Figuring out what to eat that tastes good and is good for you is hard. What makes it even harder is food packaging. They can be very deceiving. There are so many terms added to packages that make it seem like the food is nutritious when it’s really not. Some of the terms are natural, low fat, low calorie, high protein, low carb, heart healthy. You really can’t look at those terms and deem it a good choice. You have to look at the ingredients list and the nutrition label.
The ingredients list should be short with ingredients that are whole food names you recognize. Whole food names would be food that is grown from the earth or comes from animals. If it is a chemical that has to be produced in a lab, it is not a good choice.
Sweeteners are tricky ingredients because they go by so many different names. A list can be found here. High fructose corn syrup is one to definitely avoid. I try to stick with coconut sugar, real maple syrup and real honey.
Artificial sweeteners are another form of sweetener to avoid. Common ones are ascesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharin and sucralose. Some so called healthy protein powders and bars also contain these. My younger son would buy Ice flavored water drinks at school. They contained ascesulfame potassium. I noticed that when he drank them his eyes would shift around when he was talking to you. It was really weird, but when I finally convinced him to stop drinking them, the issue went away.
Below are food labels from the same type of food, but different brands.
Section 1 shows the serving size which is the portion amount for 1 serving. Servings per container is the total number of portion amounts for the entire box.
Section 2 shows the amount of calories in 1 serving. If you eat the whole box, multiply the amount of calories by the servings per container to figure out the total calories in the entire box. Calories are defined as the units of energy that a food or drink provides to your body. If you eat a whole foods diet, you never have to worry about calorie counting. Those are the foods low in calories, but high in nutrients.
Section 3 shows the nutrient amounts in 1 serving. Avoid trans fats and minimize saturated fats. The Total Fat value doesn’t tell what kinds of fat are in the product. Monounsaturated and polunsaturated fats are good for you. They are found in whole foods that are good for you like fish, nuts, olives, avocados and seeds. Margarine and seed oils are fats that are bad for you.
The body needs cholesterol and actually makes it. In food it’s only found in animal products. Those products have a lot of nutrients the body needs, but they shouldn’t be eaten in excessive amounts. The size of your palm is a good estimate on the portion size of meat.
Sodium is the amount of salt in a serving. The body needs salt, but there is a point where too much will cause problems.
The body uses carbohydrates for energy. However, carbohydrates also affect the blood sugar. Carbohydrates from non-starchy vegetables are a better choice than carbohydrates from grains. This is an important value to pay attention to. 15 grams is the standard size for 1 serving of carbohydrates. A serving of both of these products is a little more than that. Dividing the Total Carbohydrate value by the Serving Size will give the number of carbohydrates for 1 serving. That value can then be used to figure out a smaller portion size with less carbohydrates.
Protein is needed for things like energy, muscle building and tissue repair. It’s found in meat, nuts, beans, dairy and eggs.
The % column is the percentage of the daily recommended amount of the nutrient found in a single serving. One thing to note is the daily recommended amount tends to be lower than what the body works best at.
The last section, ingredients, is the most important. The ingredient list starts with the ingredient the product contains the most of and descends from there, so the the product contains the least amount of the last ingredient.
The item in the photo on the left has a fairly short ingredient list, which is good. However, it doesn’t have very high quality, blood sugar friendly ingredients. This product isn’t gluten free since it contains wheat flour. It contains canola oil which is a seed oil. Malt syrup is a form of sugar. Refiner’s syrup is also a form of sugar. Also notice the ‘Ingredients derived from a bioengineered source’ line meaning this product contains genetically modified ingredients (GMO).
The item in the photo on the right also has a fairly short ingredient list. Brown rice, quinoa, flax seeds, sesame seeds are all gluten free. There aren’t any sugar ingredients. This product also contains organic ingredients.
Both products seem healthy at first glance, but which product is the better option? Definitely the item on the right. It’s gluten free, full of fiber, no added sugar and contains organic ingredients.
Both products are of the same food type, but choosing one over the other will affect your health negatively or positively, depending on which one is chosen. When buying something prepackaged, always check the ingredient list.
Challenge:
Find a snack item you eat regularly. Review the ingredient list and compare it against other options of the same product type and see if you can find a healthier version than what you currently buy.
Sodas can be swapped for fruit flavored seltzers like Spindrift.
Chips can be swapped for chips made with avocado or olive oil.
Crackers can be swapped for seed crackers.
Most items have a healthier option.
Resources:
https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/how-understand-and-use-nutrition-facts-label
https://www.johnmuirhealth.com/health-education/health-wellness/nutrition-diet/reading-food-labels.html
https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/how-to-read-a-food-label