Category: Nutrition Basics

For this installment, I want to focus on label reading.  I am not a dietician but I am well read on the subject and I have extensive “on the job training”.  I initially got a lot of my insight from my husband but once food and nutrition became my passion, I relied on years of research and my good old common sense to help carve my path to feeding myself and my family.  Much of what I have learned is that nutrition is really based on basic principles.  It is not complicated, it is not confusing, it is not supported by scientific evidence or reasoning alone.  It comes from the basic truths that have been in existence since the beginning of time.  The subject of food is a perfect example. 

 

Rather than focusing on the RDA’s, DV’s, grams, serving sizes, points, etc.  let’s just keep it simple.  Start focusing on the ingredient portion of the label.  This is where you can really see the quality of the food (or lack thereof).  There are several reasons for this:  1) the recommended values do not take into consideration age, gender, specific needs, etc. 2) if you focus on the fat % or grams, carbs, sugars, etc you could miss the dangerous ingredients.  Low fat or low carb or low sugar  does not = healthy!!! 

 

Let’s look at this further using the low-fat craze as an example.  It started over 20 years ago and where has it gotten us?  Obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes are all higher than ever before!  Apparently, it is not fat that makes us fat.  More on this later but just know that there are good fats and bad fats…fats that heal and fats that kill.  In fact, good fats actually help you burn fat.  Knowing the difference is the key.  Something that is low fat can still be loaded with sugar and refined carbohydrates.  There is also a big difference when it comes to carbs.  Something can be low-carb but be loaded with bad fats and additives/preservatives.  No sugar or low-sugar usually means the presence of dangerous sugar substitutes (see the “don’t section). 

 

We had a patient at the office who was diabetic and many the foods his diabetes counselor told him to eat did not do anything to improve his diabetes- they actually made it worse.  Once he started reading labels differently and changing his diet an amazing thing happened.  His diabetes started improving.  Yes, it is possible to reverse disease!  There is always hope and I think that is where a lot of people get off track.  They can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and tend to just accept wherever they are as the way it has to be.  This is not true but I digress… 

 

Anyway, here are some quick do’s and don’ts for label reading.

DO:

• Look for minimal ingredients (the less the better)
• Look for natural ingredients (stuff you can pronounce
• Try to buy more foods without any labels at all (i.e. fruits and veggies)
• Check every label on every single thing you buy
• Put items back that are man-made (if it doesn’t come from the ground or grown in a tree)

 

DON’T:

• Worry too much about fat grams, carb grams, and calories.  The types of these things, as indicated on the label, are much more important.  Your body can more efficiently and effectively digest and absorb naturally occurring foods!
• Don’t buy items with the following ingredients on the label:  Monosodium Glutamate (also known as MSG, Hydrolyzed anything, Autolyzed anything), artificial sweeteners (sucralose/Splenda, aspartame/Nutrasweet, Equal, etc), hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated anything, refined flour, additives, colorings, preservatives, chemical names, etc.  You get the idea!

 

This really helps bring what you are eating to light and gets you focused on making better choices.  If I am every buying anything with a label, I reflexively look at the label.  Honestly, over 75% of the time I put it right back on the shelf. 

                                   

 Happy Label Reading!

One of the most common questions we get is, , “where do I start when it comes to making changes to my diet?”  There are several universal “must-do’s” for anyone looking to improve their nutrition but let’s just focus on a couple of simple things for now. 

 

I’ll make a bold statement right now in saying that eating out is killing Americans!  It may sound extreme but it is a sad reality.  Long gone are daily home cooked meals made with fresh ingredients.  This has been replaced with fast food and fast meals on the run.  Even when eating at home it is often torn open from a package, prepared by just adding a little water, and popped into the microwave.

 

Convenience and taste (mostly artificial) and quantity have replaced quality and unadulterated wholesomeness.  Most everyone knows that the typical fast food is bad for us but guess what…we eat it anyway, and lots of it!  Many Americans simply don’t care, others fool themselves into believing the amount they eat (subjective) won’t hurt them, and many just don’t know what else to do.  What many people don’t realize is that much of the food we are eating in sit down, full service restaurants is just as bad or sometimes worse than what we get at the drive-thru.  There is a very eye-opening article on this very subject.  Take a look, it will shock you.  www.menshealth.com/16secrets/index.html 

 

On the flip side, when you cook at home you know exactly what you are eating and you control your ingredients.  If you are shaking your head right now or rolling your eyes thinking, “I don’t know how to cook” or “I just don’t have the time” I hear you BUT I would challenge you on this.  Through my experience as a wife, mother, shopper, and head cook for my family I can promise you that you CAN cook and you CAN be in and out of the kitchen faster than driving to the restaurant and back.  These newsletters will be full of tools, resources, and motivation to keep you going. 

 

While you are reducing the “bad stuff” you should also start adding the “good stuff”.  When you decide to eat at home you need to shop.  When you shop, your goal should be to have mostly whole foods in your cart.  Usually this means shopping around the perimeter of the store.  Typically, the processed stuff is in the center of the store.  Just get in the habit of picking up everything you buy and reading the label.  (More on label reading to come).  A good guideline is the less ingredients the better.  You want natural products with items that you can pronounce on the label.

 

Quick, Healthy Recipe

Instead of eating out, try this homemade Mexican Dinner (we have taco night frequently at our house- everyone can customize their own meal and I always have the ingredients on hand).  I usually have to double the recipe J

 

2 tbsp chili powder         1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp ground cumin        ½ tsp sea salt

2 tsp oregano                ½ tsp cayenne (opt.)

½ tsp onion powder

 

1 pound ground beef (preferably grass-fed organic ground beef.  My favorite is White Oak Pastures available at Publix.)

 

Mix all spices and add to ground beef with about ½ cup of water or salsa (see below)

 

I usually skip the shells and make it into a big taco salad with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, black beans, and taco meat with salsa as dressing (check your ingredients…my favorite is Jack’s Special by Garden Fresh Gourmet also available at Publix.)  The kids will sometimes put it over organic tortilla chips or organic taco shells.                                        Enjoy!

Building on the last newsletter it is important to know (and admit) where you are before moving forward.  Take this little quiz to see where you currently stand in terms of your diet and eating habits. 

 

Do you eat out more than 3x per week?

Do you eat processed foods frequently?

Do you drink soda?

Does less than 1/3 of your diet consist of fruits and vegetables?

Do you drink less than 4 glasses of water/day?

Are there foods you feel addicted to?

Do you eat more white flour, rice, and bread than whole grain?

Do you eat foods with added sugars almost every day?

Do you use artificial sweeteners

Do you drink more than one cup of coffee on most days?

Do you eat fried foods more than twice a week?

Do you often eat foods with additives and preservatives?

Do you eat foods/supplements high in Omega 3’s (oily fish, seeds, olive oil, supplements) less than twice a week?

Do you eat processed meats (deli meat, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, etc) more than twice a week?

Do you frequently use margarine, vegetable, or corn oils?

Do you eat mostly conventionally grown fruits, vegetables, and meats?

Is price and convenience of the food you buy more important than quality?

Do you eat a lot of sweets?

Do you drink more than 10 oz of alcohol ( per day

Do you eat while rushed or under stress?

 

Now tally up your score (each check mark is one point) and see where you stand.

 

0-4:  You are obviously a nutritionally aware person and are off to a good start! You may have some minor tweaks you could make but overall your nutrition should not contribute greatly to any health issues (other factors can still impact your health though)

 

5-9:  You are doing pretty good but need to be a bit more disciplined about your eating habits.  Target one or two things at a time to focus on and be strict with yourself.  For instance, go for a whole month without one of the “bad” foods or commit to pack your lunch with something healthy every day. 

 

10-14:  Your diet needs some work.  Rather than becoming overwhelmed, just take small steps.  You can deal with these one at a time.  You will find that the cravings for some of the foods/drinks you feel you are “addicted” to go away after about a month.  These small successes can get you motivated to make more changes.  You should try to get your score down below 6 within six months. 

 

15-20:  Honestly, there is no way to eat like this and not suffer negative health consequences.  Just take a couple of items and commit to getting them off your list.  As you make changes one by one by the end of 6 months, your score should be considerably lower.  You will probably feel pretty icky the first couple of weeks you make changes but once you start feeling the positive effects, it will be worth it.

 

As you may have guessed, all of the items on the list are detrimental to your health.  It is imperative that you be able to avoid answering yes to most of them.  This is basically the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) in a nutshell.  It is sad but true that Americans hold the dubious honor of the worst diets on the planet and the most lifestyle related diseases like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, etc. 

 

 I hope this quiz has brought the reality of your situation to light.  Everyone has room to improve and nutrition, just like life, is a marathon and not a sprint so just keep plugging away. 

 

Quick Recipe:  Fresh fruit smoothie: This is a great way to start the day.  Any combination of fruit will work but my favorite is frozen strawberries, a banana, some coconut milk, and a little water.  Just whip it up in a blender.  (Any combo of fruit will work and the coconut milk is very nutritious – we’ll discuss more about coconuts in another edition!)                     Healthy Blessings!