Read food labels to digest the facts

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Nov. 10, 2024) — When you’re packing to go to the grocery store, gather your car keys, cell phone and cloth bags – and don’t forget to bring your reading glasses. You’ll need them to read the ingredients on packages and cans.

I’m afraid to eat most things that come out of a package. If you can’t recognize the ingredients, don’t eat it.

It’s a big advance from a generation ago. You can read the labels and look up on your little hand-held computer – right there in the aisle – just what xanthan gum is.

Xanthan gum, by the way, is a polysaccharide with industrial uses, including as a common food additive. It is a thickening agent and stabilizer that prevents ingredients from separating. Research has shown xanthan gum has benefits for your gut microbiome, but also side effects of gastrointestinal distress.

Added sugar

Here’s another example. A serving of Nature Valley’s protein granola is listed with 15 added grams of sugar. That’s more than enough for your daily supply of sugar.

But that is 15 grams for two-thirds of a cup of granola. How many people are limiting themselves to two-thirds of a cup of granola for breakfast? Not many.

And many are mixing in fruity yogurts that add to the sugar load. Get Greek-style yogurt that shows no added sugar on the nutrition facts. Watch out for “natural flavors” on the label. That often means added sugar.

Along the line, I picked up a simple rhyming reminder: If it’s got four grams of sugar or more, leave it at the store. It’s vital to resist a diet heavy on sweets because your body learns to crave high proportions of sugar.

Don’t be fooled by packages that claim a product is “lightly sweetened.” Compared to what? Again, pay attention to the sugar and added sugar columns on the nutrition label.

A couple of 2012 studies in national nutrition journals estimated that, out of some 600,000 items in the American food supply, 74 percent had added sugar.

The government’s requirements for food labelling tell you what’s in the food. But you really need to know what’s been done to the food in processing, argues my colleague, Dr. Robert H. Lustig, in his 2021 book “Metabolical.” Lustig is a professor emeritus of endocrinology at UC San Francisco. His simple precepts are “protect the liver” and “feed the gut.” Foods that do neither are actually poison, Lustig says.

In the next column, I will examine just what ultra-processed food has done to our health. It’s not the food that’s poisoning us. It’s the chemicals and substances that manufacturers put in ultra-processed foods to assist in mass-producing items inexpensively with an eye on long shelf lives.

Here is a restaurant-quality meal without any additives.

Gnocchi in Tomato Cream Sauce

Makes about 4 servings

1 egg
1 c. (8 oz.) ricotta cheese
1 c. (5 oz.) Italian organic soft wheat 00 flour (you can find it at Whole Foods)
½ c. Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. salt
Optional: Sun-dried tomatoes

Whip egg and ricotta cheese. Add rest of ingredients and mix (don’t overmix).

Shape dough into a ball and let rest 5-10 minutes. Cut the ball into four pieces.

Lightly flour a cutting board and roll each piece into a ropelike shape. The ropes should be about the thickness of your thumb. Cut each rope into pieces approximating the tip of your index finger.

In a large saucepan, heat salted water to a boil.

Pop the gnocchi into the boiling water. They will sink to the bottom. Stir gently to prevent the gnocchi from sticking together. The gnocchi are done when they all rise to the top.
Tomato Cream Sauce

2 T olive oil or avocado oil
½ c. onion, thinly sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2-3 cloves fresh minced garlic
1 c. heavy cream
¼ c. chopped fresh basil or 2 T dry basil

Heat oil in frying pan. Add onion and sauté until tender. Add tomatoes and garlic and sauté; tomatoes will start to break apart.

Add cream and basil. Heat through and serve over gnocchi.

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