What's your favorite ready to eat food? At home, we buy packaged foods ranging from cereals, biscuits, cookies, ketchup, ice creams, ready to eat snacks, chips and many more. And all this even when I cook every meal of the day at home.
Some of these packaged foods have become a favorite at home and I am sure many of you buy them for as a quick convenience snack as well. Packaged foods are not all that bad; we just have to become informed consumers and pick and choose the right kind of foods.
Over the years of buying ready to eat packaged foods, I have noticed there has been a lot of improvement with which certain brands have started listing out the ingredients and nutrition label on the packs. This information definitely helps us make a right choice.
Being an overly conscious consumer, these labels have had a definite positive impact on my decision to buy the ready to eat packaged foods. It has helped me understand the product more, what ingredients have gone in and the nutrition it gets packed with.
Whenever I buy packaged foods, I make sure I understand what I am buying. Once thing that you must understand is that the processed foods are packaged for longer shelf life and hence will contain preservatives. A lot of foods also need to be processed a certain way so they can be free from bacteria.
Apart from preservatives there are multiple other things that I look out for
1- Nutrition Label
Read the Nutrition Facts Label in some way to check calories, fats and sodium content. Remember everyone's nutritional needs are different. Some of us might need high fiber foods, some might require the need to eat foods rich in iron content and many more. The label makes it easy to determine the amounts of nutrients we are getting and also helps us compare products with one another.
When you buy try to select foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Try to choose foods, that have good fats like monounsaturated fats, and fats that contain omega 3 fatty acids. Olive oil, canola oil, certain nuts are sources of good fats.
When choosing a food for its protein content such beans, milk, cheese and milk products, make choices that are low in fat or fat free. Proteins are important building blocks for our body, which help in building muscle mass, help in repairing cells and has multiple other benefits. A protein that is low in fat content will give you the same benefit.
2 - Serving Size
The size mentioned in the food package relates to the nutrition number and calorie number that is present in the nutrition label. Most often you might skip the serving size, but this is what helps us determine the portion that is ideal for consumption.
3 - Ingredient List
It's always important to read what goes into the ingredient list. It helps us understand what food is good for us and what is not. For example, if you were diabetic you might want to see "whole" grain listed in the ingredient list. Similarly, you might want to see if it used good fats, like olive oil to reduce your intake of trans fats. Reading and understanding what is in the ingredient, helps us make the right choice in picking our groceries.
Limit foods with added sugars that add calories but not other nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals.
Avoid foods that use artificial colors and flavors.
Some packaged foods also contain MSG (Monosodium Glutamate). It is a popular flavor and taste enhancer, which has FDA’s approval when added to food products in low quantities. I would not worry too much about it.
So when you go out for your next grocery shopping, take your time to understand the product you buy. Make informed food choices of what is good and bad for you and what your body needs. The more familiar you are with the information, the more conscious you will be to ensure you're eating a healthy, balanced diet.
Click here to read more about how to read a Nutrition label and get better informed about buying your food at the next grocery visit.
Happy Cooking & Healthy Eating Everyone!