Americans love protein. We not only love whole food sources of protein, such as steak and cheese, we love protein bars and protein shakes and even add protein powders to our drinks. Protein bars, such as the Protein 10 Baked Bars shown below, are an easy to grab snack that will satisfy hunger, a sugar craving and boost protein intake. With 10 grams of protein on the front of the label, this bar appeals to nutritionally minded individuals, as well as athletes. But, is this the best choice? Let's take a look:

Whole grain rolled oats, INVERT SUGAR, soy protein isolate, peanuts, FRUCTOSE, whey protein isolate, BROWN SUGAR, oat flour, semisweet chocolate chips (SUGAR, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), glycerin, HONEY, TAPIOCA SYRUP, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, SUGAR, soy lecithin, rice starch, palm oil, canola oil, palm kernel oil, natural flavor, MALTED BARLEY EXTRACT, salt, xanthan gum, sodium bicarbonate, cocoa (processed with alkali), nonfat dry milk, tocopherols, corn starch, modified corn starch, cellulose gum, almonds, cashews, vegetable oil (peanut, cottonseed, hydrogenated soybean and/or sunflower seed).

Although each bar contains 10 grams of protein per serving, each bar also contains:

• Seven different types of sugar
• Two processed protein additives
• Six types of oil and lipid based food additives
• Three quick digesting starches
• Four additional food additives

By eating this bar, we might be getting 10 grams of protein, but we get even more sugar - 13 grams per serving. Sugar is shown in all caps in the ingredient list above because with 43 ingredients, it's difficult to identify the seven different types of sugar found in this bar.

On average, women need 46 grams of protein a day and men need 56 grams of protein a day. The amount of protein needed per day varies from individual to individual and is a controversial topic. Vegetarians, pregnant women and athletes need more protein. To read more, visit our Protein Recommendations page.

To meet protein needs, choose whole food sources rather than a processed snack bar. Protein amounts in some common whole foods are shown below.

Protein 10 Baked Bars are classic nutritional doublethink. The use of baked and protein on the front of the package implies the product is healthy, yet we know a chocolate peanut butter bar is more like a cookie than a health food. It's easy to be drawn to the amount of protein in the bar. This is called the single nutrient effect. The single nutrient effect creates a focus on one nutrient we think we need and allows us to ignore every other ingredient in a product, even if we know the other ingredients may be unhealthy.

To avoid falling for the single nutrient effect, always check the ingredient list when shopping. If you don't recognize the ingredients or there are more than 5 ingredients, put it back on the shelf.

Evaporated cane juice sounds like a healthy ingredient. Evaporated implies unprocessed, cane seems to be natural and many consumers associate juice with health. But, evaporated cane juice is a euphemism for sugar. Evaporated cane juice, cane juice, organic cane juice and organic evaporated cane juice are all terms used to hide the addition of sugar in processed foods.

The FDA issued a new guidance this month suggesting that manufacturers use the common names for sugar ingredients and avoid misleading terms, such as evaporated cane juice. Juice, as defined by the FDA, is “the aqueous liquid expressed or extracted from one or more fruits or vegetables" (1).  Although sugar cane is a plant and may be classified as a vegetable in a broader sense, the FDA does not consider it a vegetable. Sugar, as defined by the FDA, is sucrose obtained from sugar cane or sugar beets.

To create evaporated cane juice, sugar cane is crushed, the fluid extracted and then clarified. Water is evaporated and the remaining solids are filtered, crystallized and placed in a centrifuge to separate out the molasses. Although the process may vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer, the result is 99% to 99.8% sucrose.

The diagram to the right shows the three types of double sugars, sucrose, maltose and lactose. Table sugar is sucrose, malt sugar is maltose and milk sugar is lactose. Evaporated cane juice may vary slightly from table sugar in physical appearance, but it is nearly chemically identical to table sugar.

The new document is a guidance for the industry, not a requirement. We will likely continue to see evaporated cane juice in ingredient lists. The key is to recognize this ingredient as added sugar.

It’s easy get overwhelmed when looking for yogurt at the grocery store. Dozens of brands line the shelves in the refrigerated section. We can choose from light, whipped or creamy styles. We have options for whole, low-fat and nonfat varieties. Flavors include strawberry, blueberry, apple-cinnamon and lemon custard. We can enjoy authentic Greek nonfat yogurt with dark chocolate chunks, coffee bean bliss or salted caramel crunch. The number of choices for yogurt is mind blowing. In Marion Nestle’s book, What To Eat, she describes finding 400 different varieties of yogurt in one medium-sized Supermarket in New York  (1).

Yogurt is a food produced by the fermentation of milk. The beneficial bacteria in yogurt make it a probiotic and the live microorganisms contained in yogurt can benefit our health (2, 3, 4). Yogurt is high in calcium, iodine, phosphorus, vitamin B12 and riboflavin and is a good source of zinc, potassium and protein (5, 6). These features create a yogurt health halo. 

Traditional plain yogurt is thick and has a sour taste which is why many of us prefer added fruit and flavors. With these additions, yogurt has gradually morphed from a health food into a dessert. It’s difficult to find plain yogurt among the cleverly packaged, colorful cups of sugar infused, creatively flavored concoctions marketed as yogurt.

Yogurt has amazingly maintained its healthy status, despite what has been added. It’s easier to find yogurt with Oreo cookies, M&Ms and Whoopers than yogurt without anything added. Most of us know that the addition of M&Ms to yogurt makes it more like a snack food than a health food. Yet, few of us would equate a breakfast of  strawberry yogurt & granola to ice cream & cookies. Strawberry yogurt with granola may have fewer calories and fat than most brands of ice cream, but it's likely to have as much added sugar and more food additives.

Let's take a look at Chocolate Haze Craze yogurt shown below. What about this product tells us it's healthy? It contains calcium, it’s an excellent source of protein, it is low-fat and wears the yogurt health halo. If we look at the ingredients we see low-fat yogurt as the first ingredient. But, the second ingredient is evaporated cane juice. Evaporated cane juice is code for sugar. The next two ingredients are water and hazelnuts and the 5th ingredient is sugar, followed by chocolate liquor and cocoa butter. The remaining nine ingredients are mostly food additives.

Let’s compare our chocolate yogurt with Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy® ice cream.

Chocolate yogurt ingredients
Low-fat yogurt (nonfat milk, cream and live and active cultures) evaporated cane juice, water, hazelnuts, sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, milk, cocoa powder, natural flavor, pectin, locust bean gum, guar gum, organic soy lecithin, salt, vanilla.

Chocolate ice cream ingredients
Cream, liquid sugar, skim milk, water, cocoa, wheat flour, sugar, soybean oil, egg yolks, chocolate liquor, brown sugar, cocoa, honey, guar gum, vanilla extract, natural flavors, salt, sodium bicarbonate, cocoa butter, carrageenan, soy lecithin (7).

Let's start with the differences between these two products. The data for the comparison is from the USDA Nutrient Database (8) and the serving size used for yogurt is 150 grams, similar to the 6 ounce serving at the grocery store. The serving of ice cream used is 100 grams, which is like an extra large scoop. Although these are the serving sizes used, it's important to keep in mind that this makes the comparison between the two somewhat unbalanced.

The first ingredient in the yogurt is low-fat yogurt and it has live and active cultures. The ice cream does not. There is less fat in the yogurt. The yogurt has 10 grams per serving, while the ice cream has 14 grams per serving. There is less saturated fat in the yogurt as well. There are 12 grams of protein in the yogurt, but only 5 grams in the ice cream. Although the ice cream actually has double the amount of fiber than the yogurt, it's only 2 grams compared with the yogurt's 1 gram. The yogurt comes in a small container that makes it easy to stop eating. The larger container of Ben & Jerry's makes it easy to eat more than a single serving.

The second ingredient in both the ice cream and the yogurt is sugar. Remember, evaporated cane juice is sugar. If we look through the ingredients, we can find 13 similar ingredients. The similar ingredients are highlighted in red, the cane juice, which is sugar, is highlighted in blue. Sugar, cream, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, natural flavor, guar gum, soy lecithin, salt and vanilla are all in both products. What is one of the most striking similarities is the amount of sugar.

Keep in mind the standardized serving sizes for yogurt and ice cream are different, 150 to 100 grams respectively, but this is a striking similarity. Both have naturally occurring sugar, lactose in the milk and cream, so it’s difficult to know exactly how much added sugar is in each product.

Although yogurt may have edged out ice cream in regards to health in the comparison above, the two are similar in many respects. Their core ingredients are the same, they have similar amounts of sugar and the same types of food additives. Most yogurts on the market are closer to dessert foods than health foods.  Most yogurts have no real fruit, only fruit flavors. Some yogurts have real fruit, but they will generally have more sugar than fruit (1).

There are about 6 grams of naturally occurring sugar in a 6 ounce container of yogurt. The remaining sugar is added. If the yogurt has been heat-treated, the microorganisms in the yogurt will not survive and will have no health benefit. These brands should carry the label “heat-treated after culturing”, as determined by the FDA (9).

When you choose yogurt, look for plain yogurt without added sugars, artificial sweeteners or flavors. Look for brands with "live and active cultures". Add whole, fresh fruit, nuts or seeds to plain yogurt and enjoy a delicious treat while obtaining all the health benefits. If you want to eat ice cream ... eat ice cream. Treat it like a dessert, eat it occasionally and enjoy it!

It’s common to see eggs and chicken breasts advertised as 100% vegetarian-fed. At first glance, this might seem like a healthy choice. It’s easy to assume that meat and eggs from vegetarian-fed chickens are more nutritious than conventionally raised chickens.

There is one problem, chickens are not vegetarians. Chickens do not naturally seek out a 100% animal free, vegan diet. Chickens are omnivores; they are scavengers. Chickens eat a variety of insects including grasshoppers, pill bugs, spiders and even fly larvae (1). In contrast, corn is the most commonly used grain and soybean meal is the main protein in conventional chicken feed (2, 3). In addition, almost all soybean and corn in conventional chicken feed is genetically modified (4).

Consumers looking to avoid genetically modified foods may choose organic foods. To meet USDA organic livestock requirements, chickens must be fed 100% certified organic feed and managed without animal by-products (5). Many consumers consider this a reasonable requirement. But, without the ability to use animal byproducts (e.g.: meat-meal), grains and soy have become the mainstay of poultry feed for industrial organic farmers. A diet high in cereal grains is typically low in methionine, an essential amino acid. Methionine deficiency can retard growth, reduce egg production, result in poor feather growth and increase feather pecking (3). To help meet methionine requirements, synthetic methionine is fed to chickens. Yes, organic chickens can be fed “synthetic substances” as defined by the USDA (6).

In 2005, Mother Earth News published the results of a survey evaluating the nutrient content of eggs from pasture raised chickens and compared them to data in the USDA nutrient database for eggs from conventionally raised chickens. They found half as much cholesterol, twice as much vitamin E, four times more omega-3 fatty acids and up to six times more vitamin A in the eggs from the pasture raised chickens (7). Another survey published in Mother Earth News in 2007 found similar results (8).

Critics of these surveys point out that the results were not published in peer-reviewed journals and subsequent studies have both supported and contradicted the claims about cholesterol and vitamin content in free range eggs (9, 10). It’s important to keep in mind that the 2015 Dietary Guidelines have eliminated cholesterol intake limits due to the lack of evidence demonstrating a significant relationship between cholesterol in the diet, cholesterol in the blood and heart disease (11, 12, 13).

Despite the conflicting evidence, consumers have demanded meat and eggs from chicken raised in a more natural setting (14). Products with claims such as “cage free”, “free roaming” and “free range” are commonly found on egg cartons.

• Cage free means hens are allowed to roam in a room or open area (15, 16), but does not mean hens have access to the outdoors.
• Free range and free roaming give the impression chickens are roaming the hillside, foraging for insects in the grass. But, free range and free roaming, as defined by the USDA, mean chickens must be allowed access to the outdoors (17), but do not mean chickens actually go outside.
  

Although the organic label and the 100% vegetarian-fed statement may imply health, there is no evidence to support that the eggs are healthier. Cage free, free range and free roaming statements do not guarantee chickens roam outside and eat a natural, omnivorous diet. Pastured poultry, as defined by the HFAC’s Certified Humane® requirement, refers to chickens raised outdoors on a pasture (18). Eggs from pastured hens may have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids (a healthy fat), greater vitamin E content and more beta-carotene (7, 8, 9, 10).