As you stroll through the supermarket these days, you’ll notice food companies have been updating their packaging to reflect that their products are more healthy. You should never buy a product because of what you read on the package. Don’t rely on the marketing ploys that the claim the product is “low-fat”, “low-cholesterol,” “sugar-free.” “Heart Healthy,” and “Trans-Fat Free,” “0 grams trans fat” “gluten free” etc. Don’t pay attention to those claims! In fact, skip right over the Nutrition Fact Panel as well. Instead, scan the package for the most important part: the ingredient list. When you shop for food, it is important that you are only concerned about the ingredient list above everything else.

Claims based on individual nutritional factors are misleading. One should not completely rely on the marketing strategies which are plotted by the companies in order to attract the customers. These healthy foods may not be always healthy and can lead to other problems regarding health. So while purchasing such healthy food products the most important thing one should look at is the ingredient list.

This week I’m going to cover which cracker to purchase. There are a lot of products on the market that read “Whole Grain” which is really good, but make sure you read the rest of the ingredient list. I’m picking two brands to review.

We suggest you introduce any snack type food once you have been stable for 21 days. For those who need a food item on the go, this is a good alternative.

Choose this:

Ingredients: 100% Stone Ground “Whole of the Wheat” flour, water, clover honey, sesame oil, dairy butter, sesame seeds, yeast, salt

The main word you are looking for in the ingredient list is “Whole“. It is better to eat whole grains (brown rice, barley, quinoa, oats, etc.), rather than flours that have been ground from whole gains, but there is no reason you can’t occasionally eat foods made with flours from whole grains. Look on the package for Whole Wheat Grain, Whole Wheat, 100% Whole Grain –  all means that the product is made from completely whole grain.

These do NOT mean Whole Grain:
Wheat Flour
Enriched Wheat Flour
Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour
100% Wheat
Multi-Grain
Stoneground

These are the brands I recommend: Ak-Mak, Mary’s Gone Crackers, or Back to Nature Harvest Whole Wheats.

Do not choose this:

Wheat Thins 100% Whole Grains

Ingredients: WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR, SOYBEAN OIL, SUGAR, CORNSTARCH, MALT SYRUP (FROM BARLEY AND CORN), SALT, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, MONOGLYCERIDES, LEAVENING (CALCIUM PHOSPHATE AND/OR BAKING SODA), SOY LECITHIN, VEGETABLE COLOR (ANNATTO EXTRACT, TURMERIC OLEORESIN). CONTAINS: WHEAT, SOY. BHT ADDED TO PACKAGING MATERIAL TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS.

The ingredient list has a number of issues. Most of you will recognize the “evil” ingredient which should ALWAYS be avoided – Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, but what about the others? I always say if you can’t pronounce them, research them. Then one ingredient you may think looks good and healthy turns out to be bad for you. It’s the Soybean Oil.  It’s too much to cover in a single blog post – actually, whole books have been written on the dangers of soy. Just know it’s a very toxic ingredient to put into our bodies. Most soy beans grown in the US are genetically engineered to allow farmers to use large amounts of herbicides. They are treated with acid baths, high heat, and additives such as nitrates before they are made into soy products. Most of the soybeans grown in this country are for producing soybean oil, which is then hydrogenated and turned into trans-fat.

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