In her new book, Dr. Felicia Stoler shows how to take control of your own health by developing a lifestyle plan based on dietary science that emphasizes nutrition, exercise, rest, and time management. Whenever food manufacturers remove key ingredients such as fats, salt or sugar, they usually replace them with something else to preserve the product's taste, shelf life or consistency. Reading labels is so important. Stoler suggests making some easy swaps in the everyday foods we consume by taking a closer read on the labels.
ENERGY BARS
-Instead of: High calorie energy bars. "You may think these are filled with good nutrition but sometimes they contain as much as 500 calories with a lot of added sugars and fats."
-Consider this: "Look for bars that contain 200 calories or less, at least five grams of fiber and some protein
PEANUT BUTTER
-Instead of: Peanut Butter Some brands of peanut butter may contain a small amount of added partially hydrogenated vegetables oils , which are high in trans fatty acid s thought to be a cause of atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and stroke; these oils are added to prevent the peanut oil from separating.
-Consider this: Spreads or all natural peanut butter. Natural peanut butter and spreads do not contain partially hydrogenated oils that raise cholesterol. Look for palm fruit oil which is a health balance of fat and can reduce LDL cholesterol levels
WATER and ENERGY DRINKS
-Instead of: Fancy nutrient-enhanced waters. "Many contain a lot of sugar. If sugar is among the top three ingredients on the nutrient list, it's not all that healthy."
-Consider this: "Make your version by spiking club soda with fresh juice, like orange juice
BREAD
-Instead of: Multi-grain or 7-grain breads. "Many of these are decoys. It may be that they contain 100% white flour with some grains added to it."
-Consider this: 100 percent whole grain breads. "If the label says 100 percent whole grain or whole wheat, then you know you are truly getting a whole grain product.
GRANOLA and BREAKFAST BARS
-Instead of: Low-fat granola. "The low-fat version may have more carbohydrates than the natural granola."
-Consider this: oatmeal squares that are filled with whole grain, fiber and protein as well as added plant sterols. Plant sterol added to a wide variety of foods, absorb cholesterol to naturally reduce cholesterol levels in.
More about Dr. Felicia Stoler:
-Dr. Felicia D. Stoler is a registered dietician, exercise physiologist and expert consultant in nutrition and healthful living. Her new book is called Living Skinny in Fat Genes: The Healthy Way to Lose Weight and Feel Great (Pegasus 2011). She hosted TLC's groundbreaking series, Honey We're Killing the Kids!! She specializes in integrating behavior modification to influence positive health outcomes. Documented success in delivering health/wellness programs and presentations for a wide range of corporations and organizations including: Nike, ING NYC Marathon/NY Road Runners, National Governors' Association, Ovaltine, LesserEvil, +1, Unilever (Eat Smart Drink Smart, Ragu), GNC
