Patricia Chuey

Food and Nutrition Expert | Recipe Developer

10 Ways to Navigate the Most Confusing Section of the Grocery Store

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Yogurt collage

A category I used to quite like has really gone downhill fast.  When good food goes bad, and not in the food safety sense, can it come back from the dark side?

Take a natural healthy food and keep adding bells and whistles until it’s no longer recognizable and voila, you have one lousy, if not the worst, section of the store. This area, typically found on the heavily promoted ‘healthy’ outer perimeter of the store has rapidly turned from a wholesome food source to a not-so-secret hideaway for the sugar and artificial sweeteners consumers have been advised to steer clear from the inner aisles of the store. The claims on the labels are a perfect example of everything that’s wrong with food marketing.

If the picture didn’t reveal it, the category my friends is…YOGURT – that satisfying, wholesome, wonderfully versatile food that many over 50 didn’t even grow up with because it was only something the ultra-natural crowd sourced from the health food store.

These days, too commonly I hear consumers lament that just when they finally found a decent, healthy yogurt the whole family likes, they return to the store to buy it again and the shelf space has been re-allocated to the latest fandangled yogurt-like product. For many of us, the amount of time it takes to find a decent yogurt is significantly more than what it takes to identify other healthy products. It’s worse than finding a basic multi-vitamin should you need one or finding the right colour and size of pantyhose as one client put it.

This area of the store definitely requires the “Stop. Drop. And Roll” approach. The terminology weakly masquerading here as helpful is actually awful. “Kid’s Yogurt?” Since when do kids need a different type of yogurt than adults? And how come “Kid’s Yogurt” is full of sugar, and candy?  In many cases kid’s yogurt-like products are also an environmental disaster of excessive packaging. Consumers are on to the now obvious fact that nutritionally many cereals are chocolate bars in disguise. Fortunately at least some cereal manufacturers have improved the whole grain fibre content and reduced sugar.

Is yogurt becoming the new junk food section – the place where the excess sugar coming out of other categories hides out? We need to fight for the survival of the quality products this category originated with. And all of the probiotic digestive system-enhancing stuff? Although some of it may be helpful, most won’t provide a high enough dose to work as effectively for digestive health as the consistent presence of vegetables (which contain both fibre and prebiotics) on half your plate.

Before I say how I really feel and suggest approaching this category as a vegan would, here are my #ChueyOnThis 10 suggestions for finding a quality yogurt:

  1. Choose one labeled with the actual full word “yogurt” – not Yocrunch, YotoGo or other yogurt-esque terms. Never thought my career as a dietitian would need to include that advice. Check the best before date to ensure you’ll use it in good time. (Cool hack: If you won’t use it in time, label and freeze it in small portions for later use in smoothies.)
  2. Ensure the actual food product inside of the container is white – the colour of the substance yogurt is made from, milk.
  3. As for all other real, actual foods, short ingredient lists are better than longer ones. No gelatin, no extras, good.
  4. There should be at least some milk fat in the product. (% m.f.). Although for some folks a zero percent mf yogurt is okay, the vast majority of those no or ultra-low fat yogurts have very high carb and sugar counts or artificial sweeteners I don’t recommend replacing the mouth feel and flavour of the fat. If choosing a fruit-flavoured one, compare brands and select the one with the lowest grams of sugar while still being in that 1.5-4% mf range. If yogurt is what you choose as a dessert or it’s for kids or anyone who needs to keep weight on or even gain weight, a 9% or higher mf is a good way to go. (Reminder: when reading labels, 4 grams = 1 teaspoon. A helpful visual in assessing the sugar quantity.)
  5. Consider a good quality plain yogurt to which you can add your own nuts, seeds, toasted oats, berries or pureed real fruit instead of the jam-like substance the flavoured ones come with.
  6. Don’t consider yogurt a way to get fibre, iron, vitamin C or other nutrients that come from fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Consider it a source of protein, calcium and if well-chosen, quality calories. It’s not typically a source of vitamin D. Plain Greek yogurt, thicker for having some whey strained out, is a nice product significantly higher in protein and consequently, price.
  7. Yogurt naturally contains bacterial culture and if the label states that it has active bacterial cultures, it will have probiotics. Read any claims carefully to ensure the digestive system benefits aren’t overstated. If you shop in a store that employs a dietitian or pharmacist, they are excellent people to consult with in determining if you need extra probiotics from food or supplements based on your unique situation.
  8. To save money, check the unit pricing. If you don’t need yogurt packaged in 16 individual containers, it’s usually more cost-effective to buy the larger containers. The individual ones do go on sale frequently and quality ones are an easy addition to school lunches or a protein option when on the go.
  9. If your favourite good quality yogurt was removed from the offering at your local supermarket, ask to see the store manager, the dairy department manager and the store dietitian to let them know. Another option is to call the head office of the company and ask to speak to the Dairy Category Manager. Customer-focused organizations will take your call and be interested in your concerns.
  10. Readers who cook will know that it’s quite simple to actually make your own yogurt and that’s most likely the very best yogurt of all! Google to find easy recipes. We have had success making our own yogurt. When buying yogurt, I opt for plain Greek yogurt for use as is, in dips and cooking. I also buy some individual yogurts for school lunches that are low in or free of added sugar, without artificial sweeteners and contain active bacterial cultures.

Cheers!

10 Healthy Eating Truths

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Spring Pear

Sorry (not sorry?) to have to say this but it ALWAYS swings back to a boring old well-balanced approach. Sometimes the more we muck with things – the more we perpetually try to fine-tune them – the messier they get.

Although eating when hungry, stopping when full and choosing wholesome food should, or at least could, be fairly simple, unfortunately adding in a bit of or too much ‘nutrition’ (or marketing) information often creates a less healthy scenario than having no information at all. Without a total picture context, evidence-based and practical viewpoint, eating advice can be questionable. Some of the misconceptions circulating about what to eat or not to eat remind me of that ‘telephone’ game where a group sits together in a circle. The first person whispers a comment into the next person’s ear and so on until the last person says the final garbled statement out loud. At that point, it sounds novel and fun. And, our brains are wired to like novelty. Perhaps that’s the reason so many wonky approaches from questionable sources float around out there? For example, take Michael Pollan’s excellent, seven famous word statement summing up healthy eating: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” It’s as if it came out of that ‘telephone’ game as “Be rude. Not too nice. Mostly rant.” or “Beetroots, get a flat gut, host of can’ts.” The many misinterpretations have led to a flood of information on what not to eat that has left many people feeling guilty if food choices are not 100% perfect at all times. I haven’t yet met the man, but I don’t think Pollan necessarily meant that. His comments are just one example of many great ideas from thought leaders out there that have possibly been misinterpreted or taken to an unbalanced extreme.

In an attempt to simplify and unscramble a number of messy nutrition messages I’ve heard over the past couple of years, here’s a reminder of 10 proven truths about healthy eating.

  1. Although ‘natural’ food stores have expanded their offerings significantly over the past two decades, you can still find everything you need to eat for good health, or very close to everything, in a regular grocery store. Possible exception: situations of multiple and/or very complex food allergies. If you’re looking for ultra-gourmet and 100% locally grown or sourced, this may not always be the case – although even mainstream grocery stores support many local suppliers these days. Shopping around also makes sense – at the grocery store, the Farmer’s Market, the seafood shop, the made-fresh-daily bakery…you can often even find some healthy food options at decent prices in drug stores these days. (Although we prefer a glass of water from the kitchen, it’s true that the water from the bathroom sink tap in your house comes from the same pipe system as the water in the kitchen.)
  2. If an ‘expert’ advises you to avoid all wheat, dairy and/or sugar (or anything else) but can’t or doesn’t tell you how or what to realistically eat instead or doesn’t refer you on to someone who can, they are not a true ‘expert’ on healthy eating. Referring others to that same person increases the number of people who feel lost and confused about what to eat.
  3. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be more expensive than unhealthy eating. Shopping and cooking skills play big roles here. Invest in boosting your I.K. (Intelligence in the Kitchen) to save money on food.
  4. The proven health benefits of eating ENOUGH of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables far outweigh risk from not choosing organic in every case. Growing what you can yourself is a healthy action if you have the garden space to do so – even one tomato plant or row of kale.
  5. Eating a wide variety of healthy food is associated with better nutrition and overall health than sticking to a very short list of ‘superfoods.’
  6. If you bake cookies or muffins at home using real food ingredients like whole wheat flour, oats, nuts, butter, eggs and even a moderate amount of sugar, in almost every case they’ll be more wholesome than commercially-made versions. Even for using, dare I say it, sugar.
  7. If you ‘fuel’ each day with a giant coffee or two, a couple ultra ‘clean’ energy bars, vitamin supplements and little else, you are FAR from well nourished, regardless of the source and price of the products being consumed. No supplements currently exist that replace 100% of the nourishment from whole foods.
  8. Most commercially available frozen pizzas – vegetarian, gluten-free or not – are still a low nutrient, low fibre, high sodium meal.
  9. Controlling or micro-managing one’s diet will only influence the amount and/or quality of food consumed. It won’t bring order or peace to other areas of life. Same goes for micro-managing or endless unproductive attempts to fine-tune every morsel of food eaten by kids.
  10. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to healthy eating, healthy skin care, exercise or other aspects of health. There are general guiding principles but ALL must be interpreted individually based on each person’s unique situation – age, life stage, health, values, genetics, economics and more. Anyone promoting (or selling) a ‘fits all’ approach is not looking at the total picture of factors that require consideration.

Everyone has a base eating history whether influenced by good or bad examples from their childhood, economic factors, likes or dislikes, values and intuition about what foods work best for them. Trusting and honoring this is VERY important. If interested in eating healthier, start at that base. Then expand your knowledge and repertoire of food ideas from very good quality information sources you trust. An evidence-based genuine interest in true nourishment and a customized approach without an expensive product or service to sell are usually  great clues of a reliable source. Assuming your family is feeling energetic and maintaining good health, don’t worry if where you shop, how you cook, which trends you follow or not, and which supplemental products you take or not are different than what others are doing. Charge on.

Watch for a future post in which I’ll share the secrets of climbing the steps to healthy eating success and freeing yourself of permanently focusing on it or needing an annual Spring cleanse. If you have a liver and kidneys, stay active and sweat, hydrate and eat quality food most of the time, you are likely pretty nicely ‘cleansed’ already.

Cheers!

 

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Eating well is just one spoke in the wheel of health. An active life...

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