Diet Marketing Trends vs. Fact-Based Nutrition

Have you noticed the latest marketing trend occurring in grocery stores?  Manufacturers are promoting the protein content in their products to encourage shoppers to purchase.  Cereals, breads, and even candy bars are touting an extra boost of protein.  Protein is falsely being hyped as the king of macronutrients but, carbohydrates and fat also play important roles in how our bodies function. 

It’s important to eat a variety of foods from all the macronutrients and also consider the quality of our foods.  Each macronutrient category contains foods with high and low quality nutrients.  For better nutrition try swapping low quality foods for high quality foods.  I think you will find the higher quality nutrients are lower in calories and saturated fat and you will also feel satiated longer.

Try changing one food item each week and over time you’ll have a complete diet makeover! Here are some sample swaps for each of the macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, and fat): 

·         A 6 ounce broiled porterhouse steak has 38 grams protein and 44 grams fat (16 saturated) while 6 ounces of wild salmon has 34 grams protein and 18 grams fat (4 saturated).

·       A packet of instant cinnamon and apple oatmeal contains 160 calories, 200 mg. of sodium, 4 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, and 12 grams of sugar.  A similar sized serving of old-fashioned oats contains 150 calories, NO sodium, 4 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein and NO sugar and only takes 5 minutes on the stove top or 2 ½ - 3 minutes in the microwave.

·       A cup of whole milk contains 146 calories, 8 grams of fat (5 grams saturated), 24 mg. cholesterol, 98 mg. sodium, and 13 grams of sugar while a cup of non-fat milk contains 86 calories, no fat, 5 grams of cholesterol, 127 mg. of sodium, and 12 grams of sugar.

Try to make daily conscious decisions about the foods you prepare and eat.  A nutritional handbook or a phone app (e.g., My Fitness Pal and Fooducate) can be helpful as you attempt to make better choices.  Trendy fad diets are a poor substitute for fact based nutritional awareness.  By making small dietary changes you and your family will look better (inside and out), feel better, and perform better!