"After the holidays we'll start working out."
We're all guilty of it. Even my wife recently started talking about getting in shape after the holidays. For my wife and I it's not a random resolution though.. we are both losing weight and getting healthier so we can work on having children. I started early and surprisingly didn't gain any weight over the holidays. Since the beginning of October I've lost 15 pounds. Not a staggering amount but I'll be able to start working out again since my wife's parents are giving us a "lightly used" treadmill. Isn't that how most treadmills end up? Well I plan on using it, since moving to the new house with our little 1/4 mile dead end cul-de-sac off a major highway I don't have anywhere safe to walk anymore like I did around the apartments in Raleigh.
Some diet changes I've made recently include switching from potato chips to pretzels (1g of fat instead of 12-14g), fat free ranch dressing (0g fat instead of 12g, and yes the texture is a little off, but you don't notice much in a salad), eating more fruits and vegetables.. we've been eating salads with dinner, yes it's not that healthy with cheese and bacon bits, but its a start. I like bananas and they are cheap.. I want some grapes but I refuse to pay 4.00$+ a pound for them. I switched to diet soda's years ago, but i'm trying to drink more water.
How sad is it that my goal weight which is 100 pounds less then I am now is still considered "obese" by the BMI calculators. Oh well, it's a start. If I make it there I'm sure I'll keep going. I've walked a 5k (58 minutes, or roughly 3 miles an hour) I want to eventually run one. Not like 19 minute rocketship pace, but something in the 25-30 minute range would be nice (6 miles an hour).
Here's to the New Year. Have a happy and healthy 2010.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Reduced Fat Wheat Thins
Wheat thins are probably pretty healthy to begin with (compared to potato chips) but the reduced fat version makes them even more so.
Here's the stats.
Serving size 29g (about 16 crackers)
130 Calories
3.5 g of fat (only 0.5 saturated, plus 2 grams poly unsaturated) compared to 5 g fat in normal wheat thins (30% reduced).
230 mg sodium
22 g carbs (2g fiber, 4 g sugar)
Label claim - 11g of whole grain per 29g serving.
Not only are they better than regular Wheat Thins, compared to potato chips
Chips: 28 g serving
150 calories
9 g fat, 2 g saturated
95mg sodium
14 g carbs
I like the reduced fat Wheat Thins just on taste alone, I've always liked Wheat Thins, but the health aspects make them a guilt free snack.
Here's the stats.
Serving size 29g (about 16 crackers)
130 Calories
3.5 g of fat (only 0.5 saturated, plus 2 grams poly unsaturated) compared to 5 g fat in normal wheat thins (30% reduced).
230 mg sodium
22 g carbs (2g fiber, 4 g sugar)
Label claim - 11g of whole grain per 29g serving.
Not only are they better than regular Wheat Thins, compared to potato chips
Chips: 28 g serving
150 calories
9 g fat, 2 g saturated
95mg sodium
14 g carbs
I like the reduced fat Wheat Thins just on taste alone, I've always liked Wheat Thins, but the health aspects make them a guilt free snack.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Food Trends
As a food science student we spent a lot of time talking about trends in the food industry. When we got jobs we'd either be capitalizing on things that were hot now, or looking for what would be the next big trend.
Healthy foods are very trendy right now with issues such as diabetes, trans-fats, artificial sweeteners and other topics hot in the news right now. Some of these trends can be misleading though and it bothers me to watch food companies try to scare people into using their products based on misleading facts or an uneducated public. Here's some examples.
Whole Grain: Everything is made with whole grain these days, including sugar-coma inducing cereals like Lucky Charms. I'm sure most people are smart enough to realize a cereal with marshmallows is not healthy but that front of the label claim sure makes it sound healthy. The FDA is starting to look into some of these label claims that were previously not enforced.
High Fructose Corn Syrup: High fructose corn syrup has gotten a very bad rap in the press and I'm not sure why. It has been linked in some research to increase the incidence of diabetes and obesity, but more recent research disputes this fact. The fact is, corn syrup is a byproduct of cornstarch manufacturing and has been around for a long time. Normal corn syrup is roughly 60% glucose and 40% fructose. High Fructose Corn Syrup has been processed a little bit more to bring the ration very close to 50/50 Glucose to Fructose. This is the exact same ratio as Sucrose (table sugar) and your body processes it in exactly the same way. The culprit is not the ingredients, but quantity. Because it's found in everything from sodas to cookies to cakes it has gotten blamed for obesity. Recently some companies have begun advertising their products have no HFCS, or like Snapple, are made with "real sugar", as if somehow that is healthier.
Here's a good article from MSNBC that takes a look at it from both angles. "High Fructose Corn Syrup: How Dangerous is it?"
There is one caveat to this. A research study that fed participants a diet of 100% Fructose, did in fact show an increase in cases of obesity and diabetes, but there are no foods that contain that high of an amount of Fructose so that's not a concern, although that probably started the scare about "High" Fructose Corn Syrup, even though it's only 42-55% Fructose just like normal table sugar.
Free Range: This one is almost comical. Free Range brings up the notion of chickens running around someone's back yard. This is not the way it works, at least not on large commercial farms. Based on USDA regulations, to qualify as free range all that has to be done is that the door of the cage/barn be left open and that they have "access" to the outside. This does not guarantee that the "outside" is a pasture. It may be dirt or gravel. There is not legal definition for Free-Range eggs. This doesn't mean producers are lying, it just means it's not enforced. Also in the US, free range refers only to poultry (since by definition, most other live stock in a pasture would all be considered free-range).
Here's a PDF from the USDA about Turkeys. The same rules apply to chickens. "Turkey Raised by the Rules"
Natural: Natural is another one you have to be careful with. It's not as strictly regulated as "Organic" which is very tightly mandated by the FDA. There are several levels of "natural" that is used on food labels. The two most common are "Contains Natural Ingredients/Made with Natural Ingredients" and "100% Natural". 100% natural is pretty much exactly what it says. The product must contain no artificial ingredients/colors/flavors etc. The other designation is not so clear. You can have a product made with a "natural" ingredient such as sea salt, but could still contain artificial ingredients/colors etc so you have to make sure you check the labels.
The USDA has a legal definition for "Natural" which states that a product cannot contain any artificial ingredients/colors/preservatives etc and has been minimally processed (no more then what can be done in a home kitchen). This only applies to raw meat products. Once they've been cooked, processed, or treated with flavors/brine/preservatives this goes out the door.
Here's a link to the Natural Ingredient Resource Center.
Hope this helps next time you're reading labels.
Healthy foods are very trendy right now with issues such as diabetes, trans-fats, artificial sweeteners and other topics hot in the news right now. Some of these trends can be misleading though and it bothers me to watch food companies try to scare people into using their products based on misleading facts or an uneducated public. Here's some examples.
Whole Grain: Everything is made with whole grain these days, including sugar-coma inducing cereals like Lucky Charms. I'm sure most people are smart enough to realize a cereal with marshmallows is not healthy but that front of the label claim sure makes it sound healthy. The FDA is starting to look into some of these label claims that were previously not enforced.
High Fructose Corn Syrup: High fructose corn syrup has gotten a very bad rap in the press and I'm not sure why. It has been linked in some research to increase the incidence of diabetes and obesity, but more recent research disputes this fact. The fact is, corn syrup is a byproduct of cornstarch manufacturing and has been around for a long time. Normal corn syrup is roughly 60% glucose and 40% fructose. High Fructose Corn Syrup has been processed a little bit more to bring the ration very close to 50/50 Glucose to Fructose. This is the exact same ratio as Sucrose (table sugar) and your body processes it in exactly the same way. The culprit is not the ingredients, but quantity. Because it's found in everything from sodas to cookies to cakes it has gotten blamed for obesity. Recently some companies have begun advertising their products have no HFCS, or like Snapple, are made with "real sugar", as if somehow that is healthier.
Here's a good article from MSNBC that takes a look at it from both angles. "High Fructose Corn Syrup: How Dangerous is it?"
There is one caveat to this. A research study that fed participants a diet of 100% Fructose, did in fact show an increase in cases of obesity and diabetes, but there are no foods that contain that high of an amount of Fructose so that's not a concern, although that probably started the scare about "High" Fructose Corn Syrup, even though it's only 42-55% Fructose just like normal table sugar.
Free Range: This one is almost comical. Free Range brings up the notion of chickens running around someone's back yard. This is not the way it works, at least not on large commercial farms. Based on USDA regulations, to qualify as free range all that has to be done is that the door of the cage/barn be left open and that they have "access" to the outside. This does not guarantee that the "outside" is a pasture. It may be dirt or gravel. There is not legal definition for Free-Range eggs. This doesn't mean producers are lying, it just means it's not enforced. Also in the US, free range refers only to poultry (since by definition, most other live stock in a pasture would all be considered free-range).
Here's a PDF from the USDA about Turkeys. The same rules apply to chickens. "Turkey Raised by the Rules"
Natural: Natural is another one you have to be careful with. It's not as strictly regulated as "Organic" which is very tightly mandated by the FDA. There are several levels of "natural" that is used on food labels. The two most common are "Contains Natural Ingredients/Made with Natural Ingredients" and "100% Natural". 100% natural is pretty much exactly what it says. The product must contain no artificial ingredients/colors/flavors etc. The other designation is not so clear. You can have a product made with a "natural" ingredient such as sea salt, but could still contain artificial ingredients/colors etc so you have to make sure you check the labels.
The USDA has a legal definition for "Natural" which states that a product cannot contain any artificial ingredients/colors/preservatives etc and has been minimally processed (no more then what can be done in a home kitchen). This only applies to raw meat products. Once they've been cooked, processed, or treated with flavors/brine/preservatives this goes out the door.
Here's a link to the Natural Ingredient Resource Center.
Hope this helps next time you're reading labels.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Diet Sodas
One of the easiest ways I've found to cut out calories and sugar is by switching to diet sodas. Yes, it takes some getting used too and some diet sodas taste terrible. Personally I don't really care for either Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi.
The easiest way to get over the taste of diet drinks is to choose a soda with a strong flavor which will mask any off flavors from the artificial sweeteners. One of the best flavor wise is Diet Dr. Pepper (including it's store brand clones, Kroger's Diet Dr. K and Wal-Mart's Diet Dr. Thunder). When they advertise it tastes just like regular Dr. Pepper they are not lying.
Some other good ones that I drink often are Coke Zero (and it's Wal-Mart clone, Cola Zero), Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi, Diet Mt Dew, Kroger Cola Oh! (another Coke Zero clone).
Once you get used to the taste of the diet sodas, the real stuff will taste sickly sweet and just remind you how much sugar you are cutting out of your diet. It has helped me tremendously.
I used to drink Mt Dew at a clip of a 2-liter a day. Adding up the sugar content of that soda it's the equivalent of nearly a 5 pound bag of sugar a week. That's 2000g of sugar, or 8000 calories a week.
For a comparison, a 12 oz can of Wild Cherry Pepsi contains 150 calories, 28 g of total carbs, 28 grams of sugar and 30 mg sodium. Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi contains (as expected) 0 calories, 0 grams sugar and 35 mg sodium. Very slight increase on the sodium but dropping all of the calories.
The easiest way to get over the taste of diet drinks is to choose a soda with a strong flavor which will mask any off flavors from the artificial sweeteners. One of the best flavor wise is Diet Dr. Pepper (including it's store brand clones, Kroger's Diet Dr. K and Wal-Mart's Diet Dr. Thunder). When they advertise it tastes just like regular Dr. Pepper they are not lying.
Some other good ones that I drink often are Coke Zero (and it's Wal-Mart clone, Cola Zero), Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi, Diet Mt Dew, Kroger Cola Oh! (another Coke Zero clone).
Once you get used to the taste of the diet sodas, the real stuff will taste sickly sweet and just remind you how much sugar you are cutting out of your diet. It has helped me tremendously.
I used to drink Mt Dew at a clip of a 2-liter a day. Adding up the sugar content of that soda it's the equivalent of nearly a 5 pound bag of sugar a week. That's 2000g of sugar, or 8000 calories a week.
For a comparison, a 12 oz can of Wild Cherry Pepsi contains 150 calories, 28 g of total carbs, 28 grams of sugar and 30 mg sodium. Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi contains (as expected) 0 calories, 0 grams sugar and 35 mg sodium. Very slight increase on the sodium but dropping all of the calories.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Kroger Deluxe Churned No Sugar Added Ice Cream
When your in the mood for ice cream and nothing else will do, here is a good choice for the health conscious.
Kroger Brand - Deluxe Churned No Sugar Added Vividly Vanilla
Serving size 1/2 cup (64 g) - Servings per container 12.
100 Calories
3g Fat (2g Saturated)
15g Carbs (1g dietary fiber, 5g sugar, 5g sugar alcohol)
This ice cream has a really good strong vanilla taste with not much, if any, after taste from the artificial sweeteners. According to the label it is sweetened with sucralose (Splenda).
On top of being reduced sugar this ice cream also happens to be lowfat. According to the label Regular Deluxe Churned Vividly Vanilla contains 7g of fat compared to this products 3g of fat. There is also a "Light" version of this ice cream that reduces the fat further to 2.5g, but is not reduced sugar.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Calories
Before we get into recommending food products and counting calories, a quick refresher course on calories. Calories are a measure of heat energy and they are used to quantify both the amount of energy found in a food and the amount of energy our bodies burn doing activities.
Carbohydrates (both starches and sugars) contain 4 calories/gram.
Proteins also contain 4 calories/gram.
Fat contains 9 calories/gram. Fat is a very dense energy source, which is why our bodies store energy as fat. If you don't burn it off it stays stored.
Alcohol (ethanol) contains 7 calories/gram.
Fiber, which is carbohydrates that are not digestible by the body, do not contribute to calorie counts.
The combination of Carbs, Fats and Proteins will add up to the total calorie count for a food product.
Carbohydrates (both starches and sugars) contain 4 calories/gram.
Proteins also contain 4 calories/gram.
Fat contains 9 calories/gram. Fat is a very dense energy source, which is why our bodies store energy as fat. If you don't burn it off it stays stored.
Alcohol (ethanol) contains 7 calories/gram.
Fiber, which is carbohydrates that are not digestible by the body, do not contribute to calorie counts.
The combination of Carbs, Fats and Proteins will add up to the total calorie count for a food product.
Welcome
Welcome to Guilt Free Gluttony. Obviously no matter how healthy something may be you can't eat a ton of it. 3000 calories of healthy food will make you just as fat as 3000 calories of junk food if you don't burn it off, but a little tongue in cheek fun never hurts.
I am not a doctor nor a nutritionist and I do not intend to try to prescribe any specific diet or eating plan.. that's not my job. I am however a food scientist and lover of all things food and food related and the purpose of this page is to share some of my food science knowledge as well as do product reviews of low-fat, fat free, reduced sugar, sugar free etc.. products that I come across. As someone who is fighting my own battle with obesity and metabolic disorder, a precursor to Type II diabetes, I hope to be able to help others out there find healthier food choices that don't taste like cardboard.
*Individual results may vary, void where prohibited, tax tag and title not included, check your local listings, past performance does not guarantee future results and if your still reading this congrats on having the attention to detail you might need when it comes to reading and deciphering food labels.
I am not a doctor nor a nutritionist and I do not intend to try to prescribe any specific diet or eating plan.. that's not my job. I am however a food scientist and lover of all things food and food related and the purpose of this page is to share some of my food science knowledge as well as do product reviews of low-fat, fat free, reduced sugar, sugar free etc.. products that I come across. As someone who is fighting my own battle with obesity and metabolic disorder, a precursor to Type II diabetes, I hope to be able to help others out there find healthier food choices that don't taste like cardboard.
*Individual results may vary, void where prohibited, tax tag and title not included, check your local listings, past performance does not guarantee future results and if your still reading this congrats on having the attention to detail you might need when it comes to reading and deciphering food labels.
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