Last month, I spent some time with the Moms Like Me group in St. Cloud, Minnesota.  One interesting thing that I took away was that several of the group members relied on “low fat” claims as an indicator of the overall healthfulness of the product.  Products with this claim were the ones they chose as a nutritious option.

These moms are not alone.  For years, the media, health professionals and many sources have suggested that “low fat” was the way to go.

But in reality, it’s time to let go of this urban legend.  Here’s why:

• It’s not total fat we need to worry about.  It’s saturated and trans fat that are the evil culprits.  While it is sometimes true that products with a “low fat” claim are also low in saturated fat and free of trans fat, it isn’t always true.
• There are foods that are low fat, but don’t provide any positive nutrition.  Take your basic, standard pretzels, example.  Essentially, they’re made of white, refined flour and some salt.  Nothing harmful, really, but nothing helpful either.  No fiber, no calcium or vitamin D, no good fats. 
• Sometimes, when the fat gets taken out, other things get added in such as more sodium or sugar.
• Fat in food doesn’t necessarily translate to fat on a body.  Body fat comes from eating too many calories overall.

Visit www.nuval.com to see the Moms Like Me groups go-to system for making more nutritious food choices.

When you look at a product package, you’re likely to see colorful bursts making claims such as “low fat,” “reduced sodium,” or “high in fiber.”  While you may look for some claims (think low fat) as a designation of better nutrition, other claims may turn you off (think low sodium) as they may affect the taste too much.  Some people are turned off by all of these claims, always purchasing the regular version of the product.  The bottom line is that some people believe taste and good nutrition can go hand in hand, while others don’t agree.

Food manufacturers are always interested in the opinions of people who buy their products.  They do surveys, conduct focus groups, and offer contests to get feedback about their products from consumers.  Because of this, they understand the dichotomy of consumer choice as it relates to health and claims on the front of the package.

Enter Stealth Health.  This new term coins the momentum by manufacturers to gradually over time improve the nutrition quality of their products without shouting it on the front of the package.  For example, Campbell Soup has been slowly and gradually lowering the sodium in their soups.  The same product 20 years ago had much more sodium.  By making the change gradually, they’ve allowed consumer taste buds to adjust to the reduction in sodium. 

Behind the scenes or communicated upfront and bold, changes to make food products more nutritious are a good thing for consumers. 

Visit www.nuval.com to see scores that get higher as improvements in a product’s nutrition are made.

Last Sunday, my 12-year-old son Jack came downstairs after having gotten dressed.  Immediately, I made him go back upstairs and change into a pair of jeans that were long enough for him.  Later that day, we hit the stores in search of new pants – ones that are long enough.  But here’s the thing.  I couldn’t find any.

I have a tall, skinny kid.  At 12, he’s already passed 5’5”. But he’s skinny.  Not icky skinny, just normal kid skinny.  I tell my mother-in-law all the time that this is how kids are supposed to look.  Every calorie he consumes is used in growth.  The hormones haven’t kicked in yet to add bulk to his frame.  He’s active as kids should be.  But there are no jeans in stores that fit.  While there are stacks and racks of “husky” options, often there is a small to non-existent section of “slims.”  The size my son needs – 20 slim or 28 x 32 do not exist in store.  Nor do they exist in the entire universe of the World Wide Web.  I know.  I checked.

Pant sizes in the store is a reflection of an important issue – kids’ weight.

While kids’ weight is an important issue, it’s also a touchy issue.  As parents, we all love our kids, and try and do our best by them.  Weight gets into love issues and cultural issues and self-confidence and economics and a host of other things.  But it’s something we need to get a handle on in our households.  In these formative years, the habits kids build will last into their adulthood.  As many of us adults know, it’s easier to maintain a weight than it is to struggle to lose weight again and again.  The sobering truth is, too, that we are seeing kids with diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease – problems that used to only affect middle-aged adults.

Because you love your kids, because you want them to have a great life and live up to their fullest potential, do this one thing for them.  Take an honest step back and assess their weight.  Draw a sketch of their body type and compare it to the boy and girl charts below (click the charts to view at full size):

Or calculate their BMI (which is a measure of their weight for height) to determine where they fall in this important measure.  Using these objective measures empowers us to eliminate the bias we all have as parents and make an honest assessment of our kids’ weight.  Just this one action, this honest assessment is the greatest gift of love we can give our kids.

With your kids visit www.nuval.com to teach them about nutritious foods.

I’m not a regular viewer of the Oprah show as I’m usually working at that time of day.  But after hearing that Oprah was dedicating her entire show yesterday to veganism, I did set the DVR to record it, and watched it later last night.

Yesterday’s episode featured the Vegan Challenge, where 378 Harpo employees agreed to eat no meat, no animal products, nothing that remotely comes from an animal for a week.  Michael Pollan, author of books The Omnivores Dilemma and In Defense of Food and Kathy Freston, author of Veganist, were guests on the show.  Cargill opened the doors to one of their slaughter houses to show all viewers the process of how a cow becomes a steak. 

There are many reasons to choose vegetarian (think no to meat, poultry, but yes to products from animals like milk and eggs) and vegan (think nothing from an animal crosses your lips, no milk, no cheese, etc) – potential health benefits, issues related to ethical treatment of animals, ensuring there is enough food to feed all people on the planet, care of the earth.  But what struck me most as I reflected on this Oprah episode is being a vegan or a vegetarian doesn’t automatically guarantee that you’re going to have overall healthy eating habits and feel better or live longer.

Yes, the show profiled a Harpo staff member who lost 11 pounds in a week.  But he admitted that prior to the challenge he ate complete crap.  Another staffer admitted to being addicted to fast food, and felt better on the vegan diet.  No kidding?  And don’t forget that Kathy Freston, self-proclaimed as The Veganist, was around to provide vegan snacks and grocery shop and cook with the staff.  Both Freston and Pollan admitted that you can go vegan by eating a lot of processed food made from white, refined flour.  Vegan ice cream isn’t necessarily a healthier choice, right?

The real take home message from the show is that whether you choose to eat meat or to avoid anything that comes from an animal, it’s still about choosing healthy foods – lots of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, lean protein, more fiber.  The message hasn’t changed.  While Oprah has the power to turn veganism into the latest fad diet, this is what it’s really about. 

Visit www.nuval.com to choose high scoring vegetables and fruits and find foods with plenty of fiber and lean protein.