Eating For Health

Many people opt for a quick meal and choose a ready to eat frozen meal.   The good news is many of these frozen meals are a healthier choice than they used to be.   Consumer Reports has a great review of frozen meals .   They reviewed 30 different frozen meals and rated them for price, packaging, nutrition, and flavor.   In their article, they noted the sales of frozen meals have soared, up a whopping 48% compared to last year.   Choices – so many healthier options are now available.   Frozen meals used to be focused on meat and potatoes or low-calorie dinners for the dieting crowd.   Now there are many options to choose from. Processed Foods – frozen meals are processed but the good news is, manufacturers are now offering options less processed ingredients which usually means a healthier choice.   And, manufacturers haven’t given up on taste in their less-processed frozen meal offerings. What are some healthy ingredients to look for? Whol...

New Food Labels Now Appearing on Food Packages:   new food labels were proposed by the Food and Drug Administration with an implementation date of July 2018.   While this date has been postponed to allow manufacturers more time to comply, many manufacturers are already changing their food labels.   Look at the packages of food you eat for these new labels.   Some companies are early adopters including Nabisco, PepsiCo, and KIND.   So, you will see the new food labels on Wheat Thins, KIND bars, Lay’s Chips, Fritos and Cheetos.   What are some of the things to look for on these new food labels? Added Sugars –One of the most important changes is the addition of “added sugar” to the label.   Food labels already include “sugars” but this is of little value as the label didn’t tell you if the “sugars” were added or naturally present in the food.   For example, milk naturally has the sugar, lactose, in it.   So, “sugars” are listed on...

Are you eating some yogurt every day?   You should be.   Researchers are finding more and more health benefits to eating yogurt.   When teaching nutrition, I give the students nutrition “homework” focused on healthier eating habits.   One big piece of dietary advice is to add yogurt to their day.   My husband has added yogurt to his breakfast meal as he finds his breakfast seems to last longer and stave off those morning hunger pains.   I like yogurt at lunch.   Even on vacation, we bring our yogurt or find a store to buy some so we don’t miss our “daily dose” of yogurt. Should you buy low fat or regular yogurt? Consumer Reports has an interesting article, Is Whole-Milk Yogurt a Whole Lot Better?   Taste – some people prefer the taste of whole-milk yogurt and for many it has a richer, creamier taste.   I am so used to low-fat yogurt that whole-milk yogurt seems too rich for me.     Is Whole-Milk yogurt healthier? ...