Adding whole wheat to your cake doesn’t make it a health food, it's still cake.

            I was looking at the picture on a box of whole grain cereal bars.  The box had a fork in a road with an arrow pointing to the left labeled yesterday along with a picture of a donut.  The second arrow, pointing to the right, was labeled today and had a picture of the cereal bar along with water, a bowl of salad, an apple and a figure doing exercise.  The assumption was clear.  When you make the good decision to eat something better than a donut you will also make other better lifestyle decisions.  

           I wanted to see if eating the nutrition bar really was a better decision than eating a jelly donut.  I compared the nutrition information of the cereal bar to the nutrition information in a jelly donut.  The nutrition bar came in with half the number of calories and significantly less fat---3 grams versus 11 grams.  The nutrition bar also had 1 more gram of fiber.  Where the nutrition bar lost was in sugar.  The bar had double the amount of sugar.  The manufacturers replaced fat with sugar to give the nutrition bar taste.   

 

           I’m not for or against a jelly donut or a nutrition bar.  The problem is that by advertising that it is made with whole grain we get the impression that this bar is better for us than a jelly donut even though it has double the amount of sugar.  Put jelly donuts and nutrition bars in their proper place.  They contain enough sugar to be considered desserts.  Both are processed foods meant to be enjoyed as treats in reasonable amounts occasionally.  Taking out some fat and adding a bit of whole wheat to your cake doesn’t make it a health food, it's still cake.   

           Make the majority of your diet real foods that do no come with a label.  Cook those foods simply and dress them lightly.  Keep salt and fat in your diet for satiety and flavor.  Enjoy the foods that contain a lot of added sugar as desserts in reasonable amount occasionally.  Eat them slowly and savor every bite.  

  

Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes. 

Simple cooking idea: When setting the table, the knife is placed to the right of the plate and the blade faces the plate.

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