GMO foods are a hotly debated topic in the past few years, and especially in the last month. We haven’t addressed this issue and thought it might be time to share some thoughts.

GMO (Genetically modified organism) or GE (genetically engineered) foods were introduced into our food supply less than 20 years ago. Today, about 90% of soy, corn, cotton, and canola seeds are genetically modified. Which means that any food made from any of these ingredients is considered “genetically modified”.  That includes chocolate (contains soy lecithin), snacks (fried in oil), vegetarian dishes (tofu is made from soy), and most fast foods.

If you want to understand the science behind GMO, there are several good books to read. You can also find good points being argued by both sides online.

The current state of affairs: The US has decided to move full speed ahead with GMO crops. Europe still bans them.

“So are GMO foods good or bad for me?” you must be asking.

To be honest, the matter is very confusing. The promises to better feed the growing population of earth clash with apocalyptic warnings of doom to humanity.

Whether GMO is safe or not, we feel very strongly about about people’s right to know what they are buying. And what’s in it. It is inexcusable that food labels do not clearly state whether ingredients are sourced from GMO plants or not.

Today, you must assume that any processed food purchased in a supermarket has GMO ingredients.

But consumers who care enough about this matter have a choice. If we want to make sure we are getting no GMO ingredients, we can buy organic food. Organic growers are not allowed to use genetically modified seeds.

But all that is abut to change.

In late January, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack decided to approve GMO alfalfa. To be more precise, he decided to completely deregulate genetically engineered alfalfa. Partial regulation, while still far from perfect, would at least have placed restrictions on growers of GMO alfalfa to decrease the risks of cross-pollination with non-GMO alfalfa.

According t0 Samuel Fromartz, an expert on the organic industry,

This move had been opposed by organic farmers and consumers because of the strong possibility that genetically modified alfalfa will cross-pollinate non-GM alfalfa. This has been recognized by the Supreme Court as potentially harmful to the organic sector, since organic foods cannot be produced with genetically modified crops. Once organic livestock are fed GM alfalfa, they can no longer be called organic. read more…

If genetically modified alfalfa, a staple of pastured livestock, finds its way to organic farms, the organic dairy and meat sectors are in danger of collapse. Which means that those of us who do pay the extra dollars for organic, will likely see prices rise even higher, very soon.

Unfortunately, once cross-pollination happens, there is no way back. Unlike an ingredient you can add to – or remove from – a processed food, if 100% of a crop will become modified, that’s it, no way to go back to the previous “version”.

And that’s exactly the fear of the organic sector. If you want to learn more about this and do something – take a look at the Non GMO Project.

This is certainly an important war to wage. Thankfully, there are many groups, severely underfunded, that are relentlessly battling the political / agricultural ties ($500M in lobbying efforts in the last 10 years) that have led to the alfalfa and other decisions.

Unfortunately, there are many more battles to wage for our health and nutrition. So with your permission, over here at Fooducate we’ll continue to focus mostly on nutrition, labeling and food processing.

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UPDATE: The Android app is ready and can be downloaded here.

Since launching the Fooducate iPhone App, we’ve been swamped by requests for an Android version.

And we will be happy to oblige. We are working on an Android app, and expect it to be available soon.

How soon? A beta version should be out in several weeks.

If you’d like to be notified when the app is ready, please click here.

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Today, February 26th, is World Pistachio Day. Here are a few facts about this delicious nut.

1. The pistachio nut comes from the pistachio tree, native to western Asia – Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, and western Afghanistan.

2. Pistachios reached Europe from Iran at least as early as the 6th century. Today’s top pistachio manufacturing countries are Iran, US, Turkey, Syria, and China.

3. In the US, pistachios are cultivated mostly in California and New Mexico.

4. The pistachio “nut” is actually the seed of the tree fruit. This is what experts call a culinary nut, rather than a botanical nut.

5. The word “pistachio” originates from a mix of Persian and Latin.

6. If you thought a machine splits the shells open, you’re wrong. They split when the fruit ripens.

7. A pistachio tree produces 120 lbs. of nuts every two years. That’s around 50,000 nuts.

8. Nutrition 1: Pistachios are rich in mono-unsaturated fats (the good kind). Research on the health benefits of pistachios has shown that they may help reduce levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower the risk of heart disease.

9. Nutrition 2: Pistachios are also rich in Thiamin (vitamin B1) and vitamin B6.

10. Nutrition 3: A 1 oz. serving of pistachios (40-50 nuts) contains over 10% of the FDA’s daily values for fiber, magnesium, copper, and phosphorous. It will set you back 150 calories.

What to do at the supermarket:

The one thing to look out for is excessively salted pistachios. If you need to watch your sodium levels, try un-roasted, un-salted pistachios.

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This is a guest blog post by Andrea Simon.

I’m a compulsive food label reader. I’m that girl you see standing in the aisle at Trader Joe’s with a jar of applesauce in each hand, analyzing one’s nutrition facts against the other. Sometimes I get stares—it doesn’t bother me. This is a habit I started when I first began losing weight, at the time, only concerned about the amount of calories in an item. Now, I look for other factors too like which product has more fiber, less total fat, more monounsaturated fat, higher vitamin content, etc., but I’m not gonna lie…the calories are still important! I have a rule that I’ve pretty much lived by for the past year: if the calories are too high, it doesn’t make it in the cart—it’s as simple as that. This way I make sure I don’t keep foods in my house that could be potential stumbling blocks for me. You wouldn’t believe the world of difference this simple concept can make. Because of my compulsive food label reading, I also notice right away when a sneaky food manufacturer tries to pull a fast one on me. Case in point:

Y’all know I love Special K, right? Especially the Blueberry kind…MMmmm…Well, ever since I’ve been eating Blueberry Special K it has always contained 100 calories per serving. (SN: A  serving of Special K is 3/4 of a cup, which really isn’t a whole lot when you think about the average size of a bowl of cereal<—Another prime example why you should read your labels!) Recently, however, I picked up a box and noticed that the label now says 110 calories per serving.

I know it’s a measly 10 calories that I could probably burn off simply by typing this post, but I gotta be honest, I was a little ticked. Not so much because of the increase, but more so because if I hadn’t been as aware of the original nutrition facts as I was, I never would’ve noticed the difference…and I’m guessing the average consumer probably hasn’t. Plus, I’d always found it odd that Blueberry Special K had less calories than all of the other flavors (even though it tastes the best) and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were correcting a mistake they’d made all along. Hmm…food for thought.

Anyhoo, as you can see above, the majority of the changes made are positive like lower sodium and higher potassium and fiber, but on the contrary, the sugar content has increased. I will applaud Special K for one thing though; they put their information on the front of the box as well to make the consumer a little more aware, something I think is especially important for them since they specifically target dieters with their products.

Unfortunately, however, not every company is so forthcoming. Here’s another example:

I went to the store to purchase a can of diced tomatoes recently. I picked up two seemingly identical cans, with the only difference being one happens to be a larger can than the other.

But when I flipped them over, I noticed several differences in the nutrition facts.

Not only was one slightly higher in calories, but I noticed several vitamins had decreased, and as you can see Thiamine and Riboflavin are gone altogether on the larger can. Out of sheer confusion and curiosity (and because I think I’m just waaayyy too passionate about this stuff sometimes) I decided to purchase both cans and give the 1-800 number on the back a call to see what was up with the difference. I gotta be honest, the customer service rep I spoke with didn’t seem all that knowledgeable. I’m guessing she doesn’t get calls like this often. I could literally hear her shuffling papers, I assume for scripts, and she just kept averting my attention back to the fact that the company had been making efforts to lower sodium and make their product healthier, so the changes must be a result of this. She also looked up the labels and informed me that the smaller can was an older can and the larger reflects their reformulated tomatoes. Ok, fair enough. I applaud Con Agra for this change; lower sodium is always a good thing, but I’m definitely getting the impression from both of these experiences that as companies toot their horns for lowering sodium or other “frowned upon” contents, they’re leaving out the fact that they’re sacrificing some of the benefits as a result. I’m no food scientist, but if you’re eliminating one bad ingredient only to increase another to balance the taste of removing the first ingredient, is that really making your product healthier? Just sayin’…

I also feel pretty comfortable in saying that the majority of consumers don’t read their labels and just take what’s being advertised at face value. I’ve actually witnessed friends or coworkers, and even in the past I too have been scammed by products with big ads plastered across the front touting “Only 100 Calories!” then a tiny little “per serving” written underneath. Then when actually reviewing the serving size you see that one serving is equivalent to exactly one crumb of a cookie or cracker. Ok, I’m exaggerating—but you get the point I’m trying to make. Read your food labels. Not only will it help you make better choices by being aware of what you’re consuming AND the amount, but many food companies will only highlight the most positive information to present things in the best light, so it’s up to us consumers to stay informed for ourselves.

Happy label reading!

Andrea Simon is a former junk food junkie, turned health fanatic, who can effortlessly recite the nutrition facts of almost any food (thanks to her obsession with label reading and Google!). She is the author of Thin Thighs & Sweet Potato Fries, a blog about food, fitness, and healthy living in the South.

Do you spend time reading food labels at the grocery store?

Has simply reading the label ever saved you from totally derailing your healthy eating plan?

Have you ever had a similar situation where you noticed two identical products with differing nutrition facts?

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Aunt Jemima is a brand that’s been around for over 100 years. It conjures thoughts of  Southern hospitality. It’s comforting to know a brand has been around that long. You can probably trust it..

And thus, many people buy their pancake kit (mix + syrup) from Aunt Jemima.

Here’s why Aunt Jemima thinks you should buy her syrup:

Give your pancakes what they deserve and top them with the classic taste of Aunt Jemima® Original Syrup. Our rich and thick syrup is the perfect way to top your family’s favorite pancakes and waffles.

Classic taste. Rich and thick. Original – sounds like maple syrup, doesn’t it? Read more…

Following in the footsteps of many other grocery retailers, Safeway is introducing its own nutrition labeling system to the mix.

“Consumers are inundated with conflicting nutrition information and are often skeptical of the nutrition claims on packaging,” said Safeway’s Barbara Walker, group vice president, consumer communications and brand marketing. “SimpleNutrition is an ‘at the shelf’ program that simplifies and personalizes the grocery shopping experience so that shoppers can feel confident about making more informed food choices. While SimpleNutrition is not a replacement for the nutrition panel found on food and beverage packages, it provides shoppers with a quick snapshot of the nutrition and ingredient benefits that best match their nutritional needs.” read the full press release…

There are 22 different benefit tags as Safeway calls them. Here’s a partial list:

Sugar Free, Made with Whole Grains, Good Source of Fiber, Sodium Smart, Fat Free, Low Saturated Fat, Low Fat, Good Source of Calcium, Good Source of Vitamin C, Good Source of Vitamin A, Good Source of Iron, 0 Grams Trans Fat, 100% Juice, Low Cholesterol, Good Source of Antioxidants, Good Source of Potassium, Good Source of Folate, Lean Protein

What you need to know:

Did you notice that there is not a single “disadvantage tag”? All these tags do is encourage shoppers to buy more. We’d like to see shelf tags like

“Contains potentially carcinogenic food dyes”

“More than 6 tsp of sugar per serving”

“Good source of heart attack – over 50% saturated fat”

“Great opportunity to increase blood pressure – over 40% of your daily sodium”

But how can you expect a grocer to turn you off a product that it’s trying to sell. Once again, the limitation of nutrition labeling by interested parties is exposed. While the press release may tout this as a means to quickly convey important information to busy moms, this is in fact another advertising opportunity.

What to do at the supermarket:

If you’d like to see the full nutritional picture behind a product, don’t rely on the grocer or the manufacturer to spell it out for you in any simple to understand terms. Read the Nutrition label AND the ingredient list.

Or you could download and use Fooducate’s free iPhone App. We’ll tell you both the good and the bad about a product.

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photo credit: Purdue University

How many of you have heard of the following grains?

Spelt, Amaranth, Quinoa, Millet, Einkorn, Triticale, Emmer, or Teff

If you haven’t, you soon will. An interesting article in the LA Times last week covered the growing trend of using Ancient Grains in breads and other baked goods.

Buoyed by record levels of health awareness, a search of gluten free baked goods, and a good dose of marketing, products made with ancient grains are finding their way out of specialty shops and into mainstream grocers. According to the writers,

Claims about the (ancient grain) breads abound: They’re said to be packed with whole grains, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, and they’re supposedly safe for people with wheat allergies or gluten intolerance, also known as celiac disease. But although the ancient grains are undoubtedly healthful and tasty, not all of the claims hold up. read more…

What you need to know:

These “ancient grains” have been around for thousands of years, just like corn and wheat. But unlike corn and wheat that have been selectively bred to the point that they are not similar to their ancient origins, amaranth and its brethren have largely been unchanged.

Nutritionally, each grain is a bit different, just like individual fruit or vegetable species vary. But that does not necessarily mean a superiority over the standard whole grain wheat. And while amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, millet and teff are gluten free, spelt and kamut are NOT.

If you are choosing a bread, regardless of the grain type, you should opt for Whole Grain options, at least 3 grams of fiber per slice, and a minimum amount of added ingredients. See our series of posts on choosing breads. Spelt, for example, can be ground whole, or hulled. Always opt for unhulled, whole grains.

What to do at the supermarket:

Products utilizing these interesting grains come in all sorts of nutritional shapes and sizes. The fact that a bread is using kamut does not automatically make it healthy. So, as usual, be sure to read ingredient lists and nutrition labels.

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photo credit: Jorge Bach, CSPI

Last week, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) petitioned the FDA to ban certain types of caramel coloring because their production process creates carcinogenic chemicals:

In contrast to the caramel one might make at home by melting sugar in a saucepan, the artificial brown coloring in colas and some other products is made by reacting sugars with ammonia and sulfites under high pressure and temperatures. Chemical reactions result in the formation of 2-methylimidazole and 4 methylimidazole, which in government-conducted studies caused lung, liver, or thyroid cancer or leukemia in laboratory mice or rats. read more…

The studies were conducted by the National Toxicology Program, a division of the National Institute of Environmental Health Science.

What you need to know:

Although soy sauce and other products contain caramel coloring, it is in small amounts. The problem with soda is the large amount of coloring per serving. And, CSPI says, to put the risk of cancer in context, the far bigger problem with sugary sodas is obesity and obesity related diseases.

Here’s a typical cola ingredient list

Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Natural Flavors, Caffeine.

Let’s remind ourselves -

• The amount of sugar in a cup is 7 teaspoons.Many people drink multiple servings per day.
• Most soft drinks use high fructose corn syrup, whose effects on metabolism scientists are still arguing over.
• Phosphoric acid leaches calcium from bones, among other things.
• And now we learn that the caramel coloring used is carcinogenic.

Need any more reasons to quit soda, or at least drastically reduce drinking occasions to Christmas and your birthday?

What to do at the supermarket:

Do yourself and your family a favor. Limit your consumption of soft drinks. Just skip the beverage aisle in the supermarket. Learn to enjoy tap water.

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This is a guest blog post by Carol Harvey, director of nutrition labeling at Palate Works.

This is segment #2 of “Eating Habits We’ve Learned from Food Industry and Friends”

Spread-ing (too much) Love

Do you feel like you’ve just won a backstage pass when you get an extra side of blue cheese dressing or dollop of sour cream when eating out?

Servers are doing you a favor… but only if you don’t mind some extra padding on your own (back)side. What’s often not realized is how overkill even basic restaurant portions are before adding the freebies. And since monkey see, monkey do, we tend to think those portions are “normal” when we prepare our own food at home.

Take a bagel with cream cheese. Or order one at your local bagel shop. Then scrape off the cream cheese and measure it. It’s not uncommon to get ¼ cup, especially if the dude behind the counter “likes” you.

Assuming regular (not whipped) cream cheese, you’ve been gifted about 200 calories, 20 g fat (11 saturated) and 200 mg sodium on top of a 340 calorie bagel with 670 mg sodium.

Even at 2 tablespoons you’re making a commitment to the gym: 100 calories with 10 g fat, for just the spread. Here’s what that looks like:

And here’s 1 tablespoon:

Study this image – you can see a bit of the bagel through the spread, which is what “normal” should look like, unless you want that bagel to be a third of your calories for the day.

A certain brand of cream cheese wants to help you cut back by offering pre-portioned “smidges” (see picture above). Unfortunately, what they show isn’t “a little,” but about 2 Tbsp. (1 oz) on the bagel… and the package actually holds a smidge more (1.25 oz total).

What to do at the deli:

If you want food servers to do you a true favor, ask them to give you less than usual, and/or use a whipped reduced fat spread. Same goes for spreading habits with peanut butter sandwiches, etc.

Less is still plenty.

And despite what some nutrition “experts” say when proclaiming what to eat and not, it’s completely possible for a bagel with cream cheese (or nut butter) to be healthier than a donut. Just order a whole grain bagel (or as whole grain as possible) and cut way back on the spread. For more stuffing and nutrition, add sliced fresh fruit or veggies. Then save half for later.

Carol Harvey has been a nutrition labeling and product development consultant for over 15 years. She can be reached at palatemail [AT] yahoo [DOT] com.

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A not for profit, Corporate Accountability International, recently released a report with a startling revelation:

members of Congress over the course of a year spent nearly one million dollars on bottled water.

That works out to about $2000 per member of congress, just on bottled water.

According to the group, there is a strong corporate push, led by Nestle, to “turn water from a human right into a profit-driven commodity”. While we doubt anyone at Nestle is actively ploying this, the trend of increased bottled water consumption in the US is certainly of concern.

Corporate Accountability is asking the public to petition Congressional representatives to get off the bottle and to invest  in public water infrastructure.

What you need to know:

On the bright side, at least our lawmakers aren’t drinking soda pop all day (or are they?). But seriously, if you would have told the average American 50 years ago she or he should be buying water in a bottle they’d have thought you are crazy.

What happened? Billions of $$$ in advertising budgets to convince us that bottled water is a normal way to consume H two O. Here is a quote from a Susan Wellington, former vice president of marketing at PepsiCo:

When we are done, tap water will be relegated to showers and washing dishes…

But consider this:

• Bottled water costs over 1000 times more than tap water per fluid ounce.
• Bottled water uses over 2000 times more energy to produce and deliver.
• The purity of tap water is far more regulated than that of bottled water.
• Most bottled water sold today is simply tap water that has been filtered and then bottled.

So why are you still drinking bottled water?

What to do at the supermarket:

Just skip the beverage aisles in the supermarket. By avoiding the drinks section, you’ll be “forced” to drink tap at home. While we recognize the utility and convenience of opening a bottle of water when on the go, or in the car, try a reusable container, not single use plastic bottles.

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