8 Food Shopping Mistakes

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Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

After taking a tour of the store and comparing package claims with the Nutrition Facts Panel, we found 8 common mistakes that can sidetrack you from a more healthful diet. Here they are:1. Did You Check the Serving Size? - Package looks like one serving but is more than one serving. Examples include: candy bars, bottles of tea and soda, snack packages of crackers and cookies. One 20 ounce bottle of tea says 90 calories per serving but since the bottle is 2.5 servings you are taking in 225 calories.2. Are You Misled By the Title? - Lean, Natural, Organic, Energy, Grain - all of these words sound good, but are the Nutrition Facts on target for a food that is low in fat, salt and sugar?3. Beware of Your Assumptions of “Healthy” - Turkey and chicken are not always healthful choices because they can be high in fat and sodium; some yogurt products are comparable to ice cream with their sugar and fat content!4. “Sort of Healthy” Claims Not Backed Up By The Facts - Whole Grain and Reduced Fat may contain a lot of salt, fat and sugar.5. Too Many Calories? - Look at the Nutrition Facts label for large items like cakes, packages of cookies and some frozen dinners - how many total calories are you buying?6. Too Much Sodium? - Check the daily value and try to find items that have 5% or less of the daily value for sodium, especially with canned goods, boxed rice and pasta mixes, frozen dinners and many grain products. .7. Too Much Sugar? – soda, cereal, more. 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon. A package of cereal that shows 12 g of sugar means that you are getting 3 teaspoons per serving!8. Look At Saturated Fat and Trans Fat – Trans-fat free can be high in saturated fat!

Package says:
One serving of whole grain for a toaster pastry
Nutrition Facts says:
Serving Size: 1 pastry (50 g)
Servings Per Container: 8
Calories: 200 Calories from Fat: 64
% Daily Value
Total Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 170 mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 34 g 11%
Dietary Fiber 3 g 12%
Sugars 14 g
Protein 3g
This breakfast treat contains 200 calories per 1.78 ounce pastry. It is calorie dense and high in fat and sugar for its size. Consider:
• For comparison, oatmeal contains just 147 calories and 2 g of fat per cup (8 ounces)!
• And one donut contains 190 calories with 11 grams of fat - so this breakfast pastry is similar to having a donut with regards to calories, fat and sugar.
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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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