As discussed in my blog post from last week, I am doing a series of label reading workshops at The Resort where we look at different labels from categories of foods and determine whether or not they are healthy.
This week, the four categories of foods we are discussing include: 1) frozen meals, 2) yogurt, 3) tortillas, and 4) salad dressings. Here are some general tips of what to look for in these types of products.
1) Frozen Meals:
- Look for meals that contain whole grains
- Look for meals that have at least 3 grams of dietary fiber
- Look for meals that have less than 600 mg of sodium
- Avoid hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, fractioned or modified oils
- Avoid high fructose corn syrup
- Avoid artificial additives, sweeteners, colors or flavors
I like both the Amy’s brand and the Kashi brand for frozen meals, as they most often meet these requirements.
2) Yogurt:
- Look for shorter ingredients list (avoid long ingredients lists)
- Approximately 100-120 calorie range per 6 oz serving
- Avoid a lot of added sugars, including high fructose corn syrup
- Avoid artificial sweeteners (examples: aspartame, acesulfame K, sucralose, etc.)
Some examples of yogurts that meet these requirements include: Fage plain low-fat or non-fat Greek yogurt; store brand or other brand plain low-fat or non-fat yogurt, then add your own honey and/or fruit to sweeten
3) Tortillas:
- Look for whole grain or whole wheat as the first ingredient (unless corn tortillas)
- Avoid enriched flours
- Look for lower calorie options–high fiber, low carb options that range from 50-100 calories per tortilla
- Avoid hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils
A few examples of tortillas that are healthier include: La Tortilla Factory high fiber, low carb, whole grain tortillas (they have a tortilla that is 50 calories per serving); Don Pancho high fiber, low carb, whole grain tortillas; corn tortillas (either white or yellow)
4) Salad Dressing:
- Look for shorter ingredients list (avoid long ingredients lists)
- Look for more natural ingredients
- Look for healthy oils (canola, olive, flax)
- Avoid high fructose corn syrup
- Avoid artificial sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame K, sucralose, etc.)
- Avoid artificial additives or colors
A few examples of more healthy dressings include: Annie’s Homegrown natural or organic dressings; Newman’s Own Lite dressings.
Rachel Andrew MPH, RD, CD
