Bread. Granola bars. Cereal. Pasta. How do we tell if they’re heathy or not? What do we look for? If you’ve asked yourself those questions, you’re not alone.
It amazes me how one item like bread can have so many variations… some “unhealthy,” some “healthy” and many somewhere in the middle. It’s no wonder why so many of us have a difficult time eating well.
That’s why I’m here. I hope that this post will empower you in the grocery store aisles. When you pick up one of the below items, take a look at the nutrition label.
There are 4 things I look to determine the overall health of an item.
Now, health is all relative. When I was a flamin’ hot cheeto for breakfast type of chick (yes, I seriously had that phase lol), a granola bar of any kind was extremely healthy for me. As my journey progressed, I began looking at certain ingredients in the granola bar to determine the health of that particular brand/item.
My point is that these are just 4 things I use on my health scale, but they don’t have to be your 4 things. I hope it provides you with a solid foundation for determining if a particular food item is a good fit for you!
This one is a biggy with carbs like cereal and pasta. When you flip over to the nutrition label, you may jump right to the amount of carbs per serving and see something like 33 grams – not bad at all! That’s a great range in my opinion for a carbohydrate serving in a meal. But, did you check the serving size? Cereal will sometimes be 3/4 cup but what we pour into our bowl is 1 + 1/2 cups, which then turns 33 grams of carbohydrates into 66 grams and that may be a little more than most of us want. When I look at these items, I not only look at the amount of carbs per serving but also the servings size to determine if 1) I like the total carbs and 2) if that serving size will fill me. If so, I buy it, If not, I keep looking!
2. OVERALL SUGAR & SUGAR TO CARB RATIO
If you’re looking at a nutrition label, under the carbohydrate section will be a line for sugar. With carbs, especially cereal and granola bars, check the sugar! I’ll first look at the total sugar and aim for under 10 grams for sure. Then, I’ll also compare the total sugar to the total carbs and get the ratio. For example, if there are 10 grams of sugar in a granola bar but only 20 grams of total carbohydrates… that’s 50% coming from sugar, which in my opinion, isn’t ideal. Ideally, I aim for 1/3 or less of the total carbs coming from sugar.
3. INGREDIENTS
This is one of the biggest for me! First, I do a quick glance of ingredients and the biggest red flag is a list that is so long that I don’t want to read it. Put that item down! If the ingredient list is not ridiculously long, I’ll go through and as soon as I either 1) see an ingredient I’m not a huge fan of or 2) read an ingredient I don’t know what it is, I put that item back and keep searching. When I come across an item with a short ingredient list and ones I recognize, that item is a winner!
4. CARB SOURCE
And, this one ties it all together. For me, the health of a food item is all about the source. I’m not just concerned with total amounts of protein, fats and carbs; I care about the source of those macronutrients. Is the protein lean and natural? Is it a healthy form of fat? Are the carbs refined and processed or are they plant based?
This is a biggy with all 4 of these items whether it be bread, granola bars, cereal or pasta. The main carbohydrate source will be listed as one of the first few ingredients. When you’re looking at a food label, the first few ingredients will be what is making up the majority of the food aka the primary carb source. If I like the carb source, the item is a go!
So with all of that said, I thought it would be useful to share a few items of cereal, bread, granola bars and pasta that I like.
CEREAL
There are so many cereal options out there and many vary store to store. It’s pretty easy to find a cereal that has a short ingredient list, a sizable serving size without overdoing the carbs and is low in sugar. I’ll list some of my favorite brands below.
- Barbara’s Puffins
- Bob’s Red Mill (they make great granola as well as oats and related products)
- Cascadian Farm
- Kashi
- Annie’s
BREAD
Hands down my favorite type of bread is sprouted grain bread. Now, there are a lot out there that I would consider “healthier.” I’ve seen breads made from almond meal or coconut flour and they’re delicious. BUT, I’m practical. I’m not driving 45 minutes to a specialty store in Houston to pay $9.99 for a loaf of bread with 10 slices. I’m looking for something I can pick up for under $5 at my local grocery store. That’s why I love sprouted grain bread. It’s healthy, accessible and relatively speaking, more affordable than other healthy bread options.
What is sprouted grain bread?? Sprouted grain bread is – like the name implies – bread that is created from whole grains that have been allowed to sprout (soaked in water) and germinate before being milled into flour. You may have heard this bread being referred to as Ezekiel bread as made popular by the Food For Life brand but there are many types of sprouted grain breads available. Now why is it healthier? The sprouting process kills off the phytic acid found in wheat, which allows the nutrients in the bread to be absorbed by the body. The sprouting process also pre-digests gluten in the bread as well as protein, making it easier digested by the body (I am sensitive to gluten but I do great with sprouted grain bread!). Finally, flip over to the nutrition label and you’ll see the short ingredient list consists of mostly great whole grains and not much else! It’s a winner in my opinion for many reasons!
GRANOLA BARS
Similar to cereal, granola bars are all about that sugar amount and sugar to carb ratio. Also, keep in mind with a granola bar you’re usually just getting carbs, so I like to combine a granola bar with nuts and a protein shake if I’m out on the go or eating in the car (why am I always in the car when my hunger hits haha).
- Cascadian Farm
- Annie’s
- KIND
- Larabar
- Zing
- RXBar
PASTA
With pasta, carb source is usually what makes or breaks the overall health of the item. Below I listed out 3 types of pastas I most commonly go for. Awhile back, I did the whole wheat pasta because I thought it was healthier than regular (not really the case) and it tasted like cardboard. All the pasta I listed actually tastes good (and even my husband agrees, which for me is the ultimate test of taste lol).
1) Brown Rice Pasta – this is my go-to and the two brands I use most often are Tinkyada which I find at most grocery stores or the Trader Joes brown rice pasta.
2) Bean Pasta – Trader Joes makes a black bean pasta. There’s a brand called Banza that makes pasta from black beans. I’ve also found red lentil pasta at Trader Joes and my local grocery store. I love these options because they’re also high in protein!
3) Pasta Alternatives – another thing I’ve recently been hooked on is spiralized vegetables as pasta. I bought a spiralizer called the “veggetti” – I always giggle because it sounds inappropriate but it’s small (I’ve seen more popular options but that’s another huge item in my kitchen that I don’t want) and it’s works wonderfully. Zucchini and sweet potato are two great items to turn into pasta.
Leave a comment