The phrase “all natural” is appearing on the packaging for more and more food products every day.  Such claims can be very compelling, but the astute shopper still needs to check out the nutrition label.  Products labeled “natural” or “organic” can still be full of sugar, fat and preservatives.

Here are a few points to consider as you roam up and down those aisles:

1. Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN, national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, explains that when selecting free roaming or free range animal products, consumers are being told that the animal had access to open space not that the animal necessarily spent time outdoors.

2. Be sure to read the label on all those Low-Fat and Fat-Free products.  When fat is removed, food manufacturers often add high amounts of salt and/or sugar in order to make up for the changes in flavor and texture.  Sometimes that lower fat version may have more calories and junk than the original!

3. The pricey drinks we see now containing green tea, acai, pomegranate, etc. are often full of sugars and artificial sweeteners.  Instead, go to the source.  In season, a real pomegranate has greater nutritional benefits and is far cheaper than the beverage.  In general, when choosing between a juice that most likely contains added sugar and little fiber and an actual piece of fruit, go for the fruit itself.  You’ll get fiber, a greater feeling of fullness and fewer calories.

4. Granola – I do love the stuff, but check the label.  Most brands are marketed as all natural but are loaded with sugar, fat and calories – especially when you make note of the suggested serving size (often a mere quarter-cup!).  Instead go to the source once again.  Pick up some oatmeal and prepare it at home with fresh fruit or nuts.

5. Two more tricky ones – David Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP, cofounder and director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, explains that some pasta sauces “have higher concentrations of added sugar than ice cream toppings” and that some breakfast cereals “have a higher concentration of salt than potato chips”.

So, read the labels to confirm or deny the “all natural” marketing language you find on food packaging.  You might surprise yourself.

Back in October I wrote about the new “Smart Choices” food rating system that’s showing up in grocery store aisles across the country.  Any program that highlights Fruit Loops as a “Smart Choice” deserves serious scrutiny.  Take a look at this recent piece in the LA Times.

The program is now on hold because of the FDA suspects it might mislead consumers into buying processed foods that are high in sugar, sodium and fat.  USA Today is reporting this latest highlight.

Bottom line – don’t look solely at the front of a food package to make a purchasing decision.  Read the nutritionals and ingredients for yourself to see if the science supports the claims made on the front.

The next time you’re in the grocery aisle (or studying the items already in your pantry), consider this about the information listed toward the bottom of the Nutrition Label.

The lower portion of the Nutrition Facts panel reflects the amounts of different nutrients in a product.  Typically, if the daily percentage of a particular nutrient is between 10% and 19% , the food is considered to be a good source of that nutrient.

Come on down to the Whole Foods Market in Providence on Waterman Street on Sunday, July 19 from 12:00-3:00.  Indigo Rabbit will be there with free cookie samples from 1:00-3:00 as part of the annual block party!

They’re closing down the street and featuring RI Rock Gym’s rock wall, watermelon eating contests and so much more.  We hope to see you there!

If you don’t find yourself in Providence on Sunday, come eat FREE cookies at Roche Bros, West Roxbury on Friday, July 17  from 4:00-6:00 and at the Whole Foods Market in Hingham on Saturday, July 18 from 12:00-2:00.

Come see us at the Whole Foods Market in Swampscott today, July 10 from 4:00-6:00 and at the Whole Foods Market in Newtonville tomorrow, July 11 from 12:00-2:00.

What summer BBQ is complete without Indigo Rabbit cookies???

It can be daunting, I know.  Keeping in mind all the items to avoid once you’ve been handed a Celiac diagnosis is no small task. 

Scott Adams has prepared an extensive list of unsafe ingredients in his on-line newsletter Celiac.com.  Print out this list and take it with you as you familiarize yourself with new key words on ingredient listings.

Can you tell how much we love giving away free samples of Indigo Rabbit cookies???

Come join us at the Whole Foods Market in Framingham, MA on Thursday, June 18 from 4-6.  Dads, Grampas, Great Grampas – all will love these wonderful treats for Father’s Day (don’t tell them how nutritious they are!).

Remember that Cholesterol line on those food Nutrition labels?

Most of the cholesterol our bodies need is made by the liver.  Organ meats, whole milk dairy, shrimp and egg yolks contain high levels of cholesterol and when consumed in high quantity in a person’s diet, can lead to heart attack and/or stroke.  Note to self – keep those aforementioned items in check.

Also, if a food product makes a “no cholesterol” claim, that means that no animal fat was used in making the product, but it does not necessarily mean that the food is low in fat.

We hear all the time that our kids are getting too much sugar.  Sugar in foods provides us with empty calories, calories that are not equipped to serve any healthful function within our bodies.  It can be found on labels in many forms – fructose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose – basically anything ending in “-ose”. 

I work with kids a lot and have started having fun with a terrific exercise I found in the February 2009 edition of Family Fun magazine entitled “Beat the Sugar Blues”. 

A brilliant young man, 13 years old, did a demonstration of common foods and their corresponding sugar contents by utilizing sugar cubes (2 grams of sugar per cube).  There are no daily reference values for sugar, but a good rule of thumb is 48 grams per day MAX.  That’s 12 teaspoons/12 sugar packets/6 sugar cubes. 

According to the article, a 20oz bottle of soda contains 17 teaspoons of sugar = 17 sugar packets = 34 sugar cubes = 68 GRAMS OF SUGAR!   The pioneer of this Family Fun article built a WALL of sugar cubes to illustrate his point.  A Hi-C Juice Box has 6 teaspoons of sugar/6 sugar packets/> 12 sugar cubes.  That’s ONE item in a kid’s lunch box! 

Get out your calculator and try this out at home.

Try to get more of the daily recommendations of Fiber, and get below on Fats, Sodium and Cholesterol.