The easiest way to really eat healthy? Avoid...

Friday, February 24, 2012

The easiest way to really eat healthy? Avoid foods that come in packages or have labels - produce and bulk foods (grains, beans, nuts, etc. - not candy) are the best foods for you - pretty much anything that comes in a package and/or has a label has some crap or other in it, whether it’s preservatives, artificial flavourings or sweeteners, artificial colour, some other chemical, or perhaps just the fact that the food’s been so highly processed that your body will no longer recognize it as such.

However if you ARE going to buy packaged/labelled foods, then yes, reading labels is certainly a good habit to get into.

muffintop-less:

Probably the most important post I’ve made regarding nutrition. PAY ATTENTION TO LABELS AND LEARN TO READ THEM! =)

Learning how to read labels is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Knowledge is power! The more knowledgable you are about the labels, the better the choices you can make!
One of the first things I started doing when I made my transformation, was to pay attention to the BACK of the box more than the front! “Low fat” “Whole grain” “Low sodium” “All Natural”… there are so many phrases used on the front to try and convince people that their product is better for you than the others on the shelf. Don’t be fooled by the packaging and alluring wording.. turn the package around.

Let’s use bread as an example… say you’re walking down the aisle and you see Pepperidge Farm “Whole grain, 100% whole wheat” bread. But let’s just pretend there is also a loaf of Ezekiel sprouted bread laying next to it (Ezekiel would actually be found in the refrigerated section). Let’s compare the labels… (the more you do this, the faster you will get).

Calories = Pepperidge has 100 per slice, while Ezekiel has 80 per slice. Most people would stop there and choose the Ezekiel… but hold up… that’s not the most important part!

Fat = Pepperidge has 1.5, while Ezekiel has 0.5. Both are the same in saturated fat, which to me, means they are almost equal. (Avoid Trans fat at ALL COSTS and many physicians recommend keeping saturated fat to a minimum).

Sodium = Pepperidge has 105mg per slice, while Ezekiel has 75mg per slice. Once again, Ezekiel is winning this battle.

Carbs = With carbs, take the overall and subtract it from the fiber to get the NET carb count (high fiber is a good thing!) Pepperidge has 16g net carbs and 4g fiber, while Ezekiel has 12g carbs and 3g fiber… to me, Ezekiel is still winning.. the reason is because of the next point… Pepperidge Farm has 3g of sugar, while Ezekiel has 0g. The less sugar the better!!!

Protein = Pepperidge Farm has 5g, while Ezekiel has 4g. Close call!

Now for the last part of the comparison! The ingredient list! This just requires a quick skim (unless you have allergies). In the case of “whole-grain” products, the first ingredient should always be a WHOLE GRAIN.
Pepperidge Farm = Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Crushed Wheat, Sugar, Wheat Gluten, Honey, Unsulphured Molasses, Contains 2 Percent Or Less Of: Yeast, Soybean Oil, Soy Fiber, Salt, Whole Wheat Flakes, Datem (Dough Conditioner), Nonfat Milk*, Distilled Monoglycerides, Wheat Protein Isolate, Calcium Propionate (To Retard Spoilage), Soy Lecithin And Enzymes. *Adds A Trivial Amount Of Cholesterol.
Ezekiel Bread = Organic Sprouted Wheat, Organic Sprouted Barley, Organic Sprouted Millet, Organic Malted Barley, Organic Sprouted Lentils, Organic Sprouted Soybeans, Organic Sprouted Spelt, Filtered Water, Fresh Yeast, Sea Salt.

Ezekiel bread is interesting because it is not made of flour, but of sprouted whole grains and beans. It does not have any preservatives and is a good option for Vegans…. and according to this comparison.. just about anyone else! (Unless you have a gluten allergy). So do your due diligence when it comes to shopping. Never go to the supermarket hungry and always take the time to read the labels. The more you practice, the better and faster you will get at this!