The commercial seems innocent – a mom, trying to do the right thing for her family. She’s looking for a healthy breakfast choice, one that her kids will eat. She opens the pantry and pulls out a jar of Nutella, and the family happily sits down to nosh on it. She’s surrounded by smiling faces, all enjoying a breakfast of Nutella spread on whole grain toast. It’s a blissful shot, one that most moms would give their right arm to enjoy. Everyone eating breakfast with no fuss, no complaint, no “I hate that!” within hearing.
Sounds too good to be true? Well, it is. We’ve been ’round this debate before. Despite a lawsuit, the company is still insisting that Nutella is a nutritious breakfast choice. But is it really, or is this just a case of false advertising?
Janine Bolton, RD, has this to say about Nutella for breakfast: “I would not consider Nutella part of a healthy or balanced breakfast for kids. A balanced breakfast is one that features foods from different food groups, so that we get a variety of nutrients. Nutella does not belong to any food group and packs in over 10 grams of sugar per tablespoon. I wouldn’t recommend Nutella for anything other than an occasional treat.”
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Raisins seem like a pretty innocent food. They don’t contain added sugars, artificial preservatives or unnatural food colorings. But should they be considered as good as grapes?
According to the 2010 Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, 75 percent of Americans (including men, women and children ages nine to 18) do not eat enough fruit on a daily basis. According to data from the Japanese research group Nippon Data 80/90, this statistic looks no better in twenty other first-world nations. The International Nut and Dried Fruit Council has put forward a paper titled “Valuable Tools to Meet Dietary Recommendations for Fruit Intake,” which suggests that dried fruit is “nutritionally equivalent” to fresh, and should be treated as such in government dietary recommendations and guidelines around the world.
On one hand, this paper is a lobbying tool, putting science and statistics at the hands of marketers to promote a product. On the other hand, it proposes a seemingly reasonable solution for over-fed yet malnourished populations. In fact, MyPlate materials already suggests that dried fruits, such as raisins, be considered for healthy snack.
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Are you addicted to sugar? Do you crave sweets all day? Is it hard for you to eat a meal and skip dessert? Tune in to the Rachael Ray show on Thursday, July 21 to find out how you can cure your sweet tooth. Rachael Ray hosts an expert who says he can help you banish your sugar cravings in just three days!
Plus, learn about the sugars you don’t even realize you’re eating. Many breads, cereals, and even low-fat diet foods are packed can hide loads of lurking sugar.
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By Megan Zehnder for Care2.com
Fruit is no-doubt an important part of our diet. Full of fiber, antioxidants and other phytochemicals, fresh fruit is a great source of sustainable energy. Unlike foods with mostly simple carbohydrates and sugar (like hard candy, cake and donuts) whole fruit contains fiber and other nutrients, which allow the body to feel more full and to absorb the sugar slowly over time, leaving you with lasting energy.
The problem is many people today consume an excess of sugar, which causes inflammation, and can lead to a variety of diseases. (Check out dangers of excess sugar and 7 Tricks to Tame Your Sweet Tooth.)
When it comes to fruit, some choices are better than others. Since dried fruit and fruit juice contain a higher-concentrated sugar content, whole fresh fruit is generally a much better bet. Additionally, prioritizing low-sugar fruit can help keep your overall sugar consumption in check.
Here is a list of fruits that, in their approximate location on the spectrum, are lowest-to-highest in sugar content. Sugar and carb counts vary based on growing conditions, species and other factors.
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By Diana Herrington for Care2.com
OK. I admit it. I’m a little intense about the subject of sugar.
As a child I was practically raised on white sugar and feel that it had a part in my many health problems which took me decades to overcome. You can read some of my story here: Diana’s Story. It was a different time back then. There was not the awareness about nutrition that there is now.
I’m going to give you strategies to avoid sugar and the cravings, but first I must make a few points about why you would want to do such a thing. This was already dealt with briefly in my previous article on artificial sweeteners.
1. Sugar is Not Food – It is empty calories with little nutritional value and actually causes your body to steal vitamins from other vital organs in attempt to process the sugar, leaving you undernourished.
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