How to Shop for Healthier Food

Nowadays we're all concerned about eating healthier. And of course food manufacturers keep their finger on our pulse and try to tailor their products to what people are looking for.

But, as always, the buyer needs to be wary and as well-informed as possible.

For example, many products are claiming to be "multigrain." But that can be pretty meaningless. Having or being made with more than one grain is of no particular advantage if those grains are not whole. So look for "whole grain." "100% whole wheat" is the best claim to find. Not as good is "made with whole wheat," because you don't know what the percentage of whole wheat is, and it could be a trivial amount. (You can get a little information from the ingredients label if you keep in mind that ingredients are listed in order of their amount, by weight. So if "whole wheat flour" is the first ingredient, that's good.)

Another word used by makers and advertisers is natural. Again, meaningless. Natural does not mean that it's good for you, let alone that it won't harm you. Snake venom is natural. Poison mushrooms are natural.

Lastly, sugar has become a dirty word with some consumers. So food manufacturers are using ingredients like "evaporated cane juice." Now, what is that? No more nor less than sugar. Other sweeteners in that ingredient list, like a concentrate of one or more fruit juices (apple, pear, etc.) or "brown rice syrup" are still sugar.

The only sweeteners that are not sugar by some other name are artificial sweeteners. Some of those have not been satisfactorily tested for safety. Therefore, I often feel I'd rather have sugar. On the other hand, when it comes to soft drinks, which have large amounts of sweeteners (usually high fructose corn syrup) that may be contributing to our rising rates of diabetes and obesity, the "diet" version is the better choice. If you are concerned about the safety of the artificial sweeteners, just limit your consumption of soft drinks.

Copyright (c) 2010 by Richard Stein