Choose the Healthiest Packaged Foods

In these tough economic times, the family food budget is under closer scrutiny than ever. Add to that the extra time parents are spending working, looking for work, or taking on odd jobs to make ends meet, and the home-cooked family meal is becoming an endangered species.

For many families, packaged foods are the answer. But how do you really know which packaged foods are the best? Nutrition labels help, but they don’t tell the whole story. And since not all packages base their nutrition information on the same serving size, comparing labels at the store can be next to impossible.

To simplify the task, HealthCastle.com, the largest nutrition site run by registered dietitians, is launching Go-UnDiet: Packaged Food Review a new tool that allows users to easily see which packaged foods make the most sense for their families.

“The Packaged Food Review provides all the information families need in a consistent, easy-to-understand format,” said Gloria Tsang, RD, founder of HealthCastle.com. “It’s a way of helping families eat healthy in a realistic way, without having to feel bad about not cooking every meal from scratch.”

The Go UnDiet: Packaged Food Review provides the key information traditionally found on food labels, but adds in extra details like whole grain and high fructose corn syrup content, and identifies whether the product contains artificial sweeteners. Each product review also features an “RD’s take” summary to help interpret the nutrition facts.

For those who want to skip the analysis, the tool allows users to simply sort products by the amount of fat, calories, sugar, fiber, carbs, and more. Based on what’s most important for your family, you can just choose the item that appears at the top of the list. Or, if trying to choose between two products, you can compare them head-to-head.

“We hope that families will use the tool to make their packaged food choices before they go to the grocery store,” Tsang said. “That way they know they’ll be coming home with healthy packaged foods, rather than just grabbing whatever was sitting at the end of the aisle.”

 

 

 

The dietitians at HealthCastle.com have been sharing their passion for nutrition and health since 1997. For fun and practical healthy eating tips, exclusive nutrition guides, and nutrition podcasts, visit www.HealthCastle.com.