Best Teen Diets Nutrition Blog: Food Labels

How much sugar is okay for me?

8:00 PM

So Much Tuna, Which One to Choose?

7:10 AM

You may not see mercury in fish as much of a concern for you, but the reality is it's there and too much isn't good for our bodies. Avoiding fish isn't the answer because fish like tuna and salmon are easy and convenient sources of omega-3's, those healthy fats we want to get more of in our diets.

Here are a few guidelines to help you find you way amongst the myriad choices in the seafood aisle.

Opt for chunk light tuna over other varieties. It has the lowest levels of mercury, as much as six times less than albacore. Be sure not to confuse chunk light with chunk white, the latter being much higher in mercury.
Limit albacore and white tuna. Depending on age and gender, the mercury levels in even a single serving can exceed recommendations.
Look for pole caught albacore tuna, available in organic and specialty markets. These are smaller fish with significantly less toxic build up than conventional albacore. It’s a little pricier, but if you like the taste of albacore, is a better option than the standard variety. It’s also a more environmentally friendly choice.
Consider using wild sockeye salmon in place of tuna. It has plenty of protein and omega-3s, without the same concerns about mercury.
Use the Environmental Working Group’s Tuna Calculator to determine what is a safe intake for you and your family or check out this guide put out by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Choose canned fish packed in water, not oil.
Canned salmon with bones is ideal. In our experience it isn't super common in neighborhood grocery stores. But if you happen across it, the bones are softened so you'll hardly notice and you'll get more calcium than you would from the boneless varieties.

A canned salmon variety with skin and bones

Sources: Consumer Reports, Natural Resources Defense Fund, Environmental Working Group, Center for Science in the Public Interest

Related: "Cracking the Coconut Trend"

Adapted from: “Tuna and Mercury” by Katie Sullivan Morford of Mom's Kitchen Handbook

Best Teen Diets recommends healthy well balanced eating that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and low-fat or fat-free dairy. We offer nutrition information for teens, parents and educators that emphasizes the importance of healthy eating for teens. For more information visit www.bestteendiets.org

Breakfast

Picking Between Cereals: More Fiber, Less Sugar

8:00 PM

Fad Diets

What "skinny" and "healthy" are saying to us

8:31 PM

Have you been hearing what we've been hearing? "Skinny" is the new "low-cal" and "healthy" really means "okay to eat more". Huh? Let us explain.

"Skinny"

The word "skinny" is being used on food products more recently to appeal to customers who are looking for healthier, waist-friendly choices. But whether or not they are actually healthier or waist-friendly is up for question. "It personifies food and makes it more endearing and doesn't have the negative connotation that the word 'diet' has," says a consumer-research psychologist and professor. It allows for guilt-free indulgence as part of a maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The co-founder of SkinnyPop (pictured above, center) uses the word 'skinny' to give the impression of "few ingredients, better-for-you and a lifestyle".

We took a look at the "Multigrain Skinny Buns" (pictured above, right) and compared them to Oroweat's "Healthy Multigrain" sliced bread. The nutrition facts of one bun and one slice of bread are nearly identical. The difference is only one gram of sugar, one gram of protein, and 5 mg of sodium. That means you could make a sandwich on a whole skinny bun (top and bottom) or make half of a sandwich (one slice of bread) and the result would be essentially the same. Not to mention, the buns list "enriched wheat flour" at the top of their ingredient list while the bread lists "whole wheat flour". You know what that means... The buns are not actually whole wheat but the multigrain bread is!

"Healthy"

'Healthy' is another term to consider. A study published in this month's International Journal of Obesity looked at how much people eat according to the label "healthier". They found that people served up a larger portion of 'healthier' coleslaw than the "regular" coleslaw even though both versions were the same number of calories. People also felt less guilty about having the 'healthier' version, which would explain the larger portions.

The take-away message:

The words "skinny" and "healthy" are just terms that are being used to try and get us to buy into a product. Don't give these products special treatment and assume they are what they say they are. Look at the label as you would any other product and see what about it is different from the "regular" version. When we become aware of the words that surround us in the grocery aisles, we can then decipher for ourselves what is "healthy" and what is trying to be.

Related: "Reading a Food Label", "Controlling Portion Size"

Articles referenced: Advertising Age, "How 'Skinny' Became the Hottest Phrase in Marketing" by E.J. Schultz and "People choose larger versions of 'healthy' food" by Keri Grens

Best Teen Diets recommends healthy well balanced eating that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and low-fat or fat-free dairy. We offer nutrition information for teens, parents and educators that emphasizes the importance of healthy eating for teens. For more information visit www.bestteendiets.org

Breakfast

Identify MyPlate recipes with a new icon!

8:40 AM

By Nanci Hellmich of USA TODAY

The sum of it:

Five major media companies will be using the MyPlate icon on healthy recipes
It will take the "guesswork" out of finding healthy recipes, the first lady says
A new Pinterest page will spotlight the recipes

The recipes that meet the specific nutrition criteria will have the MyPlate image.

It's going to be a lot easier to tell if a recipe is pretty nutritious or a diet disaster.

First lady Michelle Obama is unveiling a plan today that will flag thousands of healthy recipes that align with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's guidance for healthy eating and the MyPlate icon (choosemyplate.gov).

Five media companies — Condé Nast Magazines, Hearst Magazines, Meredith, Food Network and Time Inc. with 18 cooking websites, from AllRecipes.com to FoodNetwork.com to GoodHousekeeping.com — are working with the first lady's Let's Move! (letsmove.gov) campaign to identify the MyPlate-worthy recipes. More than 3,000 recipes will be featured on a new Pinterest page.

"This partnership takes the guesswork out of finding healthy recipes and gives parents the information and the tools they need to make healthy choices for their families every day," Mrs. Obama said in a statement.

The recipes may be for an entrée or a side dish that meets at least one part of the MyPlate criteria, such as having a lean protein, whole grain or fruit or vegetable, says Sam Kass, assistant chef and senior policy adviser for Healthy Food Initiatives at the White House.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture "is also partnering in this effort to ensure that the recipes align with the dietary guidelines and have limited added sugar and saturated fat and are low in sodium," he says.

The MyPlate icon marks recipes that are healthy

The MyPlate icon on recipes "is a simple tool and a tool that can be incredibly powerful for families," Kass says. The Pinterest page will help families share recipes they like, he says. "Cooking a new dish is a risk for parents, because if the kids don't like it, you have a problem on your hands."

Elizabeth Ward, a registered dietitian in Boston and author of MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better, calls the MyPlate icon "the program in its simplest form — a visual reminder of what to put on your plate.

"The overall MyPlate program suggests that you enjoy your food without eating too many calories, eat a variety of protein-rich foods, make half of your plate fruits and vegetables (but not fried or slathered in butter), make sure half of the grains you consume are whole grains, drink fat-free or low-fat 1% milk, use healthy oils such as canola and olive oil."

The first lady is celebrating the third anniversary of her "Let's Move!" initiative to combat childhood obesity. About a third of kids and teens are overweight or obese, putting them at a greater risk of developing a host of debilitating and costly diseases, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

The publications that are participating in the MyPlate recipe program include Allrecipes.com; Better Homes & Gardens (bhg.com); CookingLight.com; CountryLiving.com; Delish.com; DiabeticLivingOnline.com; EatingWell.com; Epicurious.com; Everyday With Rachael Ray (rachaelraymag.com); FamilyCircle.com; FoodNetwork.com; GoodHousekeeping.com; MyRecipes.com; Parents.com; RealSimple.com; Redbook (redbookmag.com); Recipe.com; Woman'sDay.com. Collectively, those websites attracted 150 million page views in January.

Families can share recipes on Pinterest

Read the original article, "First lady's plan identifies healthy MyPlate recipes" by Nancy Hellmich

Food Labels

The 4-step test: whole grain nutrition

2:32 PM

Food Labels

Grocery shopping for more money

8:00 PM

Grocery shopping is a hard job. You have to provide healthy foods that your family likes, find the time to shop and prepare the foods, and stay within a budget. Wow! That’s a lot to think about.

Using the unit-price label can save you a few cents on each item. This can add up to big savings on your total food bill.

For example:

If you saved 7¢ on every ounce of cereal you bought, and you bought

a 24-ounce box of cereal each week, you would save $87.36 a year just on

cereal!

7¢ savings per ounce x 24 ounces of cereal x 52 weeks per year = $87.36 saved per year

If you think about it, we use unit pricing all the time. For example, we decide where to buy gasoline based on the price per gallon, we buy produce based on the price per pound, and fabric is purchased based on the price per yard. These are all unit-priced items.

A Closer Look
So, where are unit-price labels found? Unit-price labels are usually found on the store shelves below the food items. A unit price makes it easier to compare prices to find the best buy. It also makes it easier to compare the cost on different size packages.

Take a close look at the unit-price label below:

Let’s Go Shopping
Let’s do some shopping using the unit-price label. Compare the two unit-price labels below.

Look at the unit price. Snappy Rice costs 13¢ per ounce and Crackly Rice costs 20¢ per ounce. That means if you buy Snappy Rice instead of Crackly Rice, you will save 7¢ on each ounce of rice. Therefore, Snappy Rice is the better buy or value.

But, if Snappy Rice is a better buy, why does it cost more than Crackly Rice?

Even though the total price of Snappy Rice is more than the total price of Crackly Rice, you get twice as much rice when you buy the box of Snappy Rice. Notice that Crackly Rice is a 12-ounce box and Snappy Rice is a 24-ounce box.

Questions
To answer questions #1 and #2, use the following four unit-price labels.

1. Which macraroni is the best buy or value? (Hint: compare the unit prices)
a. Cowboy Macaroni
b. Cowboy Macaroni and Viking Macaroni
c. Acme Macaroni

2. Which box of macaroni costs the least?
a. Viking Macaroni
b. Pilgrim Macaroni
c. Acme Macaroni

Happy Shopping!

Answers

1.b — Cowboy Macaroni and Viking Macaroni — At 6¢ per ounce, Cowboy and Viking Macaroni are the best deals. In other words, you get the most ounces of macaroni for the money you spend when you buy either Cowboy or Viking. Cowboy Macaroni is cheaper than Viking Macaroni because it is a smaller-sized package not because it is not a better value.

2.c — Acme Macaroni — The total price of Acme Macaroni is only 96¢. This is less than the other three brands. Acme Macaroni costs the least because it is the smallest package, not because it is a better buy or value.

Find it: "Nutrition on Your Own: Smart Shopping Saves Money Using Unit Price Labels" by the Texas Department of Health

More: "Choosing the Best Deal" interactive video on how to get the best deal using unit prices.

Best Teen Diets recommends healthy well balanced eating that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and low-fat or fat-free dairy. We offer nutrition information to teens, parents and educators that emphasizes the importance of healthy eating for teens. For more information regarding healthy teens visit www.bestteendiets.org

Exercise

The "Work It Out Calculator"

8:00 PM

Fats

Why can't we meet the guidelines?

8:00 PM

Food Labels

Mark Bittman Proposes a Better Food Label

5:58 PM

Food labeling is kind of a messy issue right now. On one side you have advocates of “Right to Know” fighting for GMO-containing products to be labeled as such. On the other side you have soda companies and fast food restaurants digging in their heels to fight laws that would require further nutrition information posted on vending machines and menu boards.

From this perspective, it seems there’s plenty of push and pull in this important debate. The worst part, however, is that the consumer is caught in the middle with the simple desire to know what’s in the food they buy and to feel good about what they put in their bodies.

While the discussion of food labeling may have multiple sides and a variety of opinions, an editorial piece by Mark Bittman published in The New York Times Saturday shined some much-needed light on the topic and offered a simple solution: Make labels honest, easy to read and understand, and useful to the health-conscious consumer.

Bittman’s idea of a “dream food label” is no longer just a dream. The NY Times writer and health advocate has been working with Werner Design Werks in St. Paul, Minnesota to develop a new template for food labels that would essentially remove the less-important items on current food labels and add useful information to help the consumer answer the simple question, “Is this product honestly healthy?”

The proposed label would consist of a color-coded bar based on a 15-point scale. If the food’s ranking falls between 11 and 5, it would be green; between 6 and 10, yellow; and between 0 and 6, red. The ranking is determined by three key factors: “Nutrition,” “Foodness” and “Welfare.” Nutrition is based on but not limited to the amount of sugar, trans fats, fiber and micronutrients the product contains. For example, a product such as soda would be given a zero in Nutrition while a bag of fresh spinach might receive a 5.

When ranking a food based on its “Foodness,” this essentially means it’s being assessed on whether or not the product is real or fake. The assessment would be based on if the product is made with things like bleached flour, yeast conditioners or preservatives. For example, a candy bar would be likely to receive a zero rating, whereas fresh fruit would receive a 5.

Lastly, the “Welfare” ranking of the product is based on the treatment of the workers and animals involved in production, and its impact on the earth. Some of the questions Bittman suggests this ranking might answer include: “Is environmental damage significant? Are workers treated like animals? Are animals produced like widgets?” ‘Yes’ answers to all of these questions would put the ranking near a zero. However, if the workers and animals involved in production were treated fairly and the product didn’t cause significant waste or environmental damage, the ranking would be closer to a 5. This illustration from The Times provides a great example of how various foods would stack up using the new system.

Bittman believes this new labeling system would be a key tool in the fight against obesity, allowing consumers to make more conscious decisions about the food they consume. Beyond just knowing whether or not a food will make us fat, Bittman contends that the addition of “Foodness” and “Welfare” raise the bar even more, alerting consumers to things like whether or not the food was produced in an environmentally conscious way and if it contains pesticides.

As reported by The Times, the possibility of this style of labeling actually being implementing is closer than we may think. For instance, a traffic-light labeling system almost passed in Britain this summer, and the U.S. Institute of Medicine has proposed a similar system outlined in this report.

If adopted, there’s no guarantee that this label would reverse or even have an impact on the obesity epidemic in our country. However, it would be big step in the right direction, finally holding food producers accountable for the quality of their products and informing consumers of what’s in the products they buy.

While Bittman admits the rating system is not a simple one that can be easily applied to all foods, he argues it’s not impossible. If it meant a healthier nation and the availability of more whole, healthy and honest foods, we think it would be well worth the effort.

Find this article at Diets in Review

Read "My Dream Food Label" by Mark Bittman in the New York Times

Best Teen Diets recommends healthy well balanced eating that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and low-fat or fat-free dairy. We offer nutrition information for teens, parents and educators that emphasizes the importance of healthy eating for peak performance. For more information regarding healthy eating for teens visit www.bestteendiets.org

We want to know: Do you agree? Would this type of label make a difference for you when you shop? How many different types of labels have you seen in the store trying to teach you about the good in a product? Tell us in your comments or Tweet @Best_Teen_Diets

How much sugar is okay for me?

So Much Tuna, Which One to Choose?

Picking Between Cereals: More Fiber, Less Sugar

What "skinny" and "healthy" are saying to us

Identify MyPlate recipes with a new icon!

The 4-step test: whole grain nutrition

Grocery shopping for more money

The "Work It Out Calculator"

Why can't we meet the guidelines?

Mark Bittman Proposes a Better Food Label

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