KTK-Nutrition

Do food manufacturers have secrets they don’t want you to know?   My sister recommended an MSN article on a number of things food manufacturers want to keep secret as outlined in   the article 50 Secrets Food Manufacturers Don’t Tell You That Could Change the Way You Eat.   Some of the changes food manufacturers are making are good for our health.   More manufacturers are cutting back on the added sugar in foods.    Also, manufacturers are reducing the artificial flavors and artificial colors in foods.   For example, Kraft has removed the artificial color in their macaroni and cheese.   Even fast food chains are focusing on healthier options by getting rid of the antibiotics in chicken.    What are some things you should be aware of?      1.  Crackers – are you being fooled by crackers?   Are crackers healthy?   Most crackers are made from refined flour (white flour) and sugar and salt.   Add so...

If you listen to the commercials, high fructose corn syrup is the same as white table sugar and has no adverse health consequences.   But is that true?   For years now, I just try to avoid foods that have high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient.   Not easy to do as manufacturers love to sneak this sugar into everything from bread to catsup.   Many manufacturers know there are consumers that are like me and try to avoid high fructose corn syrup so they make a catsup without it then charge more. Why high fructose corn syrup?   Manufacturers love it as it is easy to ship, has a long shelf life and is cheaper than sugar.    It improves the texture of cookies, and browns better in breads.      What is HCFS?   It is comprised of fructose and glucose and manufacturers use it in place of sugar.   It has the same caloric value of sugar, 4 calories per gram. Is HCFS Bad for our Health?   Many researchers would say no but mo...

The World Health Organization created quite a stir recently when they announced we should cut our added sugar intake to only 5% of our daily calories ( WHO | Draft Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children ).     Sounds easy?   Not really as manufacturers sneak added sugar into almost every food we eat.   The WHO focused on all sugars, but in this blog I will focus on ADDED sugar, what manufacturers add in processing.   Added sugars are n ot sugars naturally present in foods like fructose in an apple or lactose in milk.    So what did the WHO propose and why?   Currently, WHO recommends added sugars should make up less than 10% of our daily calories. WHO Draft guidelines:   Sugar should be less than 10% of our total calories with even more health benefits if we reduce sugars to less than 5% of our daily calories. What is 5%?    This means reducing our sugars to about 25 grams a day or 6 teaspoons for adults. ...