Grocery 101: Reading Juice Labels

During a recent shopping excursion, I realized how crazy juice labeling is. You have to look carefully. If not, you will find yourself going home with something you did not intend to buy.

Check out the photo of the three types of Grape products. I was looking for "Grape Juice", but came across:

1. Grape Drink

2. 100% Juice - Grape

3. Grape Juice

First off, anything that contains less than 10% of the fruit juice the product is supposed to be representing can't be called "Juice". It must be labeled as "Drink". This includes the Grape Drink in the picture, Sunny Delight, Hawaiian Punch, etc. They are typically made with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, a splash of juice and the rest artificial or natural flavors. Bottom line: Don't buy "Drinks". They are junk.

Second, it's great that the product is 100% juice. The only problem is that I want Grape Juice. Notice on the second bottle that "Grape" comes after "Juice". That's because the product is 100% juice, just not 100% Grape Juice. They use other juices, most commonly apple, to make the product less expensive (grapes are more expensive than apples). It's nice that the product is 100% Juice, but I want Grape Juice, so let's move on.

The third bottle was what I was looking for: Grape Juice. I double-checked the ingredients list just to make sure and it stated simply and eloquently: "Filtered Water, Grape Juice from Concentrate, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid (the latter two ingredients are natural preservatives)." Success!

Notice that even though I found the version of Grape Juice I was looking for, I still read the ingredients. Manufacturers know all of the labeling loopholes. For example, while the front panel says "Grape Juice", they could have very easily added fine print for "with other natural flavors" or "and other fruit juices".

By the way, "from concentrate" is just that: Whatever the juice, it is processed into a concentrated form and put into cold storage until the manufacturer is ready to bottle it. At which time, the fruit concentrate is mixed with the appropriate amount of water, packaged and sent off to your local grocery store.

One more tip on "Light" juices. The term "Light" means that manufacturers have either diluted the concentrate with more water to reduce the calories per serving, or they use an artificial sweetener (usually Splenda).

My recommendation is not to bother with "Light". Avoid watered down juice or artificial sweetener, buy the full version and simply moderate your consumption!

Grocery 101 Intro

Find out from TLN Founder Phil LeClair what's in your shopping cart!

Curious to know whether a grocery item you purchased is a healthy choice? Looking for an alternative to a food item that you know is not a healthy choice? Baffled by a tongue-twisting ingredient or label claim? You came to the right blog! Get your shopping list ready for upcoming Grocery 411 posts!

SmartGroceries Intro

SmartGROCERIES are nutritionally sound and contain beneficial nutrients for a healthy lifestyle. These products frequently find the bottom of TLN founder Phil LeClair’s family shopping cart and are recommended for their good taste, value and functionality in everyday diets. They are widely available in grocery and natural foods stores.

Along with being posted in the blog as TLN Approved products, you can find a complete list of SmartGroceries at TLN Group!

TLN Health News Heads Up: Is It Healthy? Food Rating Systems Battle It Out

By ANDREW MARTIN

At the grocery store, shoppers confront a dizzying array of labels promoting whole grains, reduced fat, antioxidants or vitamins. Some foods are said to be “Smart Choices,” while others are a “Sensible Solution.”

Amid the confusion, how can consumers tell whether Cheerios, say, are better or worse than Special K? Is light mayonnaise more nutritious than regular? Which are worse, Nilla Wafers or Chunky Chips Ahoy?

Suddenly, after years of chaotic, conflicting health claims on food, various groups are rushing to create systems that are supposed to make sense of it all. And grocery chains are starting to line up behind one system or another. Within months, shoppers across the country may find numerical ratings, star ratings or letter grades plastered on the shelf next to virtually every product in a store.

“We know that our customers are looking for answers in how to make their diet better,” said Ric Jurgens, president and chief executive of Hy-Vee grocery stores and chairman of a cooperative that has endorsed one system. He says it “provides a revolutionary and simple way to assess all the foods in our stores.”

But consumer advocates worry that the sudden flurry of rating systems could add to shopper confusion, not ameliorate it, at least until one of the systems wins out and becomes a national standard. Moreover, determining what foods are healthier is as much art as science, requiring judgment about how much value to attach to various scientific findings about diet and health.

TLN Editor Comments: There are very good points made in this article regarding food company and grocery chains making self-determining ratings of foods. Obviously, their systems will be commercially influenced to best position their own products. Form your own opinion, by reading more on this article at the New York Times!

TLN Health News Heads Up: Are you going to eat that?

7 foods you may think are healthy, but aren't

By Susan Moores, R.D.

MSNBC contributor

Pick a fruit, any fruit, and you know it’s good for you. It’s the same with vegetables and many whole grain foods. They deserve their nutritional halos.

Some foods, however, have gotten the healthy nod, when they’re actually laden with fat, sugar or both.

TLN Editor Comments: This article reinforces that fact that people are under the false impression that they are replacing the more obvious bad food choice with something comparably unfavorable. Read and be enlightned why the likes of Granola Bars, Tea Drinks and Fruit Gummies aren't that great for you at MSNBC.com!

Tough Love Nutrition Group: Check it Out!

In 2007, I created the Tough Love Nutrition Group.

Hosted by Google, the TLN Group is an awesome community portal.

The highlight is a Discussions page that allows you to post a nutrition or fitness question or share insight with other group members.

You will also discover a growing selection of self-help nutrition, eating and food articles. This will continue to expand in coming months and include fitness, exercise and weight training info as well.

Here are a few of the recent items I posted on the site:

Discussion Topics: Fat Burning Foods?

Pages: Tough Love Nutrition Q and A Archives

Files: Tough Love Healthy Eating Guide, Parts 1-4

Enjoy and Just Eat Right!

Grocery 101: Wild Harvest Store Field Trip

It was a great privilege to get a behind-the-scenes look at the Wild Harvest Natural Foods set (store-in-a-store) at Shaw's Supermarket in Waterbury, VT. Store manager Cathy Ladd gave me the VIP tour of her impeccably-kept store; providing me with insights on what Wild Harvest requires for products to be stocked on their shelves.

In a nutshell, products must contain: NO artificial preservatives, colorings or flavorings, NO hydrogenated or cottonseed oils, NO artificial sweeteners and NO phosphates or chlorine.

There is no doubt that the products found in Wild Harvest, or other health food stores for that matter, come with a higher price point. However, being a customer of Wild Harvest myself, there are always rotating sales that allow you to stock up on staple items at excellent prices.

Don't be intimidated by the prices or products at Wild Harvest. Venture in and poke around. Buy a couple of items to try out. They are almost always going to be a healthy grocery choice.

Don't be shy to ask questions. If there is not somebody on hand to answer them, get the website address off the product or feel free to drop me an e-mail at info@TLNutrition.com! You can also checkout all of my posts under SmartGroceries. Many of these items are purchased at Wild Harvest.

Finally, sign-up for the Wild Harvest mailer at http://www.shaws.com/. Along with getting some nice, little health and nutrition articles, there are several dollars worth of coupons. I saved 10 bucks on my last visit!