Compare what's in these 4 seemingly similar foods
Reading food labels is one of the best ways to find heart healthy choices
in the grocery store. We've compared the nutrition facts of four seemingly similar
foods to help you determine which ones you should buy — and why!
- Margarine versus butter
When it comes to heart health, the amount and type of fat we eat
can make a big difference. In fact, Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide
recommends that we include a small amount (30 to 45 mL or 2 to 3 Tbsp) of
unsaturated fat — like soft, non-hydrogenated margarines — in
our diet each day.
A healthy diet low in saturated and trans fat may reduce the risk of heart
disease. Becel margarine is low in saturated fat and has no trans fat. Butter
contains 0.2 grams of trans fat, 5 grams of saturated fat and about 20 milligrams
of cholesterol per 10 gram serving. By contrast, Becel margarine has
no cholesterol and 80% less saturated fat than butter. Plus, it tastes great!
- Fat-free yogurt versus higher fat yogurt
With zero fat, fat-free yogurt is already a heart healthy choice. Here's another
great reason for putting it on your grocery list — the vitamin D content.
The vitamin D content in yogurts can vary from 0% to 20% DV (Daily Value).
That's because, in Canada, vitamin D must be added to skim and partly skimmed
milk, but not to cream.
Fat-free yogurts are made with vitamin D fortified skim milk, so you can expect
to get a reasonable dose of vitamin D per serving. On the other hand, higher
fat yogurts are often made with cream, which explains why they typically don't
offer much — if any — vitamin D.
- Omega-3 enhanced eggs versus regular eggs
Eggs can certainly be part of a heart healthy diet, especially since a single
large egg provides less than 5 grams of fat. For an added nutritional bonus
though, try omega-3 enhanced eggs, which offer eight to ten times more omega-3
polyunsaturated fat than regular eggs. To produce these enhanced eggs, hens
are fed flax, one of the best plant sources of omega-3 polyunsaturated fat.
- Enriched versus non-enriched pasta
A serving of pasta primavera with tomato sauce is a great low fat, heart healthy
meal. Just be sure to look for pasta that has been enriched with iron, folic
acid and B vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. Imported pastas
are not enriched with these important nutrients.
The Nutrition Facts table will tell you whether your favourite pasta is enriched
or not. A quick check of the nutrition information on the package shows that
85 grams of enriched dry pasta offers 20% of your daily value (% DV) for iron and 80% DV for folate. In fact, enriched pasta
offers three times more iron, 25 times more folate and up to 11 times more
B vitamins than imported pasta!