Decoding Whole White Wheat Bread

After discussion in one of our On-Going Practice classes at one of our Indianapolis locations this week, we decided to research "whole grain white bread".  The first place we went was the Whole Grains Council website as they are the experts on whole grains.  What we found was intriguing and exciting at the same time!

Turns out the whole grain white bread is made from a completely different strain of wheat (white wheat) than traditional wheat (red wheat).  They suggest calling it "albino wheat" as the bran of the white wheat is lighter in color (hence the lighter/whiter bread color).  In addition to the lighter/whiter color, the flavor is also more mild compared to red wheat which makes it more appealing to people.  As far as nutrition, 'experts consider them to be the same' since this white wheat contains all three components that form a whole grain: the germ, endosperm & bran.  

So, there you have it-go ahead and indulge in the whole grain white bread as often as you wish as it is nutritionally the same with fiber + whole grains as 'red wheat whole grain bread' & appeals to the texture of white bread lovers everywhere! Remember to always check the ingredient list for "100% whole grain" or "whole grain wheat flour" and avoid breads that are labeled with "enriched" or "bleached flour" as those are not whole grains.  

Image source

For the complete Q+A about white wheat from the Whole Grains Council, click HERE.

Cool Whip/Whipped toppings: light, fat free, or sugar free? Which is best?

After the last post about strawberries, it is only appropriate to discuss whipped toppings-a topping commonly used in strawberry dishes.  Which is best regular, light, fat free or sugar free...that is the question. We made a chart to compare not only calories, fat and sugar, but also to compare the ingredients in the products.  Check it out below:

image sources: Cool Whip, Reddi Wip

What does all this mean?  All of the Cool Whips are 15-25 calories/2 tbsp while the Fat-Free Reddi Wip is 5 calories/2 tbsp.  The Regular Cool Whip has more sugar and fat (which is expected) than any of the others compared.  The Sugar-Free Cool Whip and Fat-Free Reddi Wip has less sugar and the Fat-Free Cool Whip and Fat-Free Reddi Wip has less fat than the others.  By calories, fat and sugar alone, the Fat-Free Reddi Wip wins big. 

Looking at the ingredients, water is the first ingredient in all the Cool Whips while cream (imagine that) is the first ingredient in the Fat-Free Reddi Wip.  Note: the Regular Cool Whip has cream, but it is the 6th ingredient listed on the label.  Remember, the ingredients are listed in order of amounts that are actually in the product.  So, the higher on the list the more of it the product contains.  Each of the Cool Whips contain corn syrup (a source of sugar), hydrogenated vegetable oil (trans fat), and high fructose corn syrup (a source of sugar) while the Fat-Free Reddi Wip does not have any hydrogenated vegetable oil or high fructose corn syrup.

The bottom line: The Fat-Free Reddi Wip wins in all categories and is the best choice to top your strawberries this season based on calories, fat, sugar & ingredients.  You can find it in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, unlike Cool Whip which is located in the freezer section.  

New Meat Nutrition Labels

On March 1, 2012 the USDA now has rules and regulations in place for the nutrition labeling of some meat products. This should help clear up the foggy assumptions of whether a meat product is really a good option or not.  Remember the leaner (lower fat %) the lower the calories and better the product is to help you lose or maintain your weight!

Here are the changes you will see:
1) All ground or chopped products (e.g. ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey) will have nutrition information on the package label
2) The rule also provides that if a ground or chopped product includes a lean percentage statement on the label, it must also display the fat percentage (ie. will be noted as 90% lean/10% fat ground beef product instead of the traditional way of labeling 90/10)

For more information, visit the Academy of Dietetics & Nutrition website.

Can We Trust the Nutrition Facts Label?

Many Registered Dietitians promote using the nutrition facts label to understand basic concepts of nutrition such as calories, protein, carbohydrates, etc. It is a great tool for necessary record keeping.  However, knowing and understanding the nutrition facts label is another story. 

Have you ever seen a product's nutrition facts label say 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 this, 0 that....0 everything! This is GREAT, right?? Wrong!  What the label (or better yet, the manufacturer) is trying to tell you is 'buy me I'm 0 calories', but what you should know is the FDA has a list of Food Labeling Guide Rules that manufactures must follow.  One of those "rules" is that if the product has less than 0.5 grams of total fat in the labeled serving size it can be marketed as Fat Free and therefore be labeled as 0 grams total fat.  Did you get that?  The product still has 0.5 grams or less per serving size.  So, if the serving size is 1 tbsp and you eat 4 tbsp, you could potentially be consuming up to 2 grams total fat when you thought it you were consuming 0 grams of total fat! Follow this link to see these kind of claims & the rules.

Now for a real food example, spray butter.  Parkay or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter are the most popular and wide spread-both are marketed as 0 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 grams trans fat...etc.  Read this to understand what is really going on with this Fat Free & Calorie Free food-an awesome example to keep you on your toes when you think what you are eating is 0 calories!  Spray butters are a great way to reduce calories and still get that buttery, savory flavor that is desired. However, if you are dumping the bottle on a ear of corn and thinking you aren't adding any calories-guess again.  The entire bottle has 832 calories & 93 total grams of fat-hardly calorie or fat free!

The nutrition facts panel is still a great resource, but we want you to understand and know that when something is too good to be true...it probably is! Be informed before making choices. Know what you can expect in certain claims made on nutrition facts labels.