Food for Thought: Not All Foods are Created Equal

I started with a new client just recently and as we progress through sessions I like to "quiz" them during rest periods about the other 99% of their week when I'm not in control of their health. The majority of the questions pertain to nutrition and choosing healthy foods. I was in the second session with this new client when I asked, "So, which bread would you choose, a 100% Whole Grain Bread OR Wheat/White Bread?" I was actually surprised by her answer when she said, "White/wheat bread, because it has less calories." This led into a discussion for the remainder of the session about how all foods are not created equal.

White/wheat bread does in fact have less calories, but 140 calories of either white/wheat or 100% whole grain bread are not equal even though they provide the same amount of calories. Well, why? The white/wheat bread does not heighten your satiety level (how full you feel), thus making you more likely to reach for more snacks to add on calories. The 100% whole grain bread has a lot more fiber, nutrients and minerals and WILL heighten your satiety level. This is only one of many reasons which stem all the way down to the ingredients and what's actually in each piece of bread. When choosing any food, you always want to get as much positive nutrition from each calorie.

Below I have chosen 2 main products that most people purchase: Macaroni & Cheese and Yogurt. All the information provided is directly from the manufacturers website and you may click each title to bring you directly to the source. I encourage you to click on the images to enlarge them to fully understand the article. To learn more about choosing your foods wisely please continue reading.

Annie's Classic Macaroni and Cheese
Made with only the best ingredients: ORGANIC SEMOLINA MACARONI FROM DURUM WHEAT, CHEDDAR CHEESE (CULTURED PASTEURIZED MILK, SALT, NON-ANIMAL ENZYMES), WHEY, BUTTERMILK, SALT, CREAM, NATURAL FLAVOR, NATURAL SODIUM PHOSPHATE, ANNATTO EXTRACT FOR NATURAL COLOR.
CONTAINS MILK AND WHEAT INGREDIENTS.





Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients: ENRICHED MACARONI PRODUCT (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, FERROUS SULFATE [IRON], THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), CHEESE SAUCE MIX (WHEY, MILKFAT, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SALT, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF CITRIC ACID, LACTIC ACID, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, MILK, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6, ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE).
Size: 5.5 OZ
Upc: 2100065897

Kraft vs Annie's
1. Notice the different amount of ingredients.

2. "Enriched" - Any time you see the word "enriched" it usually means the basic ingredients have been "bleached" or stripped down to the very basic structure, then all of the vitamins and nutrients that have been stripped from the ingredient are synthetically added back to the product. Look at all the excess ingredients!

3. Always compare serving sizes. Surprisingly the serving sizes are almost equal in these products. In terms of calories Annie's actually has less in a 1 gram larger serving than Kraft. Comparing the rest of the ingredients Annie's ends up on top! Less sodium, less cholesterol with almost all of the vitamins at comparable percentages!

ANNIE'S WINS!!!




Stoneyfield Farm Organic Strawberry Yogurt
OUR FAMILY RECIPE: CULTURED PASTEURIZED ORGANIC LOW FAT MILK, ORGANIC STRAWBERRIES, NATURALLY MILLED ORGANIC SUGAR, PECTIN, ORGANIC BEET JUICE CONCENTRATE (FOR COLOR), NATURAL FLAVOR, VITAMIN D3. CONTAINS OUR EXCLUSIVE BLEND OF SIX LIVE ACTIVE CULTURES INCLUDING L. ACIDOPHILUS, BIFIDUS, L. CASEI AND L. RHAMNOSUS




Danon Yogurt Fruit on the Bottom

Ingredients: Cultured grade A lowfat milk, strawberries, sugar, fructose syrup, high fructose corn syrup, contains less than 1% of pectin, modified corn starch, natural flavor, kosher gelatin, purple carrot juice concentrate, carmine and turmeric (for color), malic acid, calcium phosphate. Contains active yogurt cultures including L. acidophilus.

Stoneyfield vs Danon
1. Stoneyfield - 7 ingredients with one type of sugar (cane sugar); Danon - 14 ingredients with 3 types of sugar (sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), fructose syrup). First of all, why does Danon have three different types of sugar? The new campaign that is out is that HFCS is not bad for you in moderation. Well if it's in all of our products that are processed how is that moderation!? HFCS is corn syrup which is 50/50 fructose/sucrose (2 types of sugars) which has then been modified to alter the ratio to 60/40 fructose/sucrose, thus "high fructose". There really is not sound research as of yet, but there are studies stating that artificial sweetners and modified sugars will falsely spike your insulin. Every time your insulin, is spiked your body no longer runs at it's best mpgs throwing off your metabolism.

2. Take a look at Danon and notice the modified corn starch. First of all why do I need corn starch in my yogurt? Secondly, why is it modified? Corn starch adds a bit more bulk to your food and that's about it. Again, avoid anything "modified".

3. Stoneyfield - less calories, less ingredients, same vitamin and minerals as Danon.

STONEYFIELD WINS!!!


5 Key Things to Remember When Choosing Foods

1. Not all foods are created equal.
2. The fewer ingredients, the better it typically is for you.
3. If your food is partially-hydrogenated, hydrogenated or modified it's probably not good for you.
4. The closer to the ground the better for you. IE an apple is better than apple juice; a potato is better than potato chips; whole grain anything is better than enriched or bleached products!
5. Read the label!!!

I am not a nutritionist and cannot prescribe any nutritional plans. If you have any questions about nutrition please see your doctor or certified nutritionist. I do not work for any of the above companies and all opinions are those of AthleticAdvantage that are supported by current research.