Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian
Partner content: What Can I Do With Tofu?
Tofu is the curd (like a cheese) of soybeans and comes in different textures from soft or…
• Fats: cholesterol, saturated fat, partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats)
• Red Meat
• Eggs
• Salt/Sodium
• "GMO's"
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Partner content: The "Dirty Dozen" list
Question: Should I buy my fruits and vegetables based on the “Dirty Dozen” list?
• Soda
• Artificial dyes
• Artificial sweeteners
• High fructose corn syrups
• Gluten
• Wheat
• Carbs (carbohydrates)
This year's "villain" is definitely SUGAR. You can find "no sugar added" and "sugar-free" claims on everything from bread to bacon. I'm not saying that we should eat sugar with abandon and I do think that limiting added sugars is important. (See American Heart Association Guidelines or the Dietary Guidelines for sugar amounts http://buildupdietitians.blogspot.com/2016/07/guest-post-sugar-shock-by-margaret-peck.html#!/2016/07/guest-post-sugar-shock-by-margaret-peck.html) Trying to isolate one "villain" for our health or weight issues and eliminate it from our diet is seldom accurate or science based and we may end up substituting it with choices that aren't especially healthy. The culprits for poor health and obesity are often a "gang" i.e multiple issues. Additionally, food brands and marketers will use these food fears to market products to us that may still not be good choices, for example gluten-free fried donuts, no-sugar bacon, and non-GMO candy.
What's the bottom-line?
View "free-from" claims with skepticism and a grain of salt. Eat foods in moderation. Get exercise. Don't fall for marketing claims on food!
(Parts of this blog were originally written in 2014, "Weight Woes and the Villain du Jour")
Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN
Ingles Markets Corporate Dietitian
facebook.com/LeahMcgrathDietitian
800-334-4936