Health & Fitness: Health by the cartful Health & Fitness: Health by the cartful (July 14, 2004)

You don't have to sacrifice flavor for good health, dietitian insists as she leads you on a trip down the grocery store aisle

By Renee Batti
Almanac News Editor

"Uggghhh -- and parents put these things in their kids' lunch bags ," exclaims a young woman left reeling after reading the "Nutrition Facts" food label on the back of an Oscar Mayer "Lunchables" package.

The facts were staggering: 48 percent of the contents' 370 calories from fat; 77 percent of the daily recommended portion of sodium; and less than 1 gram of fiber.

Staggering, but not surprising to dietitian Karen Ross, who was leading the young woman and a half-dozen other smart-shoppers-to-be on an educational field trip down the aisles of Draeger's market in Menlo Park. In her most understated comment of the evening, Ms. Ross points to the yellow, blue and red Lunchables packages in the refrigerator case the group had gathered near and said: "Not a very healthy choice."

Ms. Ross was on a mission that evening: to help shoppers choose healthful foods by learning how to decode nutrition labels, and to give them the skinny on how to eat for good health without feeling deprived.

The excursion through the aisles of Draeger's is part of the monthly Supermarket Wise program offered through the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Ms. Ross says she tries to limit the group to seven people so that there is time to give individuals the chance to ask questions about specific concerns and products.

At a recent Supermarket Wise session, Ms. Ross gave an overview of the two-hour course in the upstairs cafe of the market. During that time, students explained why they were there, and raised questions they hoped would be answered: How can I eat a low-fat diet and still get enough protein? How do I wade through the list of ingredients and information on nutrition labels to make the right choice of food? How can I find the right balance in my diet? And how can I make sure I choose the right food for my kids?

After the introductory period, Ms. Ross equips her students with plastic wheels that help calculate fat-content proportions from nutrition labels on various products, and the class heads downstairs for a new perspective on navigating the aisles of a grocery store

Like it or forget it

Shopping and eating tips were numerous, and the importance of reading labels was emphasized repeatedly. But whether the group found itself in front of the bread or cereal shelves, near the bins of fragrant fruit, or shivering before the ice cream case, a theme emerged again and again: If you want to succeed in your effort to eat more healthfully, you've got to like what you're eating.

"You need to eat food that you like, or you shouldn't eat it," Ms. Ross says. But that shouldn't present a problem for most people; the key, she notes, is to sample enough varieties of fruits and vegetables, grains, dairy products and possibly meats and fish to come up with a daily diet that satisfies both your health and gustatory needs.

Ms. Ross also stresses the need to control the portion size of meals and snacks, which raises the question: Won't an emphasis on eating food that makes your taste buds sing make eating smaller portions even more difficult?

Not necessarily, she says. As the class gathers in front of the ice cream case, each student reviewing the label on a different carton, Ms. Ross responds to a question from one woman about whether she should resign herself to low-fat ice cream.

Know thyself

"Will you be satisfied with low-fat ice cream, or will you just eat more?" she asks. Then, she notes: With each bite of food, the flavor detected by the palate lessens. "So stop and ask yourself after five or six bites, 'Am I still getting flavor? Can I stop now?' "

Self-knowledge and awareness of our eating patterns and flavor needs play an important part in eating well for our health, according to Ms. Ross.

For example: Butter or cream cheese on your whole-wheat bagel? Tablespoon for tablespoon, cream cheese has fewer calories, but it also may provide less flavor and satisfaction. If, Ms. Ross asks, you opt for cream cheese rather than butter, will you just eat more cream cheese, and therefore drive up the calorie and fat count?

Head for the produce section

The need to eat more fruits and vegetables has been emphasized for decades by health and nutrition experts, and Ms. Ross is no exception. At the produce section, she points to this fruit or that vegetable, offering nutritional information and suggestions for how they can be incorporated into meals to maximize their health value and their ability to enhance other foods' flavors.

Fruit and vegetables should be included in every meal, she says, and they can be good choices for snacks, especially if eaten with a protein-based complement. "How long do carrots or celery last?" she asks. "If you add a little mozzarella cheese ... or peanut butter, it could last longer. And you won't feel deprived."

Fruits and vegetables also have a high water content, she says, so "when you eat more, you fill up," leaving less room for food that is less healthful.

Reading the label

Students were most interested in exploring the bread, cereal, soup, frozen food and snack food aisles, and often expressed surprise -- and disappointment -- when they studied nutrition labels on their favored foods. Ms. Ross helped them interpret the labels, and answered questions about fat, sodium and cholesterol content.

She explained the differences between the types of fat, and included literature about fats -- and many other nutritional issues -- in a thick folder of information that she gives out at the beginning of each class.

For example, she notes, trans fat act as a saturated fat in the body -- and they're both considered bad for your health. The government requires food producers to include the total amount of fat on nutrition labels, but to break out separately only the amount of saturated fat. That means consumers have to calculate the amount of other fats, including trans fat, in the product -- and that amounts to guesswork in many cases.

Although monounsaturated fat -- the type found most prevalently in olive and canola oil -- is much better for you than saturated and polyunsaturated fat, all oils have a portion of each type of fat. Ms. Ross includes a chart of fat content in oil, butter and lard in the informational material for students.

Processed meat

A trip to the processed meat and cheese section produced a chorus of groans from the group. Packs of salami, bacon, ham and other lunch meats were found to be loaded with fat and sodium.

But Ms. Ross was particularly critical of the Lunchables that often find their way into children's lunch bags.

The earlier-cited package contained turkey, swiss and cheddar cheeses, and crackers. Another package containing bologna, American cheese, crackers and cookies, listed 450 calories -- 270 from fat -- 52 percent of the recommended daily intake of sodium, and less than 1 gram of fiber.

"Are you fostering good eating habits when you give your kids those foods?" she said after the class.

Keep healthful food on hand

Ms. Ross said a key to eating healthful meals and snacks is to plan your shopping trip, and make sure that when you wheel your cart up to the check-out counter it contains the kind of food you should have on hand in your cupboard and refrigerator.

"Remember that you need to buy fruits and vegetables if you are going to eat them," she says in a flier included in the informational folder. "If they are not in your kitchen, it is all too easy to resort to higher fat and sodium and sugared foods low in nutrients."

She also advises to keep some frozen and canned vegetables around for days that fresh are not available. Experiment with types, she says, and find those with appealing taste and texture.

Also, keep nutritious snack foods such as nuts on hand. "Nuts are a satisfying snack if you keep the portion under control."

For more information about the Palo Alto Medical Foundation's Supermarket Wise program, or to sign up for the next monthly session, call 853-2960. Cost for the two-hour session is $20.

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