Food labels may sway you to add various products to your grocery cart. But claims like "whole grain", "trans fat-free" and "contains real fruit" may not be as good for you as they sound.
So, what products really are good for you and which ones just sound healthy? Canada AM nutrition expert Leslie Beck has the answers and shows confused consumers how to separate the healthy picks in the grocery story from the healthy-sounding promises.
Q: Are some food labels deceiving?
I don't think they are intended to deceive, but many are misleading and can make people think a food product is healthier than it is. For instance, products labelled "whole grain" or "multigrain" aren't always as nutritious as you'd think. For example, the first ingredient in General Mills Whole Grain Reese's Puffs is whole grain corn, but the next four ingredients are sources of sugar. Per serving this "whole grain" cereal delivers 11 grams of sugar (3 teaspoons worth) and only one gram of fibre.
It's natural to assume that a product called "water with added vitamins" is a healthy, calorie free beverage, right? Not always. Some brands of vitamin-enhanced waters have 120 calories worth of refined sugar, a far cry from plain water.
The only way to know if you're buying a healthy product is to read the nutrition facts table and ingredient list.
Q: Okay, you have 5 types of foods most of us buy regularly. What do we need to look for to pick out the healthier ones?
If you choose the right breakfast cereal, your morning meal could beat out other breakfasts when it comes to fibre, calcium and zinc. The wrong one can bump up your sugar intake quickly.
First, read the ingredient list. Choose a cereal that lists a whole grain such as whole wheat, oats or brown rice, as the first ingredient. (Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight.)
While 100 per cent bran cereals aren't made from the entire grain kernel, you can consider them whole grain since they are a concentrated source of bran that's missing from refined grains.
Next read the nutrition label. Choose a cereal with at least 5 grams of fibre, no more than 6 grams of sugar (excluding sugar from dried fruit) and no more than 240 milligrams of sodium per serving.
Q: What about bread?
Again, look for bread that's made from 100 per cent whole grains. That means the bread does not contain any refined flour. Whole rye, rye meal, oats, whole spelt and whole grain wheat including the germ indicate whole grain flours.
Choose a loaf of bread that delivers at least 2 grams of fibre and no more than 200 milligrams of sodium per one slice. Nutrition labels may give nutrient numbers for one or two slices.
Q: How do you choose a better frozen meal?
It's surprisingly difficult to find a frozen meal that's easy on sodium and contains more than a smattering of vegetables.
To choose a healthier product, look for one that contains no more than 4 grams of saturated fat and less than 700 milligrams of sodium. If you're going to have one of these for a meal, keep your other meals for the day low in sodium.
More fibre means more vegetables or legumes. Choose a meal with at least 4 grams of fibre. A daily value of 15 per cent or greater for vitamins A and C means you're getting a good source of these antioxidant nutrients.
Q: What's the healthiest granola bar for kids' lunches?
They're supposed to be healthy snacks made from whole grains. But some granola bars look more like candy bars with ingredients such as chocolate chips, candy pieces, caramel and yogurt coating.
The healthiest grain bars list a whole grain such as oats or whole wheat as the first ingredient and do not contain sweetened filling or coating.
Choose a bar with at least 2 grams of fibre, no more than 2 grams saturated plus trans fat (combined) and no more than 140 milligrams of sodium. To limit refined sugar, look for products with no more than half the total carbohydrates from sugars.
Q: And finally yogurt, quickly what should we look for on labels?
Start by choosing a lower fat yogurt containing 1 per cent milk fat (MF) or less.
Aim for less than 20 grams of sugar (this includes natural milk sugar, lactose) and at least 20 per cent of the daily value for calcium per 175 g serving.
A food guide serving of yogurt is 175 grams (3/4 cup). That's how much it takes to get the calcium and protein found in one cup of milk. (Extra sugar means more calories, less protein and less calcium). For smaller tubs of yogurt, you'll have to do a little math to convert serving size.
