Some members are wondering if there is a way to simplify their shopping list. Our recipes are submitted by staff and members, so each of us has their favorite ingredients or take on a recipe. Some of us use non-fat milk, some use 4% cottage cheese and some use specific brand name products. Once you understand the way the 40-30-30 ratio works, you can begin to simplify your shopping list and make minor adjustments. If you are seeing 4 or 5 different milks listed, you can safely buy one kind, like 1% or 2%, and when the recipe calls for 1% or regular milk, you can add a nut or two or a little healthy oil. If your shopping list has several different ground beef percentages, say 95% lean, 85/15%, you can make adjustments and buy one kind of ground beef, being sure to make those adjustments by omitting or adding a small amount of other fats in the recipe.

It takes a bit of knowledge and know how, but as you become familiar with how 40-30-30 works, and become tuned in to your body, you will see how easy it is to stay balanced.

Another way to simplify your shopping list is to create those first menus with fewer choices. If you typically eat the same breakfast every day, that will cut down on the number of different items you need to buy. If you find a favorite dinner recipe, double up during the week. If you have the computer automatically generate your menu, you can use the filters provided to make selections.

And remember, we are always available to help you navigate through the website, or to answer your questions through Support, or you can always email me directly at fznutritionist@formulazone.com

We have recently asked if we had a category for Paleo-Zone recipes, so I did some research. Paleo is short for Paleolithic which means the Hunter-Gatherer era, or basically before the advent of agriculture. If we look at the foods which the hunter-gatherers ate we would find on that list, lean game which grazed, fish and shellfish, roots, leaves of plants, nuts, berries, fruits and vegetables, and insects, and the drink of choice was water. There are still indigenous hunter-gather people living today, who are remarkably free from Western diet diseases.

The NO list for eating Paleo is starchy tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes, grains of any kind, peanuts or cashews, legumes, processed foods, sugars, (the only kind of sweetener allowed for strict Paleo eaters is raw honey), sodas, dairy products, salt, oils made from grains or legumes.

Meats should come from grass fed animals, fish should be wild caught, and nuts should be raw.

Working the Paleo diet into the 40-30-30 parameters is quite do-able. As we add recipes to the database, look for Paleo in the title.

Additives are BIG news these days. Naturalists say “if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it”, “the longer the ingredient list, the more processed it is”, “if your grandmother doesn’t recognize it, don’t buy and eat it”.

With today’s lifestyle, sometimes that’s easier said than done. Are some additives safe? Should some be avoided at all costs? Are there “hidden” additives? This article will help sort all this confusion to help you make some intelligent choices.

In Deanna M. Minich, Ph.D., C.N.’s book An A-Z Guide to Food Additives, she rates additives from A+ (safe to eat and may be nutritious) to F (do not eat foods with these additives).

She lists the top 12 foods to avoid in an ideal world:
1. Salt
2. Sugar
3. Trans fats
4. Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
5. Artificial anything
6. Nitrates and Nitrites
7. Sulfites
8. BHT/BHA
9. Fat substitutes
10. Potassium Bromate
11. Gluten
12. White flour

Although some additives got ratings of A+, certain individuals may be sensitive to them, and should include them in their diet with caution.

Additives that got an A+ rating include: Agar, Alginate, Astaxanthin, Beta-carotene, Calcium gluconate, Canthaxanthin, Carrot oil, Casein, Chlorophyll, Ferric citrate, Ferrous fumerate, Ferrous gluconate, Ferric phosphate, Ferric pyrophosphate, Fibersol-2, Folic acid, Gums (acacia, arabic, furcellaran, karaya, locust bean, tragacanth, xanthan), Inulin, Lecithin, Lutein, Lycopene, Magnesium, Phytosterols/phytostanols, Potassium iodide, Turmeric, Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and Zinc.

Additives that got an F rating include: Acesulfame=potassium(Asulfame K, Ace K, Sunett, Sweet One, potassium 6-methyl-2, 2-dioxo-oxanthiazin-4-olate), Artificial colorings (FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Blue No. 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C ellow No. 6, Orange B, Citrus Red No. 2), Aspartame (NutraSweet, Tropicana Slim, Equal, Canderel, aspartyl-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester), Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), Cottonseed oil, Diacetyl, Gluten (due to the high number of individuals with gluten intolerence, it may be best to avoid this additive), Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (contains 10-30% MSG), Isoamyl acetate, Monosodium glutamate (MSG), Neotame, Olestra, Partially hydrogenated oil, Potassium bromate, Propyl gallate (propyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate)Saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low), Salatrim (Benefat), Sodium nitrate, Sodium nitrite, Sodium silicoaluminate, and Sucralose (Splenda).

In her book, Deanna Minich put a white sourdough bread to the test. The ingredient label read as follows:

Enriched White Flour(malted Barley Flour, Potassium Bromate, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine, Riboflavin), White Sugar, Soybean Oil (Citric Acid), Whey Solids, less than 1% Calcium Steaeoyl Lactylate, Corn Syrup Solids, Soy Protein Isolate, Partially Hydrogenate Oils (Palm Kernel, Soybean & Cotton Seed), Di-glycerides, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bisulfite, BHT, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Dipotassium Phosphate, Artifiial Flavor, Yeast, Salt, Water.

See those bold ingredients in the list?  Those are the 10 ingredients which should be avoided.

Living a healthy lifestyle begins with being aware of what you are eating. To learn more about additives, read An A to Z Guide to Food Additives, by Deana M. Minich, Ph.d., C.N.