Sunday, May 21, 2006
Got Fruit?
After a long and very wet winter, fresh fruit is hard to find in our area. I just wanted to remind you that there are other options. Both dried and canned fruit provide much the same nutrition as fresh and can help you meet the recommended goal of 9 servings a day of fruits and veggies.
Besides as snacks, canned and dried fruits make excellent toppings for cereal and yogurt, surprise ingredients in baked goods like muffins, additions to grain dishes like rice pilaf and sweet garnishes to poultry recipes. Or they make a great portable snack teamed with granola, pretzels and nuts.
Canned and dried fruits are similar to their fresh counterparts in fiber, potassium, folate and phytonutrients like carotenoids, flavonoids and phenols. But there are some differences: a serving of canned or dried fruit often has twice as many calories from sugar as the same fruit fresh. That is because you eat more pieces of fruit when it is dried, because the water has been removed. And canned fruit that is in syrup has added sugar.
Read labels to beware of preservatives or artificial flavorings added. Manufacturers add sulfite compounds to light colored dried fruits such as golden raisins and apricots to prevent unsightly browing. If you are sulfite sensitive, read labels closely or choose organic. Watch out for banana chips that are fried in tropical oils = loaded with sat. fat.
Choose wisely . . . live well.
Besides as snacks, canned and dried fruits make excellent toppings for cereal and yogurt, surprise ingredients in baked goods like muffins, additions to grain dishes like rice pilaf and sweet garnishes to poultry recipes. Or they make a great portable snack teamed with granola, pretzels and nuts.
Canned and dried fruits are similar to their fresh counterparts in fiber, potassium, folate and phytonutrients like carotenoids, flavonoids and phenols. But there are some differences: a serving of canned or dried fruit often has twice as many calories from sugar as the same fruit fresh. That is because you eat more pieces of fruit when it is dried, because the water has been removed. And canned fruit that is in syrup has added sugar.
Read labels to beware of preservatives or artificial flavorings added. Manufacturers add sulfite compounds to light colored dried fruits such as golden raisins and apricots to prevent unsightly browing. If you are sulfite sensitive, read labels closely or choose organic. Watch out for banana chips that are fried in tropical oils = loaded with sat. fat.
Choose wisely . . . live well.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
The Whole Truth
Whole grains are hot. From breads and cereals to crackers, cookies, pasta, and pretzels, whole grain claims are everywhere.
The food industry is clearly bent on marketing more 100 % whole grain foods, including crouton, frozen entrees, and pizza. But loose regulations are allowing companies to make up their own whole grain claims. And that has left consumers to sort out the differences between promises like "made with whole grain," whole grain blend," and "multigrain", with no numbers (like 50% whole grain) on the packages to guide us. So, as a Grandmother, here are a few products I did some research on. Hope the info is of help to you.
Good Source:
Supermac & Cheese. "Good source of whole grain," says Kraft Supermac & Cheese, Wonder Made with Whole Grain White Bread, and Post Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal Bars.. What is a "good source"?. At least 8 grams of whole grain per serving, according to the food industry. But a serving of many foods weighs 30 to 55 grams (1 to 2 oz.) which means "good source" foods could be as much as 85% refined grain.
Foods that say "excellent source" can have as little as 16 grams of whole grain per serving. Do not confuse whole grain with fiber. 8 grams of whole wheat has less than 1 gram of fiber.
In February, the Food and Drug Administration urged companies to stop making "Good" or "excellent source" claims. But the FDA's policy is voluntary, so the claims may not disappear any time soon.
"Good source" or "excellent source" foods often have far more refined grain than whole grain.
Harvest Wheat
Who would not want what DiGiorno's label calls the "goodness of harvest wheat crust"? And the "9 grams of whole grain per serving" in its Harvest Wheat Rising Crust Pizza may sound impressive.
But what is 9 grams out of each 130 grams slice of pizza. Most of the rest is water, refined flour, cheese, and tomato paste.
9 grams of whole grain is better than no whole grain. But if you have to eat, say 20 to 30 grams of white flour to get 9 grams of whole wheat, the label should make that clear.
Kraft sells not only DiGiorno, but single serve South Beach Diet Harvest Wheat Crust Pizzas. On South Beach boxes, the words "Harvest Wheat" mean "whole wheat". Go figure.
Remember that "wheat" could mean refined or whole. "Harvest" means "nice sounding word".
Made with (Not Much)
"Made with Whole Wheat". says the Kellogg's Eggo Nutri Grain Pancakes box.
Who would suspect that Nutri Grain pancakes are mostly refined flour? In fact, they have got more sugar than whole wheat. Eggo Nutri Grain Waffles play the same game. The big print says "Made with Whole Wheat", but the waffles have more refined flour than whole wheat. And only 25 - 30 % of the flour in Sara Lee Soft & Smooth made with Whole Grain White Bread is whole grain. Ditto for General Mills Rice Chex - with whole grain. Remember that "made with" often means "made with very little".
Multigrain
Entenmann's Multi Grain Cereal Bars are "loaded with real fruit filling in a fresh baked multi grain crust", says the box.
Technically true, but the crust consists largely of bleached wheat ( that is refined) flour and more sugars, palm oil, and nonfat milk than (whole grain) oats or wheat bran. The "real fruit filling" has more corn syrup than raspberries.
Multigrain claims are multiplying, as are claims that replace "multi" with a number - like 12 grain.
Remember that it does not matter if you are getting 5, 10, or 15 grains if those grains are mostly refined.
Whole Grain
Does "whole grain" on the package mean "100% whole grain" in the food? Sometimes.
Pepperidge Farm's delicious new Whole Grain Swirl breads are 100% whole grain, though their packages do not say so. In contrast, Knorr Lipton Rice Sides Made with Whole Grains are 75% whole grain. And the "Whole Grain Fettuccini" in Knorr Lipton Pasta Sides Made with Whole Grains is 51% whole wheat.
A pasta that is 51% whole wheat beats one that is 0% whole wheat. But it would be nice to see those percentages on the lable.
If the label doe not say "100%whole grain", check the ingredient list to see if the food contains any refined grains or flour. Dead giveaways: enriched or unbleached wheat flour, semolina flour, durum flour, and rice flour. It is okay to ignore refined flours if they appear far down the list near the salt.
Blends
A "whole grain blend" can be mostly whole grain, mostly refined grain, or half and half.
Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Pasta has no whole wheat flour. It is mostly refined flour with wheat bran and wheat fiber tossed in.
Rice A Roni Savory Whole Grains Roasted Garlic Italiano is "a blend of whole grain brown rice with orzo", while the Savory Whole Grains Chicken & Herb Ciassico is " a blend of whole grain brown rice, pearled barley and pearled wheat". But the company does not give the consumer any numbers or percentages for those whole grains.
Near East Whole Grain Blends, on the other hand, tells shoppers that the Roasted Pecan & Garlic "contains 53% Whole Grain as packaged" EXCELLENT! Now . . .. if we could only get the govenment to require a percentage on all foods that make whole grain claims, consumers would know what they are getting.
Healthy Claims
"Rich in Whole Grains . . . May Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease", says the label of Boboli 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Crust.
The smaller print adds, "Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, sat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers".
That mouthful is called a health claim becasue it mentions a disease. And it is only allowed on a food that is at least 51% whole grain; low in total fat, sat fat, and cholesterol; and not high in sodium or low in nutrients.
The troulbe is that few consumers know all that. And companyies can slap a concise, upbeat "structure or function" claim (like "may promote heart health"). on any old food instead.
