A Healthier Cracker

Not long ago, I had a craving for crackers and cheese. I picked up a box of the most popular brand of buttery round crackers and decided to read the ingredients. I was shocked to find that the ingredients included partially hydrogenated soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup. Unbelievable! So I went on the search for a healthier cracker and this is what I found:

Eat This: Back to Nature Classic Rounds: They taste as good as the more popular brands but they contain no trans fat, no hydrogenated oils, and no artificial preservatives.

Not That: Popular Brand Crackers containing HFCS and Hydrogenated Oils.

I have found these crackers at Super Target, Market Street and Kroger

The “Other” Ketchup

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog that we need a healthy ketchup to go with our organic French fries. I read the ingredient list of the most popular brands of ketchup and they have both high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup in them. Again I ask, “Is that really necessary? What happened to food just being food? Why can’t they use natural ingredients like regular sugar?" Thankfully I have two recommendations for a healthier version.

My favorite is:

Annie’s Natural Organic Ketchup: It is made with all natural ingredients, cloves and all spice and is even better than the “regular” stuff.

My second choice is Heinz Organic Tomato Ketchup. It is made with organic tomatoes and sugar.

Both of these choices are pretty good. I was happy to have more than one alternative. I know it’s expensive to throw out food and start fresh so use up what you have and when you go to purchase it next time – make the healthier choice. Small changes – one at a time.

Healthy French Fries?

Is there really such thing as a Healthy French Fry? Well, I don’t know but I sure have found something pretty close. Today for Eat This Not That I conquer the French fry.

Who doesn’t love French fries? I don’t know anyone. Since we don’t eat fast food very often I had to find a frozen French fry that was acceptable to our diet. Looking at the ingredients on the major brands of frozen fries I found partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and other un-natural ingredients. Ugh! So I went on the search and finally found a brand I liked that used only a few, natural ingredients and also tastes great – kid approved!

Eat This: All Natural Alexia Foods Oven Crinkle Fries. They are made with organic potatoes, organic apple juice and sea salt. They are delicious and a much healthier choice than the fast food line or even some of the other brands of frozen potatoes. Other organic products in their line include hash browns and other French fry flavors.

They also have several non-organic products that we love including onion rings and sweet potato fries. Although these have a few more ingredients on their list they are still a much better alternative to fast food and even other brands.

Not That: Frozen French fries, Waffle Fries, and Extra Crispy Fries that include partially hydrogenated oils and other un-natural ingredients. Always read your labels.

Tomorrow I will write about the ketchup you will need to go along with your fries!

Here is the web site to Alexia Foods:
http://www.alexiafoods.com/index.html

What BBQ Sauce is Healthy?

My Eat This Not That Product today is BBQ Sauce. Most BBQ Sauces on the shelf in the grocery store contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and loads of other un-natural ingredients. Make sure you read the label on every product you buy.

Research has shown that high-fructose corn syrup goes directly to the liver, releasing enzymes that instruct the body to then store fat. This may elevate triglyceride (fat in blood) levels and elevate cholesterol levels. This fake fructose may slow fat burning and cause weight gain. Other research has shown that HFCS does not stimulate insulin production which means that we don't feel full when we should and therefore eat more.

Eat This: Annie's Natural Original BBQ Sauce. It is a Vegan, Gluten Free Product, and Made with Organic Ingredients. It is sweetened with brown rice syrup instead of HFCS or other un-natural sweeteners and has a really sweet and tangy flavor. I love it!

Not That: Other BBQ Sauces that contain HFCS and other unnatural ingredients.

I have purchased this delicious BBQ Sauce at Market Street and you can also buy it on line:

http://www.annies.com/an

Make small changes every day. You don't have to do a complete diet overhaul in one day. Change one product at a time and slowly you will have a kitchen full of better for you, more natural foods.

What Salad Dressing is Healthy?

If you are like me, you would think that a regular light Italian dressing would be just fine to put on top of your healthy salad. Well, if you are like me, you will be totally shocked that one of the first ingredients in most salad dressing is high fructose corn syrup!

When I started reading labels on all the products I used to buy, I was continually shocked at all the unhealthy ingredients that go into the most simple of foods.

Today my focus is salad dressing. Check the labels of the dressings you have in your refrigerator. I think you will probably be shocked at not only the number of indecipherable ingredients on the label but also that it contains large amounts of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and more.

I went on the search for a healthier alternative and aside from just going without dressing all together, I found one that I really like and wanted to share the information.

Eat This: I like Annie’s Natural Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette. It is Dairy Free, Soy Free, and Gluten Free and is one of the best “all natural” salad dressings I have tried. I have found it at Market Street but I think they also sell it at Super Target and Kroger (in their “healthy living”) section. You can also buy it on line. Here is the URL:

http://www.annies.com/an#jump302

Not That: Salad Dressings loaded with unhealthy ingredients, fat, and preservatives.

Butter Vs. Margarine – Which is worse?

Eat This Not That

I start this entry with the theme you will hear over and over again…Why can’t food just be food?

I grew up in the era of margarine. Margarine was created about a century ago but not really popular in the US until about the 1960’s when the first tub margarine and vegetable oil spreads were introduced to the American public. Like most, I used it in place of butter because butter was always considered bad for your health due to high levels of saturated fat, which is associated with increasing cholesterol levels in the blood and heart disease.

However, margarine may be even worse than butter. Most margarine is processed using a method called hydrogenation, which results in unhealthy Trans fats. In general, the more solid the margarine, the more Trans fat it contains — so stick margarine usually have more trans fats than do tub margarine. Like saturated fats, Tran’s fats increase blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. But Trans fats can also lower "good," cholesterol levels, increase your risk of cancer, and decrease your immune system response.

So what do we do? My opinion is to eat butter in moderation. At least it is natural. Butter is usually made from cream (dairy milk) and salt. Margarine on the other is made from such a complicated process that I can’t even explain it all except to say it starts out as an oil, is treated with caustic soda, bleached, mixed with charcoal, hydrogenated, emulsified, agitated and then somewhere in there they have to make it look yellow… like butter. Have I lost you yet? I almost did not even want to write this because it is so complicated!

So, really, none of it is very good for you. I personally would throw out the margarine and use butter in moderation. Read your labels to make sure it is just cream and salt and stick to the serving size or less. I like Land O Lakes Whipped Butter.

Wheat bread Vs. White Bread

Eat This Not That

Eat This: 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Not That: White Bread (Any Kind)


I know most of us have thrown out our loaves of white bread long ago. If you haven’t it’s never too late to make some easy changes that will make a world of difference in your diet.

So you ask “Why is white bread bad?” For one, it didn’t start out white. A bleaching process was incorporated into bread making to give flour and the bread it makes a longer shelf life. During the process of bleaching most of the vitamins are lost, as well as the essential wheat germ and bran, which leaves only poor quality proteins and fattening starch. White bread is then “enriched” to put nutrients back into it. Why all this work? Why can’t we just leave food to be food?

I can honestly say that I cannot find the perfect wheat bread on the shelf but I am not willing to start baking my bread from scratch – yet. Here are a few choices I like:

Nature’s Own Honey Wheat Berry Bread or 12 Grain Bread; Pepperidge Farm Natural Whole Grain Bread; Archer Farms 100% Whole Wheat Honey Bread.

**Make sure they say 100% Whole Wheat**

Healthy Snack on the Go

Eat This Not That

When you are on the go I know it's hard to grab a snack that is simple, healthy and actually tastes good. If I am at home I usually snack on grapes, carrot sticks or bites size pieces of broccoli. Keeps these snacks washed, cut up and readily available so that when you are at home and hungry they are easy to grab so you don't grab that bag of chips! But when I know I am going to be running around all day I want a convenient healthy snack. So today's Eat This Not That is Soy Joy Bars vs. Candy Bars

Eat This: Soy Joy Bars. They are all natural, made with whole soy, real fruit and four grams of protein, and have no trans fat. They come in a variety of flavors. I like the Apple Walnut and the Mango Coconut best. Keep a box at home, one in the car, and one at the office. They are that perfect 3:00 pm snack.

Not That: Candy Bars. Most candy bars are high in sugar and low in healthful nutrients and can cause an unhealthy spike and then crash in blood sugar. They are usually loaded with unnatural ingredients, high in trans fat and high fructose corn syrup.

Wheat and Multi-Grain Pasta Vs. "Regular" Padta

Eat This Not That

Pasta:

Today for Eat This Not That I choose “Regular” Pasta vs. Whole Wheat or Multi-Grain Pasta. Sometime it’s just about making the small changes in our diet. You can’t be expected to change your whole lifestyle all at once. Long-term changes need to come bit by bit, by making small adjustments one at a time.

When I first switched my family from regular or “white” pasta to whole wheat, I did it little by little. I started mixing the two pastas together for the first few times and then after a few meals I completely switched to the healthier pastas and had no complaints. Now I did have to go through a few different brands before I found one everyone loved.

Eat This: Whole-wheat pasta or Multi-Grain is generally known to be better for you because whole-wheat pasta contains the entire grain seed. Whole-wheat pasta contains vitamins, minerals and fiber, some of which are lost in the refining process when pasta is made from refined and processed flour.

My favorite choice is Barilla Plus. It is a Multi-Grain Pasta that is high in fiber, protein and Omega-3.

Not That: Regular Pasta/Spaghetti: Try to stay away from “regular” spaghetti. It is made from refined grains, and striped of its nutrients.

The Other Pop-Tart

Funny how things work but I had 2 different conversations with 2 different friends today about pop-tarts. I thought that was a good sign for me to give you a healthy alternative to the “regular” pop-tart, which can contain ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils, both of which are products to avoid.

When I went on my search for a healthier alternative I found Nature’s Path Organic Frosted Toaster Pastries. You can buy them at places like Market Street and Whole Foods and even on line. I have included the website.

Now I don’t recommend that you have your kids (or spouses!) eat them every day for breakfast but they are a much better alternative than the regular brand, come in a variety of flavors, are USDA certified organic and best of all…my kids love them!

http://www.naturespath.com/

Health and Diet Sodas

Eat This Not That

I am starting this section to help give us better food and drink choices. I will periodically add to this topic when I find great healthier food choices I want to share. The first up in this section is:


Diet Soda
I want to start this topic by first saying that I used to be a soda drinker. I drank cokes as a kid and switched to diet drinks as a teenager. It was not until I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 36 that I decided to give up all soft drinks and artificial sweeteners.

In an article in the January 2009 edition of Prevention Magazine it is stated that in a 2008 study, researchers linked drinking just one diet soda a day with metabolic syndrome – the collection of symptoms including belly fat that puts you at high risk for heart disease and diabetes. Researchers are not sure if it’s an ingredient in diet soda or the drinker’s eating habits that caused the association.

My play on the topic…cut out the sodas altogether, regular and diet. Artificial sweeteners are just not a good thing. Although they have been approved by the FDA as safe to consume, we still need to keep in mind that by adding artificial sweeteners to our food and drink, we are still eating something that has no nutritional value and does not function like food in our systems. Remember our goal is for food just to be food.

Smarter Sub: Water, Unsweetened Iced Tea, Flavored Seltzer Water (make sure to read the label, you never know what is in a product until you read the list of ingredients), 100% Fruit Juice (small amounts), Green & Black Teas, fat-free or low-fat milk .

If you can’t stop “cold turkey”, consider decreasing the amount you drink gradually. Remember, every step you can take towards a healthier diet, is a step in the right direction. Instead of sweeteners try light vanilla soy milk in your coffee and tea.