Health Care Quarterly:

Smart shopping can lead to a healthier life

Most people are familiar with the grocery store, but how much do any of us really know about the products we purchase? With aisles upon aisles of food and labels reading “non-GMO,” “low-fat,” “no fat” and “farm raised,” how can you truly determine if you’re making the most nutritious choices for yourself and your family? Information overload has made grocery shopping an overwhelming experience for many of us.

To combat food label uncertainty and to eliminate the confusion in choosing truly healthy products, Health Plan of Nevada’s Health, Education & Wellness program developed a grocery store tour, Shop Smart for Healthy Living. These classes provide tips and tricks for basic meal planning, strategies to choose the right items in each store section and how to shop efficiently on a budget.

To determine if an item is nutritious, start by deciphering the food label. Just because a product’s label says it is “healthy,” “low fat” or contains low sodium, it is not guarantee that is actually healthy and nutritious. So where should you start and what does it all mean?

If you are in a rush and do not have the time to read the label step by step, choose products that are as minimally processed as possible — it is probably not the best choice if it has a long laundry list of foreign ingredients.

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It’s important to be aware of changes in health recommendations to help lead your most healthy life. For the first time in 20 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is making changes to food labels. This increases the amount of nutritional information on food labels and is based on updated scientific information and new nutrition and public health research.

These changes include modifying the list of required nutrients that must be declared on the label, updating the format of the serving size to a larger font and listing the amount of “added sugar” in each product.

If you are familiar with reading nutrition labels, you might wonder why “added sugar” is being included on food labels when it already lists the item’s sugar amount. This update to the label will help increase the consumer’s awareness of the quantity of added sugars in their foods, meaning the amount of sugar that’s not naturally found in the food. For example, fruit naturally contains a lot of sugar, but many companies add sugar to dried fruit products to improve taste. The new regulation will require the sugar naturally found in fruit to be listed separately from the added sugar.

It’s important to keep added sugars to 10 percent of calories or less (about 4 grams of sugar is equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar).

If you consume more than 10 percent of your total daily calories from added sugars, it is more difficult to meet nutrient needs while staying within calorie requirements. According to the FDA, Americans on average receive about 13 percent of their total calories from added sugars. If you consume an excessive number of sugar-sweetened beverages, it becomes more difficult to eat foods with enough dietary fiber, essential vitamins and minerals to balance out the sugar. You will see these changes from all major manufactures by July 2018.

Aside from food labels, another big topic of discussion are Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs. Many wonder, “should I avoid purchasing products that are considered genetically modified?” There is not a straightforward answer. The full impact of consuming genetically modified foods is still unknown. If you want to limit your intake of these products, there are several ways to avoid purchasing them:

1. Buy Organic.

Certified organic products cannot include any GMO ingredients. Buy products labeled “100 percent organic,” “organic,” or “made with organic ingredients.”

2. Look for the Non-GMO project seals.

The non-GMO project features brands with products verified to be non-GMO, including third party testing of at-risk ingredients. Remember, this label verifies individual products, not an entire brand.

3. Avoid at-risk ingredients.

If a product is not labeled organic or verified non-GMO, you may want to avoid corn, soybeans, canola, cottonseed, sugar beets, and most Hawaiian papaya as they can include GMOs, if not labeled otherwise. Third-party GMO consumption can

include genetically modified alfalfa sprouts fed to livestock, dairy products from cows injected with genetically modified bovine growth hormone and processed foods that often contain hidden GM derived ingredients.

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In addition to being a savvy food label expert and knowing what products are best to avoid, consider what your favorite meals are and determine if there’s a way to make a healthier version of that dish. It’s entirely possible to enjoy your favorite foods in a balanced and nutritious manner.

A few simple substitutions can truly make a difference, including:

• Instead of peanut butter containing added sugars and foreign chemicals, opt for natural nut butters with no added sugar, salt or hydrogenated fats.

• Commercially processed guacamole dips contain trans fats, artificial colors and controversial ingredients such as sodium benzoate, which is a potential carcinogen, and phosphoric acid, linked to lower bone density. In this case, I recommend eating more natural spreads and dips such as hummus, pesto, tapenade, salsa, olive oil and vinegar and using real avocado to make homemade guacamole.

• Many commercial dressings contain high fructose corn syrup and excess sodium (tip: look for less than 300 mg per serving). It is best to choose oil and vinegar and make dressings at home with healthy oils, herbs and spices.

As a health educator, it is important to provide my patients with the right tools to succeed, so they can navigate the grocery store confidently and know the changes they need to make based on their specific nutritional needs. Eating right does not just improve your health, it also affects your quality of life overall. Happy shopping!

Kristen Race is a registered dietitian. More information on Health Plan of Nevada is available at HealthPlanOfNevada.com.

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