examines the biology of skin tone and how over the centuries skin pigmentation allowed people to adjust to their environment. Skin color in pale people comes from blood and the skins own connective tissues. Eumelanin is the dominant source of skin color in general. Light skin was necessary for populations living in regions with little sunlight while dark skins shades were useful in places with an abundance of sunlight. She addresses the challenges brought about when migration, travel and modern life cause people to live away from their ancestral home, citing vitamin D deficiency as one of the dangers.
In the second half of the book, she delves into the origin of the concept of race saying there is no such thing as pure human populations or races. Over history, she says, people mixed with other people around the globe resulting in mongrel groupings with only minor variances. In time, European elites contributed to the idea of races categorized by skin color, social worth and cultural capability. Because of its association with positive aspects and high standing a preference for light skin arose independently in different countries, according to the professor.
This in turn led to the social stratification, discrimination and racism that endure today. She goes on to say in the closing chapter that in the United States and many developed countries people with the darkest skin color remain in the “periphery of society” and are physically marginalized suffering from restricted access to high quality education, food, and health care.
Jablonski, recipient of the 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship, is also author of Skin: A Natural History.
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