(Eating) Tools for Success: Whole Grains

“What did you learn at school today?” As we transition into fall, parents can expect to hear their school day inquiries met with everything from early childhood answers detailing every occurrence to adolescent rebuttals of “… nothing.” While answers to this question change as children mature, parental concerns about their children’s school day persist. Among parents’ concerns is an interest in what children eat when away from home and the best ways to ensure that they receive proper nutrition. Incorporating whole grains is an essential part of doing so. School-age children, who are transitioning through vital periods of growth and development, can benefit from including whole grains into meals. According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, whole grains are an essential part of a nutritious, well-balanced diet. The grains food group helps to promote health and prevent disease through the provision of vital nutrients like fiber, which aids in digestive processes and blood sugar regulation. It’s recommended that half of all grains be whole grains. Sometimes it can be a challenge to identify whole grains, as there are a variety of grain-related words and phrases on food labels. With about 41 percent of students bringing lunch from home, parents have an opportunity to positively impact children’s diets by learning how to decipher whole grain labeling. Here are a few labeling examples and what they mean. Whole Grain A whole grain refers to an entire grain kernel, meaning that all edible elements — the germ, endosperm, and bran — are present. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that whole grain products like brown rice should not be altered or stripped of naturally occurring elements; however, FDA has not established a standard for most products made using whole grains. Any product that contains whole grains can technically be […]

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Everything You Need to Know About Aspartame

Download the Aspartame Fact Sheet for Consumers here Download the Aspartame Fact Sheet for Health Professionals here What is Aspartame? Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener that has been used for decades as a way to lower one’s intake of added sugars while still providing satisfaction from enjoying something sweet. Aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sugar, and as such only a small amount of the sweetener is needed to match the sweetness provided by sugar. In tabletop packets and prepared foods and beverages, aspartame is often blended with other sweeteners or food components to minimize bitter flavors and enhance overall taste. Aspartame consists of two amino acids—aspartic acid and phenylalanine. When ingested, aspartame is broken down into these amino acids for use in protein synthesis and metabolism. In addition to aspartic acid and phenylalanine, aspartame digestion also yields a small amount of methanol, a compound that is naturally found in foods like fruits and vegetables and their juices. The amount of methanol resulting from consuming an aspartame-sweetened beverage is about five to six times less than that resulting from the same volume of tomato juice.1 Aspartame can be used as an ingredient in beverages (such as diet sodas, light or low-sugar juices and flavored waters), dairy products (such as light yogurt and low-fat flavored milk), nutrition bars, desserts (such as sugar-free puddings and gelatins, light ice cream and popsicles), chewing gum, sauces, syrups and condiments. Aspartame is also found in several types of low-calorie tabletop sweeteners. The most common brand of aspartame tabletop sweetener in the U.S. is Equal®. Brands outside the U.S. include Canderel® (found in Europe) and Pal Sweet® (found in Asia). In addition, some prescription and over-the-counter medications and chewable vitamins may contain aspartame to increase their palatability. Aspartame is not well-suited for use in foods […]

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Everything You Need to Know About Stevia Sweeteners

Download the Stevia Fact Sheet for Consumers here Download the Stevia Face Sheet for Health Professionals here WHAT ARE STEVIA SWEETENERS? Stevia sweeteners are no-calorie sweeteners that can be used to lower one’s intake of added sugars while still providing satisfaction from enjoying the taste of something sweet. While some types of sweeteners in this category are considered low-calorie (e.g., aspartame) and others are no-calorie (e.g., stevia sweeteners, monk fruit sweeteners and sucralose), collectively they are often referred to as sugar substitutes, high-intensity sweeteners, non-nutritive sweeteners or low-calorie sweeteners. Like other no-calorie sweeteners, stevia sweeteners are intensely sweet. Stevia sweeteners range from being 200-350 times sweeter than sugar, and as such only small amounts of stevia sweeteners are needed to match the sweetness provided by sugar. Stevia sweeteners can be used by food and beverage manufacturers as an ingredient in beverages (such as diet sodas, light or low-sugar juices and flavored waters), canned fruits, condiments, dairy products (such as ice cream, flavored milk and yogurt) and other foods (such as baked goods, cereals, chocolate and other confections) and syrups. Because they are stable at high temperatures, stevia sweeteners can be used in baked goods. However, a recipe that uses stevia sweeteners in place of sugar may turn out slightly different because, in addition to sweetness, sugar plays several roles related to volume and texture in recipes but varies based on the type of recipe. Stevia sweeteners are also used in several tabletop sweeteners, such as Truvia®, Pure Via®, Stevia In The Raw®, SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener, SweetLeaf® and Enliten®, as well as other retail products sold under store-brand names. HOW ARE STEVIA SWEETENERS PRODUCED? Stevia sweeteners are derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) plant, an herbal shrub native to South America. The stevia plant has been used […]

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Are Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners Safe?

Low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) provide sweetness to foods and beverages without the added calories contained in sugar. LNCS have a long history of safe use and are some of the most studied ingredients in the history of our food supply. Yet they are also among the most scrutinized. Debate often ensues about the safety and health implications of consuming LNCS—sometimes because of valid scientific inquiry, but mostly due to incorrect or misleading information. This article addresses and helps clarify some of the conflicting information you may come across online. For more in-depth information about the safety of LNCS and how our bodies process them after consumption, check out our free one-hour webinar. Who approves the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners in the U.S.? U.S. law requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the use of food additives, including LNCS such as aspartame and sucralose, before they are authorized for use in foods and beverages. For the review of other food ingredients such as stevia and monk fruit sweeteners, the FDA uses its Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) notification program. A GRAS determination does not require pre-market approval by the FDA but does require FDA to scientifically evaluate and publicly respond to submissions made to the agency that supports an ingredient’s safety. Despite our government’s long-standing oversight authority, uncertainty remains among some Americans about how LNCS are regulated in the U.S. In the IFIC 2023 Food & Health Survey, 20% of respondents said they were unsure who was responsible for approving the use of LNCS. There are nine types of LNCS permitted by the FDA for use in foods and beverages: LNCS are also independently evaluated and carefully regulated by international authorities such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on […]

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What a Dairy Farmer Wants You to Know

Many healthy and delicious foods that come from cows, including milk, cheese and yogurt, are staples in many of our homes. While some people opt for cow’s milk alternatives, a great number of us desire cow’s milk instead. A recent consumer survey of ours found that 62 percent of Americans only buy cow’s milk as opposed to other plant-based milks such as almond or cashew. It could be for a taste preference, tradition or for the hearty nutrition profile that cow’s milk offers. It may make sense that high quality dairy products start with properly cared for cows. But what do dairy farmers do to ensure that their cows are well taken care of and that they produce the best milk possible? To learn more, we caught up with California dairy farmer Brian Fiscalini to tell us more about how he cares for cows and what consumers should know about the dairy business. Q: How long has your family been in the dairy farming business and how have you seen the business change over the years? A: The Fiscalini family has been in the dairy business for over 100 years in California. My great-grandparents dairy farmed in Cambria before relocating to Modesto in 1912. We have been dairy farming at the same location that my great-grandparents purchased over 100 years ago. My love of dairy farming has not changed, although the challenges and volatility of commodity prices have. Q: What are some key challenges you have faced while being a dairy farmer and what did you do to overcome them? A: We continue to clear up misconceptions that consumers may have about our practices and products. We use various platforms to share our story and remind consumers that the care of our cows and land help us produce safe, healthy […]

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Single-Use Plastic Packaging: A Rundown

Chances are if you’ve ever washed your hair with shampoo, cleaned laundry with detergent, or had a soft drink from a vending machine, you have encountered a single-use plastic container or bottle. Plastics have been used for years (since the 1800s) to hold various household items that we use every day, from the bathroom to the kitchen and beyond. Single-use plastic packages can be used in so many ways that it can be easy to overlook how they help hold and preserve cosmetic, food and chemical household items. While single-use plastic packages (e.g. bottles and containers) help provide food protection, there are concerns about where these plastics go after they’ve been used. Recycling rates for single-use plastic packages across the country vary due to many factors, such as recycling infrastructure (that is, the accessibility of recycling centers). Currently, 94 percent of U.S. residents living in communities with a population of more than 125,000 have recycling programs available to them. However, there are still a significant number of plastics that are not being recycled. Taking a look at the recycling rates for two of the most popular plastics used for food and beverage packages, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that 29.9 percent of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles and jars (think bottled juice or a mayo jar) are recycled. In addition, 30.3 percent of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic bottles (think milk jugs or laundry detergent bottles) are recycled. Both consumers and food and beverage companies are looking for ways to use less plastic and help increase recycling rates while continuing to provide access to the day-to-day products we depend on. Addressing single-use plastic sustainability To help address plastic use and recyclability, many companies have undertaken various practices to develop the next generation of packaging, including implementing light-weighting (reducing the […]

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Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? Six Tips To Make Your Holiday Meal Planning Easy

A few years ago, I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner, which turned into a wild scramble in my tiny apartment kitchen while I cooked a meal for seven. On top of all that, my sister-in-law was coming, and her wheat allergy made things a little trickier. Hosting a big meal for guests with food allergies can be challenging, especially when everyone is depending on you to make a safe, delicious, mistake-free meal. While I was fortunate to know which allergies to look out for in my cooking, sometimes guests show up without notice. My list of tips below can help keep your holiday dinners running smoothly, even if there’s an unexpected guest at your table. In fact, sometimes surprises give you an opportunity to get creative in the kitchen! 1. Offer allergy-free alternatives. Instead of scrapping a dish altogether, offer an allergen-free alternative dish to ensure everyone can enjoy a little of everything. For my family, stuffing is the big hit, but I knew we would need an alternative for my wheat-free sister-in-law. We don’t stuff the turkey, so there wasn’t a risk of cross-contact with the turkey, but I still wanted everyone to enjoy this iconic side dish. My solution: cornbread stuffing in addition to classic wheat bread stuffing. Here are some other ideas for adjusting popular side dishes: swap out cow’s milk for coconut milk in mashed potatoes; leave the walnuts on the side for the sweet potato casserole; and make a crust-less apple crisp instead of apple pie. 2. Keep allergen-containing foods separate. In an ideal world, we would have the space of a commercial kitchen to cook our holiday meals. My tiny city apartment was far from ideal. This meant being extra vigilant about separating food ingredients. While one of my top concerns was keeping raw […]

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Biodiversity 101

We share our planet with a multitude of other living creatures—plants, animals, insects and microorganisms. Derived from the words “biological diversity,” biodiversity is defined formally as the “variety of life on Earth at all its levels.” This diversity is essential to supporting our food system. Specifically, improving our agricultural biodiversity can help us draw on plant species and their genetic variabilities in order to feed the world sustainably while preserving our natural resources. The basics: What is biodiversity? As emphasized by Gurdev S. Khush, a former World Food Prize Laureate, biodiversity is the “basis of agriculture and our food system” and allows us to feed the human population while improving our quality of life. As such, biodiversity is important for maintaining farm ecosystems, also known as agricultural ecosystems and agroecosystems. A quick recap on ecosystems: An ecosystem is an environmental area in which “[all] organisms, as well as weather and landscapes, work together to form a bubble of life.” An ecosystem can comprise many different environments, be it a small pond, a large expanse of prairie, or a working agricultural farm. Within an agroecosystem, everything from the type of dirt to the bacteria species living in the dirt to the multitude of insects, animals and different crops atop the soil plays an important role in sustaining and maintaining a farm’s function and balance. The biodiversity of different farm ecosystems is important in maintaining the farm itself, but it also allows us to enjoy a wide variety of outputs. For example, a cattle farm’s ecosystem may include the growing of different varieties of corn (used to feed animals as well as for human consumption) and the practice of grass-grazing cattle, the byproducts of which can be used to fertilize crops and help sustain humans in the form of products like milk, […]

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