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By Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD

Think back to what you had for dinner last night.  Try and remember everything on your plate – the protein, the carbohydrate, the fat.  Now ask yourself – where did it all come from?  If you had a vegetable, do you know if it came from the farm around your house or perhaps did it travel hundreds even thousands of miles to make it into your grocery store?  If you had chicken, do you know if it grazed outdoors and had a wonderful life or was it locked away and provided a miserable existence?  If your food came from a box, did you read the label first and if so, did you understand all the ingredients?  The fact is, most of either don’t know or don’t want to know where our food comes from.  To many of us, food is something that can be found in a box, thrown in the microwave and consumed in front of the TV.  This blog will focus on two important aspects of food awareness: where our food comes from (“whole” food as opposed to processed foods) and how to read a label.

What is food and where is it coming from?

Celebrated author Michael Pollan once said that if food came from a plant, eat it and if it was made in a plant, do not.  Although humorous, this phrase sums up the current state of our food industry.  Pollan’s advice actually has widespread implications and examines the very question; what is food.  A strong argument could be made that even though processed foods may begin as whole food; it is altered in such a way that the end result does not even resemble food.

Advances in science have allowed the food industry to evolve – making food easier and cheaper to grow and with more desirable characteristics in terms of shelf life and freshness. These advances sometimes cost you as well. Consider the average cracker on the market today.  It has on average 8 or more ingredients, several of which are additives that are added for taste, color or shelf life.  The additives used may increase your risk for certain diseases and conditions.  Additionally, the cracker is most likely made with refined non-whole grains and will cause a rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin followed by a rapid fall. This rise and fall may cause you to be hungry again soon and overall less satisfied. It also may contribute to inflammation if you continue to consume similar foods throughout the day.  Finally, that cracker may be loaded with saturated fats, Trans fats (hydrogenated oils) and a whopping amount of sodium.  All of these put you at risk for heart disease, stroke, and hypertension.  Think about it, that’s just your cracker – what else are you eating throughout the day that has numerous ingredients, many of which you don’t have a clue even what they are?

The Encyclopedia Britannica defines food processing as the following: Any of a variety of operations by which raw foodstuffs are made suitable for consumption, cooking, or storage.  Food processing generally includes the basic preparation of foods, the alteration of a food product into another form (as in making preserves from fruit), and preservation and packaging techniques.

White bread is made by taking a fabulous piece of wheat and stripping (or altering) it of it of the bran and the germ; two components responsible for providing fiber and b-vitamins. What’s left is the endosperm.  In this example, food (wheat) has been stripped to make something else (white bread).

The loaf of white bread and box of crackers are just two examples of many where food has been processed to the point where it does not even resemble the original form.  Other than boxed or bagged whole grain pasta, rice or bread try to get all your foods from sources that are minimally processed or better yet, have undergone no processing at all.

“Whole” foods are foods that have not been processed or altered prior to “packaging” and may include meat, poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts. Meat, poultry, and fish that are considered “whole” are those that were provided natural feed (grass as opposed to corn for a cow), provided amble space and humane living conditions, and void of antibiotics, hormones or coloring. Plant based foods are the most easily identifiable whole foods available for consumption and walnuts are a great example of a whole food that has lots of benefits.  They provide a great source of ALA omega three fatty acids, magnesium and phosphorus.  In addition to this, walnuts provide 4g of protein and 2g of fiber per serving.  These benefits are produced in nature, by the plant – not in a plant.

Decoding the current food label

Many of us are concerned about how many calories we are consuming and we sometimes get so fixated on those calories that we begin to lose sight of the quality of those calories. In addition to this, the aisles in the grocery store are filled with confusing health claims, making the label a foreign language.  First things first, foods that do not have a label are usually the healthiest.  Consider your produce section with all of its cancer fighting phytochemicals, the nut aisle where you’ll find omega 3 abundant walnuts and the fish market where you’ll find great lean sources of protein.  None of the items will have a label. Follow these rules to attain more “whole” food sources

The more ingredients a food has, the higher the chances that it has been processed.
Try and avoid in the first 5 ingredients:

• Saturated fats (on labels most would be displayed as plant based saturated fats such as palm, coconut or cottonseed oils)

• Trans fat (anything containing hydrogenated oils)

• Simple sugars and syrups such as high fructose corn syrup, cane juice, honey, etc.

• Simple carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta and rice

• If sodium is above 600mg per serving, put it down (you should limit your sodium consumption to 1500mg-2300mg/daily).

• If the ingredient label contains several words you can’t pronounce, it means its full of food additives and most likely not good for you.

The grocery store can be a confusing place filled with front of package claims meant to disguise foods high in fat and sugar as “healthy.” Following these simple tips shared in this blog may help you on your way towards being a more savvy food shopper.  Take Michael Pollan’s advice – “if it was made from a plant, eat it” and you’ll be just fine.

Advice from Kristin on the Best Foods to Plant in Your Garden

About Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD

Kristin Kirkpatrick is a registered dietitian and wellness manager for Cleveland Clinic’s Lifestyle 180 program, as well as an expert resource and blogger for the Dr. Oz. show. Kristin has been helping individuals reach their personal goals for over 10 years and her interests include weight management, nutritional genomics and community/worksite wellness.

Watch Kristin on The Dr. Oz Show Watch Kristin as she and Biggest Loser’s Bob Harper join Dr. Oz to help Steve, the Unhealthiest American. Four months after his first appearance, Steve, returns – and the results are unexpected. After starting off strong, Steve admits to losing steam and slacking on his health regimen. Dr. Oz and his team regroup to get Steve back on track.