eat healthy

How Nutrition Labels Are About to Get Better

Christa Avampato — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 09:01:06 +0000

We've all experienced it — we walk into the grocery store, intent on making the best health decisions during our shopping trip. Then we get completely confused by the nutrition labels on the food we want to buy.

Consumer confusion surrounding these labels is totally understandable. The labels were created 25 years ago, and have remained largely unchanged since that time. Our food system, the way we eat, and our ever-growing knowledge of nutrition and health has vastly changed in the last two and a half decades.

As a result of many years of consumer pressure, the FDA finally agreed to update the nutrition facts labels on packaged food, and they are getting quite a makeover. The work is already in progress and manufacturers will have to be in compliance of the new label standards no later than July 26, 2018. Here are the biggest changes to look out for.

The size of the font and key info in bold

The font size of different sections of the nutrition facts will help make it easier to focus on the points that matter most. The number of servings per container, serving size, and calorie count per serving will be bolded and in a larger font than the rest of the nutrition information on the label. This change will also make the label easier to scan as a whole.

An emphasis on the daily value percentage

The layout of the label will also change with a greater emphasis on the daily value percentages. These are the percentages that tell you the amount of the daily recommended value of vitamins, minerals, and components such as fat, fiber, sugar, protein, and sodium that you will get from each serving in the package.

"Added Sugars" will be included

Added sugar is exactly what it sounds like: sugar that manufacturers add to a food item that doesn't come naturally from ingredients such as fruit. It's no secret that many manufacturers add sugar to foods to make them tastier for consumers. There is scientific research to suggest that the amount of added sugar we're consuming is contributing to chronic diseases such as diabetes. Given the spike that we're seeing in chronic diseases in our society, it makes sense that the FDA is making this distinction between added sugars and other carbohydrates. (See also: Eat Less Sugar With These 10 Simple Tricks)

Serving sizes will be more realistic

It's endlessly frustrating when you see something small and unhealthy — a candy bar, for example — and the nutrition label has it listed as a three-serving snack. You know you're probably going to eat it in one sitting, as would most people. Luckily, nutrition labels will now reflect that reality.

The FDA states that "packages that are between one and two servings, such as a 20-ounce soda or a 15-ounce can of soup, the calories and other nutrients will be required to be labeled as one serving because people typically consume it in one sitting."

Though we are the ones who remain in control of our health and food consumption, the FDA is putting forward a good deal of effort to make sure that food manufacturers are helping consumers achieve and maintain good health through balanced nutrition. While these new and improved nutrition facts labels won't be the silver bullet for better health, they are a big step in the right direction.

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This article is from Christa Avampato of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Save Money and Eat Better With These 6 Online Meal Planners

Ashley Eneriz — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 09:30:42 +0000

Meal planning is a necessity to save money on groceries, and avoid the fast food drive-thru. However, if you are anything like me, the idea of sitting down each week to plan your meals does not sound exciting. These six meal planning sites take the time and guesswork out of making grocery lists and deciding what to make each week.

1. 5 Dinners 1 Hour

I am a big fan of 5 Dinners 1 Hour. The site offers a variety of plans, including classic, clean eating, paleo, and gluten-free. With this site, the meals are already planned out for you, and the goal is to assemble five dinners in one hour at the start of your week. Each month is a new menu, and you can reuse past menus, as well.

This meal plan is very organized. The printable shopping list is convenient, and each meal has a designated letter, so if you don't want a certain meal, you will easily know which items to cross off the shopping list. It takes me about two hours to shop and complete meal prep, but of course this is with two little ones nearby.

Most of the meals have been delicious, while others were bland. However, it has been convenient to have all of the week's dinners in the fridge and ready to go at the start of the week. Some meals are marked as freezable, so I always double up on those so I can build up my freezer stash without much more effort on my part.

2. Plan to Eat

Plan to Eat cuts the time it takes to establish a grocery list and meal plan. You integrate your favorite recipes either by hand, by file, or through your favorite online recipes. The site will take a meal your find via search or link and transform it into a shopping list and meal plan.

Plan to Eat also allows you to plan every meal — not just dinner. This is helpful for those who want to know what exactly they will need throughout the week for groceries. Another nifty thing about this site is that you can keep a freezer inventory on the side, and plan meals from the freezer.

3. Once a Month Meals

I love making a batch of freezer meals, because it means only cleaning up one big mess per month. Once a Month Meals used to be free when I started using the site many years ago. They now charge a subscription fee, but they have also updated their site to include multiple menu plans and better technology to incorporate and change your monthly meal planning.

The site does a great job of adding variety and organizing everything needed to assemble meals, but it is a huge undertaking. When I have done this site's plans in the past, it has taken me a whole day to shop and assemble meals.

4. Dinner Daily

Dinner Daily plans come with five select dinners each week, along with a shopping list and links to printable coupons to save money on that week's grocery haul. Most of the meals selected take 20-35 minutes to make, which is great when you are short on time. Dinner Daily has quite a few plans, but no specialty-diet plans, such as paleo, gluten-free, or dairy-free.

5. eMeals

eMeals has the biggest variety of menu types and is recommended by finance guru, Dave Ramsey. The site offers plans from paleo, slow cooking, diabetic-friendly, low carb, vegetarian, and more. You are not stuck with one menu type, and you can change based on your preference. I appreciate that the plans come in two formats: family-size or servings for two. Even though we are a family of four, the two littles don't eat enough to count, so it's nice not to waste food.

6. The Fresh 20

The Fresh 20 is a unique meal planning site that creates plans based off 20 ingredients per week (plus pantry staples). The goal of this site is to help reduce food waste and help others eat healthier. However, this site does not allow you to change plans and does not have as much flexibility and customization as the other sites listed.

All of the meal plans come with menu samples or free trials, so be sure to try a few out to see what works best for you. The best meal planning site is one that you'll actually use.

Which meal planning sites have you tried? Share with us!

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This article is from Ashley Eneriz of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Best Money Tips: How to Eat Healthy on a Tight Budget

Amy Lu — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 19:00:48 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some great articles to help you eat healthy on a tight budget, save money on coffee, and make Halloween costumes that cost next to nothing.

4 Ways to Eat Healthy(ish) From Vending Machines

Chris Birk — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:00:35 +0000

They’re omnipresent. And typically omni-unhealthy.

Vending machines are everywhere, clustered especially in spots where you'll find students, office workers, and other on-the-go types. To be sure, more nutritious-conscious contraptions are starting to appear in workplaces and community spots (our company has an amazing fresh fruit vending option in the main office). But these remain few and far between.

The vending machine business takes in a staggering $110 million per day in the U.S. according to 1.800.VENDING. The vast majority of those purchases aren't waistline friendly. But for healthy-minded folks stuck in a pinch, there are some semi-healthy options.

Check out some of these tips so you know what buttons to push next time you’re face-to-face with a vending machine. (See also: Healthy, Frugal Eating)

Go Nuts...and Seeds

No snack hunter will have problems finding peanuts and sunflower seeds in vending machines. In fact, different flavors of each are common. For those hankering for a sweet snack, honey-roasted peanuts or even peanut M&Ms fare better than sugar-laden candy bars. Mixed nuts are the ideal snack in the late afternoon when you’re running on empty until dinner. Since the human body slowly digests monounsaturated fat, which is found in nuts and seeds, this path provides longer-lasting energy and an extended “full” feeling.

Choose Salty Snacks Wisely

Bagged goodies can hit the spot for those looking for a salty snack. The key is avoiding potato chips packed with simple carbohydrates. Too many simple carbs cause a short-lived energy boost and then a crash. However, Lays’ line of baked potato chips, Sun Chips, and reduced-fat popcorn serve as healthy alternatives. Generally low in calories and fat, these snacks have some fiber. Pretzels are a safe alternative, too, although they have little nutritious value. Whole-wheat cracker sandwiches with either cheese or peanut butter come with complex carbohydrates, the good kind. Not only do good carbs keep us full and more energized, but they also keep us alert for a longer period of time.

Use Fruits to Satisfy a Sweet Tooth

Candy bars, breakfast bars, and baked goods get us salivating. But like fatty potato chips, these overly sweetened indulgences contain tons of simple carbohydrates. Again, we get an abbreviated energy boost and then crash. Instead, look for fruit or fruit-based nibbles to satiate a dessert craving. Fig Newtons are exemplary in this role as they’re low in fat and calories.

Hydrate

It’s important to drink plenty of water even if you’re not doing anything that’s physically tasking. Dehydration may be masked as hunger, so try satisfying that hungry feeling with water. Avoid sodas, as they’re overloaded with sugar, empty calories, and simple carbohydrates. Energy drinks are seldom nutritiously different than soda. Water is the best choice, followed by sweet tea or flavored water.

This article is from Chris Birk of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Eat Healthy This Winter Without Spending a Fortune

Sarah Winfrey — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:05:07 +0000

It's getting to be fall. Can you smell it? I can't, but I know it's true because I see the fruits and vegetables in my grocery store changing. Slowly, the peaches, nectarines, and plums are getting more expensive and less tasty, and the winter staples like apples, pears, and potatoes are taking center stage. It always makes me sad, this transition from summer to fall, when I have to say goodbye, for a whole year, to some of my favorite foods. But the only other option is to pay exorbitant prices for food that tastes worse and that I know has been brought in from far away, and I'm just not willing to do that.

If you're like me, reveling in the fresh produce of summer and saddened when it departs in the fall, despair isn't your only option. There are good ways to preserve fruits and vegetables that allow you to enjoy them through fall and winter without paying a price that's too high, either for your pocketbook or for the planet.

Space

The first thing you need when you think about storing food is space. Depending on where you live, this may be anything from a cabinet to a shed to a cellar. The space you have will determine not only how much food you can store, but which sorts of storing you can do, so do some research before you commit to anything.

Supplies

You'll also want to have an abundance of supplies on hand for each type of storing you want to do. For instance, if you want to can, you'll need to make sure you have Mason jars with sealable lids. If you want to dehydrate, you'll need all sizes of bags and something to write on them all with. It's a good idea to get these items together beforehand, as you won't necessarily be able to run to the store in the middle of the process if you run out of something.

Storage

When it comes to storing fresh fruits and vegetables, water loss is the main culprit in making food taste bad, followed by the growth of bacteria and fungi that causes the food to spoil. But some fresh foods lose water more slowly than others. This includes winter squash, onions, and potatoes. If you store these items in a cool, dry place, they can last for several months before going bad. In addition, the cool temperature will help keep the bacteria and fungi away.

Freezing

Most fruits and vegetables can be frozen for 8-12 months without a problem. However, each fruit or vegetable freezes best under different conditions. Before you begin, check out the University of Minnesota's site to see what you should do with each fruit or vegetable you want to freeze to maintain optimum conditions. In general, you will want to blanch your vegetables before freezing and you will freeze your fruit in a simple syrup that will help preserve its color and flavor.

The upside of preserving fresh food by freezing it is that you maintain much of the nutritional value. The downsides are that it takes up a lot of space (frozen food isn't any smaller than unfrozen food) and isn't immediately accessible for use (you have to thaw it first). For a more complete view of what it takes to freeze food long-term, check out the University of Minnesota.

Drying

There are several ways to dry fresh fruit and vegetables: sun drying, oven drying, and dehydrator drying. This works especially well for herbs and spices, but can also be used on just about any fruit or vegetable you can think of. If you're planning to dry a lot of produce, you'll probably want to invest in an electric dehydrator, so you don't lose the use of your oven for days at a time.

Like with freezing, individual fruits and vegetables should be dried according to specific instructions. Both FarmGal and Washington State University have all the information you'll need to get started.

Drying is great for herbs and certain fruits, and it's best when you have a limited amount of space. But it takes a lot longer to get the food to a storeable state when you're drying it, and many fruits and vegetables don't reconstitute especially well.

Canning

The most important thing to consider when you're thinking about canning is safety. Food canned at an improper acidity level can develop some particularly nasty kinds of bacteria, and you don't want anyone to die for a few vegetables. Luckily, there are instructions and recipes all over the internet for canning different foods in safe ways.

Some fruits and vegetables can be canned using a boiling pot of water on your stove. Others require a pressure canner to be safe. Whatever your recipe calls for, be sure that you know how to use it properly before you get started, to ensure the safety of all who eat your food.

That said, canned fruits and vegetables are some of the yummiest around. They retain nutritional value well, are easily accessible, and the food inside the can looks and tastes like the fresh item you put in there. However, canning can be labor intensive and overwhelming for beginners. The best way to learn is to work with someone who cans, instead of starting out on your own.

Other Methods

Freezing, drying, and canning are the Big 3 when it comes to methods of storing fruit and vegetables long-term. However, some items are also tasty when pickled and others make great jams and jellies. Luckily, there's more then enough information on the internet to get you started, whichever plan you choose. The important thing is that you don't have to miss out on your favorite summer fruits and veggies just because they're out of season, nor do you have to pay exhorbitant prices to eat them. The ability to store them long-term is right in front of you and is easy to pick up and begin to use.

Good luck!

This post was included in the Make It From Scratch Carnival.

This article is from Sarah Winfrey of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

eat healthy

How Nutrition Labels Are About to Get Better

The size of the font and key info in bold

An emphasis on the daily value percentage

"Added Sugars" will be included

Serving sizes will be more realistic

Like this article? Pin it!

Save Money and Eat Better With These 6 Online Meal Planners

1. 5 Dinners 1 Hour

2. Plan to Eat

3. Once a Month Meals

4. Dinner Daily

5. eMeals

6. The Fresh 20

Like this article? Pin it!

Best Money Tips: How to Eat Healthy on a Tight Budget

Top 5 Articles

Other Essential Reading

4 Ways to Eat Healthy(ish) From Vending Machines

Go Nuts...and Seeds

Choose Salty Snacks Wisely

Use Fruits to Satisfy a Sweet Tooth

Hydrate

Eat Healthy This Winter Without Spending a Fortune

Space

Supplies

Storage

Freezing

Drying

Canning

Other Methods