Dietitians show JG staffers how to rule grocery aisles
Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, Kimberly Dupps
Published February 23, 2006
It all seemed a bit seedy to us.
A brown cracker loaded with flax, sesame and sunflower seeds. It was in a clear, plastic wrapping not the boxes with bright colors and clever slogans found in the snack aisle. The wafer didn't really snap when broken; it was more of a rip, like cardboard.
So when it came to actually taking a bite, it was with a bit of trepidation and wrinkled noses that the Weighty Matters team sank its teeth into the Doctor Kracker three-seed flatbread crackers.
Parkview Hospital dietitian Julia Just takes Dupps and another Weighty Matters member Scott Warden (with daughter Olivia) through the aisles at Scott's Food Store on North Clinton Street for a tutorial on healthy shopping.
Parkview Hospital dietitians Kathy Wehrle, left, and Julia Just take The Journal Gazette's Weighty Matters participants Kimberly Dupps and Rhea Edmonds on a shopping trip at a Scott's Food Store to give advice on choosing healthy foods.
And its bite was worse than its bark.
With all of its fiber, healthy monosaturated fats and protein, flavor was somehow left out of the cracker's recipe.
"With most (healthy snacks), I would recommend to keep an open mind; healthier foods may not taste like their counterparts but they have their own 'good' taste," said Julia Just, a registered dietitian at Parkview Hospital. "Also, keep trying other varieties or brands until you find something you prefer."
Finding the balance between what tastes good and what is good for you was the mission of the Weighty Matters team and Parkview dietitians Just and Kathy Wehrle as we headed to Scott's Food Store on North Clinton Street.
With a cart ready, Rhea Edmonds, Scott Warden, with daughter Olivia, and I headed to our first stop: bread.
Quick and easy, right? Grab a loaf of wheat bread and head to produce. Not so fast.
The key phrase: 100 percent whole wheat or whole grain. Why? Whole-grain breads provide more dietary fiber than breads using refined grains, according to the 2005 dietary guidelines released by the Food and Drug Administration. Just and Wehrle suggested looking for breads with at least 2 grams of dietary fiber per serving.
Getting that fiber, though, doesn't mean giving up those white-bread sandwiches. Much to our delight, we found Wonder Bread's new whole-grain white bread. Kathy told us the bread is made with an albino flour, which changes the texture and, obviously, the color of the bread.
Add that one to the grocery list.
Pulling up to produce, we were ready for a quick stop. After all, fresh produce is good for you and in quantity.
There's more to consider, though, than whether to pick up Granny Smith or Red Delicious apples. Those apples are consistently one of the fruits most contaminated with pesticides. Wehrle said to pay extra and buy organic apples to minimize pesticide exposure.
Other foods to look out for: bell peppers, celery, grapes, cherries, peaches, pears, spinach and strawberries.
With our Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce from Environmental Working Group, we discussed the items lowest in pesticides: asparagus, avocados, bananas, cauliflower, corn, kiwi and broccoli.
"I like broccoli," Olivia said excitedly as she held dad Scott's hand while we looked at the greens.
That's good news for Scott.
Moving to the inner aisles where most of the danger lies we found ourselves at a juice stand Wehrle and Just had set up for us. On tap: Low-sodium V8.
The dread was palpable as chilled samples were poured. Rhea said she didn't like V8; neither did Scott. Olivia just shook her head no; it didn't look right to her.
After a big swallow, it was easy to point out juices with a bit more flavor and better texture that happened to be favorites white grape, good ol' orange, and cranberry cocktail.
The cocktail favorite, though, "may mean very little real juice and a lot of high-fructose corn syrup and additives," Just said. "The V8 would be as much nutrition as a serving of vegetables."
Having our fill of fruits and vegetables, it was time to get some protein.
On the evening's menu: Fish. The catch of the day: Traces of mercury found in fish.
Wehrle and Just then told us that women of child-bearing age should limit even "safe" fish, which includes salmon and canned tuna, to one serving a week because of the mercury.
Rhea and I exchanged glances; we're both of child-bearing age but love fish and often eat it more than once a week.
"What if I don't plan to have children for, let's say, 10 years?" I asked.
Doesn't matter, Wehrle and Just said. The mercury builds up in the bloodstream, and although the body removes the mercury, it can take years for levels to drop significantly, according to the FDA.
Fish to watch out for include shark, swordfish and king mackerel; women of child-bearing age should not eat these, and men should limit consumption to once a month.
As we turned the corner, Wehrle and Just steered us to the dreaded "natural foods" section. They're the aisles where you're guaranteed to spend more money on a lot less flavor or so I thought.
Just steered us toward one of her favorite snacks: soy crisps. Pick a flavor, she said.
Scott, Rhea and I looked at each other, looked at Julia, looked at the soy crisps and looked back at Just.
Thinking it was a safe decision, we opted for barbecue. We bit into the rice-cake-like wafers, and we were surprised by the sweet, tangy taste and how not bad they were.
In fact, they could be a lifesaver. Just said soy crisps have 7 grams of soy protein, which has been shown to be beneficial against heart disease and has possible benefits for cancer prevention and bone health.
Last stop on the learning express was the dairy case. Waiting for us was a crusty loaf of wheat bread so we could find a better butter or margarine.
Just and Wehrle told us that when we picked our spread, we needed to be mindful of saturated fat and trans fat; butter is high in fat and margarines sometimes have trans fat.
After looking at an overwhelming variety of light margarines, we settled on Land O' Lakes light butter with canola oil. One serving has 2 grams of saturated fat and zero grams of trans fat.
We took a dollop of butter and spread it on the bread. With one taste, we had found a healthy bite we didn't mind taking.
Here are some essentials to a healthy shopping cart:
Whole-wheat bread
Low-fat crackers
Corn or whole-wheat tortillas
Rice
Fruit: fresh, canned, dried or frozen without added sugar
Vegetables: fresh, frozen or canned without cream or cheese sauce
Low-fat milk
Low-fat cheese
Lean meat
Fish
Natural peanut butter
Eggs, egg whites or egg substitutes
Salsa
Low-fat soup
Angel food cake
Low-fat frozen yogurt
Pay attention to store advertisements
Buy in bulk
Avoid convenience foods
Cook more from scratch
Prepare food ahead and freeze
Don't let produce spoil in the refrigerator
