Know Thy Label
processed food labels can be deceiving
Although we treat nutrition labels as fact, in the U.S. a nutrition label must be off by more than 20 percent to be in violation of federal law. This means that an item labeled 100 calories can legally contain anywhere between 80 and 120 calories. So when eating packaged foods, consider the label to be giving only rough figures.
The text we read on food packaging and labels can be misleading, as well. For example "no added sugar". It's going to catch your eye and make you think the product is sugar free. In fact, "sugar free" can only appear on products containing less than 0.5 grams of sugars per serving. But "no added sugar" frequently appears on products naturally high in sugars -- and calories.
Claims such as "fat-free" and "0 grams trans fats" can also be misleading. Just as we saw that products labeled "sugar free" can actually contain sugar, the same is true for fats. The only way to be sure of what a product contains is to read the list of ingredients. And remember that the ingredients are listed in order by weight, from most to least.
Statements such as "90% fat free" seem to be designed to deceive. Logically, you would think that out of 100 calories of such a product, only 10 of them would come from fat. But the trick is that the statement is based on weight, not calories. If a "90% fat free" food weighs 100 grams, 10 grams or 90 calories (1 gram of fat equals 9 calories) will come from fat.
Because package labeling can be so misleading, you need to learn to look at the nutrition facts label and list of ingredients to be sure of what you are getting. It's worth a few extra minutes to guard your health, and your waistline.
To help you reach your healthy lifestyle goals please feel free to use the following discount code/coupon when ordering and we will give you an instant 10% off of your next order. Please enter the following code when ordering: STEVIVA10. Go to http://www.steviva.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.pl and enter discount code STEVIVA10 when checking out.
Have an excellent day.
Thom King
President
thom.king@steviva.com
Steviva Brands, Inc.
YOUR RECIPE
Super Pumpkin Blueberry Coconut Muffins
Serves: 12
Carbs Per Serving: 5.5 g
Prep Time:<45 minutes
Skill Level: easy
Pumpkin is actually very good for you. Not only is pumpkin loaded with vitamin A and antioxidant carotenoids, particularly alpha and beta-carotenes, it’s a good source of vitamins C, K, and E, and lots of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and iron. Half a cup of pumpkin has 6.5 grams of effective carbohydrate and 3.5 grams of fiber making it very low on the glycemic index. This recipe uses pumpkin and blueberries which are also very high in anti-oxidants. Eat well... Live well.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almond flour (available at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or whole grain flour)
3/4 cup pureed pumpkin or squash (canned or frozen works fine) I've used both
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 large eggs
1/4 cup honey or 1/4 cup of Fructevia, Steviva Brand Stevia Blend (Option: 1/16th teaspoon Steviva Brand Stevia Powder )
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (if you don't have this, I sub 1 tsp cinnamon plus enough ground ginger, cloves, and nutmeg to equal 1/2 tsp)
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/2 cup or 3/4 cup frozen or raw blueberries. I use the organic frozen variety.
1/2 cup shredded,unsweetened coconut, plus some extra
Note: If you decide to use frozen squash the batter may turn out slightly runny. Just add some more almond flour if you feel like it needs it.
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Save the blueberries until the end.
Pour into muffin cups.
Top each muffin with some extra coconut
Bake at 350F for 30-35 min.
Nutritional Facts
Total Calories: 1225
Calories Per Serving: 102 (1 muffin)
Total Fat: 9.4g
Saturated Fat: 1.2g
Cholesterol: 42mg
Sodium: 93mg
Total Carbohydrates: 66g
Carbohydrates Per Serving: 5.5g
Dietary Fiber: 2.9g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 5g
Try All Natural Fructevia, Steviva Brand Stevia Blend and Steviva Brand Stevia Powder