FoodFacts knows that seeds, which are often sowed, watered and waited for to reproduce some kind of food, pack a punch of nutrition relative to their size. However, you don’t need to wait for a seed to sprout to get all its nutrition. In just one ounce , seeds provide a good source of unsaturated fats, manganese, phosphorus and other vitamins and minerals. They are also low sodium, cholesterol and saturated fats. Most seeds are incomplete proteins, so mix them with grains, legumes and/or nuts to make complete proteins. Some seeds are also a great source of dietary fiber. Below, we have evaluated 5 seeds that are packed with nutrients, in no particular order.

1. Flaxseeds: We’ve all heard of these little guys. They are an excellent way to get your omega-3′s, widely available, come in seed and oil form. They are a great source of magnesium, (27% DV), Copper (17% DV), and Thiamin (31%). Flaxseed has all 9 essential amino acids in the amounts needed to make a complete protein, which is great for vegans and vegetarians. Crush seeds to get their full nutrient bioavailability.

Nutrition info: 1 oz contains 150 kcals, 12 g fat (6 grams omega-3), 8 grams fiber.

2. Sesame seeds: These seeds are also a great source of vitamins and minerals. They offer 24% of your magnesium, 19% phosphorus, 20% copper, 20% manganese and a whopping 39% selenium! Phytonutrients in these seeds can help aid in blocking cholesterol absorption. Tahini, made mostly from ground sesame seeds is often found in hummus. It is a complimentary protein to chickpeas, making hummus a complete protein. Yum!

Nutrition info: 1 oz of sesame seeds provides 177 kcals, 3 grams fat, 3 grams fiber

3. Sunflower seeds: A great source of Vitamin E, a 1 oz serving of sunflower seeds provides you with 37% of your daily vitamin E requirements! They are also a great source of selenium (32% of your DV), and copper (26%). A handful of sunflower seeds makes a fast and filling snack. Sunflower seed butter on whole wheat toast makes a complete protein; a simple and great snack any time.

Nutrition info: 1 oz has 163 kcals, 14g fat, 3 grams fiber.

4. Lotus Seeds: Lotus seeds are common in Asian cuisines. They can be eaten raw as a snack (with their bitter parts removed and used for medicinal purposes), added to soups or ground up and turned into paste for pastries. A serving size is low in calories and low in fat compared to other seeds, and a good source of nutrients such as Thiamin (12%), and potassium (11%). Add lotus seeds to a soup with legumes for a complete protein.

Nutrition info: 1 oz has 93 calories, 1 g fat.

5. Chia seeds: The very same that are used for Chia Pets are not only great for decorating terracotta figurines, but a great source of nutrition. Chia seeds are another great source of complete protein for vegans and vegetarians. They are also very versatile in cooking, since the seeds don’t impart flavor and absorb liquids to form a gel like consistency. Mix seeds with a milk of your choice to make chia pudding.

Nutrition info: 1 oz serving has 137 kcals, 9 g total fat, 11 grams fiber. It is also a good source of calcium, providing 18% of your daily needs per serving!

Share on Facebook

Foodfacts Uncategorized food facts, nutrition data, nutrition facts, nutrition labels, nutritional information

While grocery shopping the other day, we came across a bouillon that claims to be “Sodium Free.” The nutrition label even backs it up. There are exactly 0 mg of sodium per serving. Amazing! However, upon closer inspection of the ingredients list, we noticed that it contains “disodium inosinate” and “disodium gunaylate.” FoodFacts found this to be intriguing enough to share with everyone we know (and some that we don’t).

These ingredients are added to the bouillon in such tiny amounts (parts per million) that it could be considered negligible for most normal people. However, if you are sensitive to sodium, and/or monosodium glutamate, aka MSG (see how to spot MSG here: http://blog.foodfacts.com/index.php/2011/07/07/msg-is-sometimes-hidden-in-food-with-labels-that-say-no-added-msg-no-msg-added-and-no-msg/) this might be something of interest to you. Further still, if you happen to look up those two ingredients on foodfacts.com, you’ll see that they are used as flavor enhancers, used in conjunction with MSG. Meaning, just because you don’t see the words “monosodium glutamate” anywhere on the ingredients list, it could be hidden as something else, somewhere else on that list.

Many different sodium food additives exist in the food world. They have a range of uses as stabilizers, preservatives and/or flavor enhancers. However, if, for whatever reason, you are watching your sodium intake, you might want to not only look at the nutrition label, but keep reading the ingredients list. Keep an eye out for any ingredient that has sodium in it. For instance, sodium caseinate, sodium nitrate (nitrite), disodium EDTA, sodium benzoate, sodium bisulfite and disodium 5′ guanylate (a combination of disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate).
These are also ingredients we have listed as “controversial” on foodfacts.com, as they could have potentially harmful effects. For example, sodium benzoate, when mixed with ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can create benzene – a known carcinogen. Effects of another sodium additive, Disodium 5′ Guanylate is not safe for babies under twelve weeks and should generally be avoided by asthmatics and people with gout, as the guanylates are metabolized to purines. However, with both of these ingredients, the typical amounts found in food are generally too low to produce significant side effects or cause serious damage.

Food science has found many great uses for sodium (which is both a naturally occurring and necessary mineral in our bodies). Without some additives, we could have spoiled food and gray deli meats (ew). In small amounts they may not cause any side effects, but what if you add up all the sodium additives in your diet? A little in your lunch meat, a little in your dairy, a little in your beverages. The amount of additives could add up. If you are watching your sodium intake, it could be something to be mindful of.

Share on Facebook

Foodfacts food facts, sodium, sodium benzoate, Uncategorized Disodium Gunaylate, Disodium Inosinate, food facts, nutrition data, nutrition facts, sodium

FoodFacts does its best to keep our community members in the know regarding news in nutrition. Sometimes the latest news puts to rest some long held beliefs about the foods we eat. This latest information does just that.

For years now, we’ve believed that we should keep our consumption of beef low. It hasn’t been considered the best source of protein, even for nutritionally conscious folks who follow a healthy diet plan, based on its fat content. A new study published in the January 2012 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is actually taking a new stance on the subject matter. The study shows that, in fact, beef can play a role in a cholesterol-lowering diet. Every day consumption of lean beef can be effective in lowering total and “bad” cholesterol.

Conducted by researchers at Pennsylvania State University, the study evaluated adults with moderately elevated cholesterol levels. It measured the impact of diets including varying amounts of lean beef on total and LDL cholesterol levels. Those involved in the study experienced a 10% decrease in bad cholesterol from the beginning of the study while consuming diets including between 4 and 5.4 oz of lean beef daily. The remainder of the diet was rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. It was concluded that diets including lean beef are as effective in improving heart health risk factors as other diets which emphasize plant proteins.

It is important to note that beef consumed in this study were lean cuts and 95% lean ground beef. It is also important to note the amount of beef consumed daily during the study. While this is all great news for beef lovers everywhere, we all need to be conscious of the cut, fat content and portion size of beef in order to consider it a healthy option in our diets. The good news is that the most popular cuts of beef (top sirloin steak, tenderloin, t-bone steak) do, in fact, meet government guidelines for lean beef. A 3 oz. serving of lean beef contains about 150 calories and in addition, is a great source of protein, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, niacin and selenium.

FoodFacts is happy to share this news with you and to remind all of us that a healthy lifestyle includes real foods, in combination with one another and in moderation. It’s always a better plan than anything that comes from a box.

Share on Facebook

Foodfacts Uncategorized beef, food facts, heart-healthy, nutrition facts, nutritional information

This week, if you search for New Year’s Resolutions, you’ll find everything from weight loss tips to tips for going green in 2012. FoodFacts thought it would be appropriate to put together our own short list of resolutions you can make that will help you become healthier in the new year.

1.   Avoid processed food 
We talk about it constantly. The more processed food you consume, the more you’re asking your body to deal with foreign ingredients. Those ingredients, like MSG or sodium benzoate are things your body doesn’t need and may react to badly.

2. Commit to cooking at home more often. 
If you’re going to avoid processed foods, you’ll need to commit to preparing meals at home. Don’t forget that should include breakfast and lunch, as well as dinner. Many times, we can look at breakfast and lunch as “quick meals” that require convenient products that won’t disturb our set schedules.

3. Read the ingredient list on every product you purchase at the grocery store. 
There are some products, like canned beans or pickles for instance, that we can’t assume only contain the things we’d expect to find in them. Sadly that assumption isn’t always the case and the only way we can ensure avoiding those ingredients we really don’t want in our diets is to make a consistent habit of reading those lists.

4. Read the nutrition label, too. 
 The basic nutrition information is important. We all need to understand how much fat, salt, sugar and cholesterol exist in the serving size of any product we consume. We also need to understand what our daily intake of those things should be. So find out what’s right for your body and eat accordingly.

5. Eat your vegetables
… and if you already eat them, eat more of them! Experiment with veggies you’ve never tried before. Try to make sure eating the same vegetables over and over doesn’t bore you – it’s easy to get into a veggie rut … especially if you have kids that will only eat two or three.

6. Eliminate something you already know isn’t healthy. 
 Try to give up something for the New Year that you already know isn’t healthy for your body. Maybe you drink too much diet cola. Maybe your favorite cereal is really a sugar rush. Pick just one thing in your diet today that you know shouldn’t be there and commit to eliminating it in 2012.

7. Try to fit organic foods into your budget
. Certified Organic Food is one of the best ways to know you’re avoiding things you want to keep out of your diet. While it can be pricey, there are food products you may be able to replace with organic versions that won’t destroy your budget.

8. Be careful of product names. 
It’s so easy for any of us to be fooled. “Natural”, “whole grain”, “smart” are just a few of the words on packaging that can have any of us reaching for them without realizing that for food it’s really not all in the name.

9. Question convenience. 
As we go forward into 2012, we’re all pressed for time. Life does seem to move faster now than it did before. Food marketing relies heavily on the concept of making our lives easier. Instant oatmeal, frozen scrambled eggs and bacon, rice and flavorings in a box with dehydrated vegetables. Do we really need to save time this much? The answer is different for everyone. Make sure you ask the question of yourself in the new year.

10. Remember you won’t be deprived. 
If you follow any of these tips, remind yourself that there’s a big world of food out there. As you remove the things you don’t want in your diet, you’ll most certainly find things to replace them with that are better for you and your family that you’ll actually enjoy even more than what you dismissed for its lack of health value.

FoodFacts wants to wish everyone in our community a happy and healthy 2012!

Share on Facebook

Foodfacts Uncategorized Foodfacts, New Year's Resolutions, nutrition data, nutrition facts, nutritional information

FoodFacts.com is always looking for information that will enrich and enlighten the lives of all our community members. So when we saw this important information for women we knew we needed to post about it here.

A new Swedish study published just yesterday is showing that diets rich in antioxidants from fruits, vegetables and whole grains appear to reduce a woman’s risk for stroke — even if she has a prior history of heart disease. The study involved more than 31,000 women with no history of heart disease and almost 5700 women who had a history of heart disease. All the women involved were between the ages of 49 and 83 and they were followed for eleven and a half years (those with no heart-disease history) and almost 10 years (history of heart disease).

During the study period, more than 1300 of the women in the disease-free group had strokes and more than 1000 in the group with a heart-disease history also suffered them. Each woman’s dietary information was used to determine her individual “total antioxidant capacity” or TAC.

In the heart-disease free group, the women with the highest levels of diet-based antioxidants had a 17 percent lower risk of stroke than those with the lowest levels. But most impressively, it was found that the benefits of antioxidant-rich diets were extended to the group with a history of heart disease. Within this group, women with higher levels of dietary antioxidant capacity had up to a 57 percent lower risk of stroke compared to those with the lowest levels.

Researchers found that fruits and vegetables contributed about 50% of the antioxidant capacity in women with a disease-free history. Of course the study also showed that the women who had the highest levels of antioxidants in both groups were also women who adhered to healthier lifestyles extending beyond their regular diets to include regular exercise and avoidance of smoking.

Of course, we at FoodFacts.com always knew there was a good reason our mothers always told us to eat our vegetables. This new Swedish research simply confirms they were right all along.

Share on Facebook

Foodfacts antioxidants, Uncategorized, women's health antioxidants, food facts, fruits, nutrition data, nutrition facts, vegetables

FoodFacts.com knows that many in our community have strong opinions regarding the fast food industry and how it affects our children’s health. We knew the following information would be valuable as you continue to make healthy food choices for yourselves and your families.

Beginning today, McDonald’s and other fast food chains in San Francisco will, by law, have to stop giving  toys away with their children’s meals. The city of San Francisco begins today to enforce the ordinance that prohibits including toys in any children’s meal that contains more than 600 calories, doesn’t include a fruit and vegetable or does include a sugary drink. We’re read a lot of conflicting opinions about these new requirements on fast food restaurants like McDonald’s — everything from fast food chains shouldn’t be patronized by adults, let alone children, ever … not even as a treat, to it’s the responsibility of parents and not the government to determine what their children consume and there should be no laws or requirements that restrict the habits of the public.

But, what if McDonald’s and other chains like it actually found a way to comply with the new law and basically give away the toys anyway? Are they doing something wrong? Are they being a smart business organization? Are they morally bankrupt? Or are they upholding the rights of people to decide for their children’s diet themselves, without government interference?

These are interesting questions, and we’ll all have to form opinions, because that’s exactly what the 19 McDonald’s restaurants in San Francisco have done. That’s right, they’re complying with the law, and anyone ordering a happy meal who wants a toy will now have to pay for it.

You might think that’s a deterrent to a child getting the happy meal to begin with.

Think again. The toy will only cost .10. And, in addition, that .10 will go directly to the Ronald McDonald House. Do you think that might be specifically designed to make the parents spending those ten pennies feel better about their kids eating all those greasy, fried, and sometimes strange ingredients?

But McDonald’s is not breaking the law. So now, by law, McDonald’s doesn’t need to make sure its kids’ meals contain less than 600 calories, include fruits and vegetables and don’t include any sugary drinks. That’s because, in reality, the consumer is paying for the toy … even if it costs a dime and that dime is being donated to the Ronald McDonald House charity.

So, for McDonalds anyway, all’s right with the world (or at least with San Francisco) … they comply with the law, they don’t have to change the ingredients in their children’s menu, Ronald McDonald House charities makes some money and the kids get the toys they wanted in the first place. Legislators heads may very well be spinning right now, because this is not the way things were supposed to unfold.

But, is everything alright for our children?

FoodFacts.com would like to get our community’s opinions on this very important subject. Do you think it’s o.k. for the fast food industry to market to children with toys (even if you have to pay .10 for them)? Or do you think that perhaps children’s meals don’t belong at McDonalds or Burger King or any other fast food establishment. After all, maybe if they weren’t there at all,  future generations of adults would be far better off in the long run.

Share on Facebook

Foodfacts Uncategorized fast food, food facts, Happy meal, McDonald's, nutrition data, nutrition facts, nutritional information

A while back, FoodFacts.com ran a blog post regarding a report that Dr. Oz released regarding arsenic and its presence in apple juice in amounts that could be potentially dangerous to humans. If you remember, the FDA took to the media to fight back against Dr. Oz’s findings. They claimed that organic arsenic is naturally in our air, water, organic soil, and inorganic soil. They claim that Dr. Oz measured for the total level of arsenic, rather than inorganic vs. organic levels of arsenic. Inorganic arsenic is the type which is likely to cause harmful effects. Dr. Oz’s study did not separate out measurements of inorganic and organic arsenic. The FDA said that it was organic arsenic which that was seen in the study. According to the FDA that would make the arsenic in apple juice inconsequential and Dr. Oz’s study just as inconsequential. (As a note, there are a variety of conflicting opinions about the actual safety of organic arsenic.)

Consumer Reports, however has just released its own study showing that the apple and grape juice our kids may be drinking can, in fact have arsenic levels high enough to increase their risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. In fact, a full 10 percent of the juices tested by the magazine had arsenic levels higher than what is allowed in water by the FDA. The findings in this new report echo the study commissioned by Dr. Mehmet Oz in September of 2011. The FDA was not happy with Dr. Oz’s findings and deemed the study “extremely irresponsible”. Sorry, FDA … but it doesn’t look as though Dr. Oz was the extremely irresponsible party here, at least not at this juncture.

The Consumer Reports study tested 88 samples of 28 apple and 3 grape juices sold around the nation. Included in the test were the popular brands like Minute Maid, Welch’s and Tropicana. Five samples of apple juice and four of grape juice had total arsenic levels exceeding the 10 parts per billion (ppb) federal limit for bottled and drinking water. That brands of juice with at least one sample testing above the 10 ppb mark were Apple & Eve, Great Value, Mott’s, Walgreens and Welch’s.

The brands that scored the lowest arsenic levels were: Welch’s Pourable Concentrate 100% Apple Juice, America’s Choice Apple Juice, Tropicana 100% Apple Juice and Red Jacket Orchards 100% Apple Juice.

Most of the arsenic found in the samples was inorganic (that would be the kind of arsenic universally acknowledged as dangerous). It’s worth noting that although FDA guidelines for water are no more than 10 ppb of inorganic arsenic, the agency standard for juices is higher, at 23 ppb. The level is allowed to be higher because they have assumed that people will consume more water than juice in the course of a normal day. That’s a reasonable assumption — for adults.

Consumer Reports also tested the samples for lead. The results were similar to arsenic. Using the threshold for lead for bottled water, since there is no standard for juice, research revealed that about 25% of the samples had elevated levels of lead (more than 5 ppb).

Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports has called on the FDA to set arsenic and lead standards for apple and grape juice. It is recommending 5 ppb for lead and 3 ppb for arsenic and has cited evidence that long-term exposure to arsenic and lead can lead to serious health problems including lung, bladder and skin cancer, increased risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Seems as though Dr. Oz knew what he was talking about back in September. It’s unfortunate the FDA assumed otherwise.

FoodFacts.com will stay on top of this issue and keep you posted as to whether there is any movement by the FDA to change its current standards. We hope they can acknowledge that the majority of apple juice and grape juice in our food supply is, in fact, being consumed by children. We need to understand that one of our most serious responsibilities as a civilized nation is the safety of our kids.

Share on Facebook

Foodfacts Uncategorized apple juice, arsenic, FDA, food facts, Grape Juice, Lead, nutrition facts

FoodFacts.com understands that there are many members of our community especially concerned with avoiding GMO foods and any food products that may contain GMO ingredients. Since there are no labeling requirements for GMOs, it can become difficult to figure out what products you may want to avoid.

So we’ve done some hunting for you and we’ve come up with a list of ingredients that may, in fact, contain hidden GMOs. While we can’t tell you that every time you see one of these ingredients in a food product’s list that it is GMO, we can tell you that unless the product is certified organic or has declared that it is non-GMO that it MAY be. It’s up to each of us individually to determine what we want to avoid in terms of food consumption. So here’s the list:

Aspartame
Baking powder
Bee pollen
Caramel color
Cellulose
Citric Acid
Cobalamin
Corn Gluten
Corn Masa
Corn Oil
Corn Syrup
Cornmeal
Cornstarch
Cyclodextrin
Cystein
Dextrin
Dextrose
Diacetyl
Diglyceride
Fructose
Glucose
Glutamate
Glutamic Acid
Gluten
Glycerides
Glycerin
Glycerol
Glycerol monooleate
Glycine
Hemicellulose
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Hydrogenated starch hydrolates
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Inositol
Invert sugar
Inverse syrup
Isoflavones
Lactic acid
Lecithin
Lysine
Malitol
Maltodextrin
Maltose
Mannitol
Methylcellulose
Milo starch
Modified starch
Monosodium Glutamate
Oleic acid
Phenylalanine
Phytic Acid
Sorbitol
Soy flour
Soy isolates
Soy lecithin
Soy protein
Starch
Stearic acid
Tamari
Tempeh
Threonine
Tocopherols
Tofu
Trehalose
Trehalose
Triglyceride
Vegetable oil
Xanthan gum

FoodFacts.com makes every effort to provide you with information on the issues that are most important to our community. These food ingredients, which may contain GM soy, corn, cotton or canola, may be ingredients you want to keep your eye out for when shopping. If you know of any others we can add to this list, please let us know, so that we can update it and our community as we extend our knowledge.

Share on Facebook

Foodfacts Uncategorized food facts, genetically modified organisms, GMO, nutrition data, nutrition facts, nutritional information

There’s been a lot of talk about BPA recently, and FoodFacts.com has been staying on top of the news. We know this is an important issue for our community and wanted to make sure you had the latest information.

A new study compared the urine of people who consumed canned soup to the urine of people who consumed freshly made soup for the presence of BPA. BAP (bishpenol A) has been linked to many health problems including heart disease, diabetes and obesity. It turned out that the group of people involved in the study who consumed just one serving of canned soup once per day for five days showed a 1000% increase in urinary BPA over those people who consumed freshly made soup.

According to CBSnews.com, the author of the study, Jenny Carwile, a doctoral student at Harvard School of Public health said in a written statement, “We’ve known for a while that drinking beverages that have been stored in certain hard plastics can increase the amount of BPA in your body. This study suggests that canned foods may be an even greater concern, especially given their wide use.”

The researchers noted that the high levels of BPA might be transient and called for more research – but said that the time may have come to get BPA out of cans. As study author Karin Michels, associate professor in the school’s department of epidemiology, put it in the statement, “It may be advisable for manufacturers to consider eliminating BPA from can linings.”

The study used Progresso brand soups, but researchers explained that it wasn’t about the brand, it was about the cans. A spokesman for General Mills, the company that makes Progresso soups, did not agree with the findings of the study.

“Scientific and governmental bodies worldwide have examined the science and concluded that the weight of evidence support the safety of BPA, including comprehensive risk assessments in Japan and in the European Union,” Kirstie Foster, told Bloomberg Businessweek in an email. Jeff Stier, a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research, stated that the study “does nothing to substantiate claims that trace levels of BPA – even from daily canned soup consumption – have any effect on health.”

The study was published online Nov. 21 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

We knew that members of the FoodFacts.com community would want to read and share this information, even if the findings are, thus far, inconclusive. We know that an educated consumer will make the best choices for the diet and health of their families. Please let us know your opinions on this controversial topic.

Share on Facebook

Foodfacts Uncategorized bpa, food safety, nutrition data, nutrition facts, nutritional information

FoodFacts.com understands that many in our community are actively trying to avoid consuming GMO products. While many understand what that entails, we are aware that there are some who are still unsure of what food products to stay away from in order to stay GMO-free. Here’s a brief run down of some of the food products you might want to avoid if you’d like to steer clear of GMO consumption.

1. The best way to avoid GMO products is to purchase USDA Certified Organic
Products. This federally regulated product label specifically prohibits the use of
genetically modified ingredients.

2. Soybean products made from U.S. grown soybeans are, most likely, GMO. It’s estimated that 94% of U.S. soybeans are genetically modified. There are a whole host of products that contain soy. We can start that list for you with tofu, soy sauce, soy milk, cereals, veggie burgers, veggie sausages, chips, cookies and frozen yogurt are just a few of the food product categories where soy can be found. Check the labels for soy as an ingredient.

3. Corn and products made with corn are also mostly GMO. Roughly 88% of all corn is genetically modified. And corn is an extremely popular ingredient in foods. For instance, high-fructose corn syrup is found in tens of thousands of products. Sodas, candies, ice cream, infant formulas, salad dressings, breads, cereals, and margarines are just the beginning. Avoid using corn oil, corn flour and corn starch as ingredients in your home cooking, as well.

4. Beet Sugar is a tricky food ingredient you’ll want to be careful about avoiding. It’s tricky because most products using it simply list sugar in their ingredients. Unless an ingredient list specifies “cane sugar”, the product most likely contains a combination of beet sugar and cane sugar. Its is estimated that up to 90% of sugar beets are genetically modified. So unless you read cane sugar on the ingredient list, it would be safe to assume that the product is GMO.

5. You might also want to be careful about your milk, egg, and cheese consumption as well. Although these products themselves have no GMO ingredients, the feed ingested by the cows and chickens may have been GMO. There’s currently no way of knowing. However, livestock eat a lot of corn. If you are serious about avoiding GMO products, organic would be the way to go here too.

These are just a few things that you can actively do to avoid GMO foods in your diet. FoodFacts.com wants to make sure our community remains educated and curious about the nutritional issues facing our country today. The more we know, the more we can do to keep our diets safe and healthy.

Share on Facebook

Foodfacts Uncategorized food facts, Genetically Engineered, Genetically Modifided Organisms, GMO, nutrition facts, nutritional information