{"id":33769,"date":"2014-10-31T14:15:30","date_gmt":"2014-10-31T18:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=33769"},"modified":"2021-05-17T06:50:15","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T10:50:15","slug":"ewg-food-scores-food-calculator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/ewg-food-scores-food-calculator\/","title":{"rendered":"How Bad Is Your Food From 1 to 10? Try This Easy-to-Use Food Calculator"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Food
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By now, most health-conscious folks know that it\u2019s a good idea to take a peek at their groceries\u2019 nutrition facts before hitting the checkout line. But how much does that little label really reveal<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\u201cMany consumers focus on the food label as a way to gauge food quality. While this gives you one metric regarding nutrients, it doesn\u2019t tell you much about the wholesomeness of your food,\u201d says Bethany Doerfler, RD, LDN, and a clinical research dietician at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.<\/p>\n

Enter the new Food Scores<\/a> tool, released this week by the Environmental Working Group<\/a> (EWG). The easy-to-use food calculator gives shoppers insight into how healthy grub is, based on scores derived from nutrition content, processing and artificial ingredients. The database of over 80,000 foods, which took three years to develop, ranks each item on a scale of 1 (good) to 10 (bad).<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/b> 12 Fast Food Drinks That Aren\u2019t Worth the Calories<\/a><\/p>\n

Spend five minutes with this tool and we\u2019re sure you\u2019ll discover some disturbing facts<\/a> about items that may be lurking in your pantry. Only 18 percent of the products in the database received a score of 1 to 3.5, placing them in the \u201cgreen\u201d zone, indicating that they are healthy choices. Meanwhile, 25 percent of foods land in the \u201cred\u201d zone, receiving marks of 8 to 10. Here, we break down a few of the most interesting findings revealed by Food Scores.<\/p>\n

The Good, Bad and Ugly from EWG\u2019s New Food Calculator <\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Food
Photo: EWG.org\/foodscores<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Granola Bars and Cereal
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n

These snacks pack a nasty punch when it comes to added sugar<\/a> \u2014 the EWG found that 92 percent of granola and trail mix bars contained the sweet stuff. \u201cIn some cases sugar made up to a third of the weight of the granola bar. Think about it, it\u2019s mind-boggling,\u201d says Nneka Leiba, EWG\u2019s Deputy Director of Research. In fact, some Quaker Chewy Dipps Granola Bars<\/a> contain up to 45 percent sugar by weight. <\/p>\n

The good news: There are healthy granola bar options out there; you just have to look for them. \u201cYou can\u2019t just assume that because it\u2019s a granola bar, it will be a safe option,\u201d Leiba says. \u201cBut the good thing about database is that for every single category, regardless of how good or bad, we\u2019re always able to suggest healthier options.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 9 Healthy Homemade Protein Bar Recipes<\/a><\/p>\n

A better choice: Larabar\u2019s Banana Bread<\/a> bar, which earns a 2.8, is high in protein and contains no artificial or industrial ingredients<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When it comes to cold cereals<\/a>, the findings are just as grim. Thirty-two percent of cereals in the database contain ingredients of \u201chigh concern,\u201d due to the presence of preservatives, additives or contaminants.  Products like Kellogg\u2019s Frosted Flakes<\/a> contain 51 percent more sugar than the average cold cereal. <\/p>\n

\"Food<\/a>
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stuffing
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n

As Turkey Day approaches, you might want to plan on making homemade stuffing, and nixing boxed-up store mixes altogether. Thirty-nine percent of packaged stuffing contains ingredients of high concern, such as pesticides, food additives, antibiotics or contaminants linked to health problems. And, the EWG\u2019s research reveals that a whopping 100 percent of stuffing mixes contain added sugars.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was definitely a surprise,\u201d Leiba says. \u201cIf you think you\u2019re trying to avoid sugar<\/a>, you avoid the cookies and candy aisle, not stuffing\u2026 But in our society sugars have become ubiquitous.\u201d With their new tool, the EWG hopes it will be easier for consumers to spot items containing hidden sweeteners \u2014 and weed them out of their diet. <\/p>\n

\"Food
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Deli Meats
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n

There’s no sugar-coating this one: Up to 98 percent of deli meats<\/a> contain added sugars, according to the EWG. What\u2019s more, 52 percent of meat products also contain highly worrisome ingredients, including nitrites, a suspected carcinogen. \u201cNitrites are found in processed meats as a preservative,\u201d Leiba says. \u201cA lot of people aren\u2019t aware there are additives in food linked to cancer \u2014 why would there be? That\u2019s a question we want to know and we are asking.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Applegate\u2019s Organic Smoked Turkey<\/a> breast ranks at a respectable 3.5 due to its organic label and antibiotic-free production, Buddig\u2019s Honey Roasted Turkey<\/a> clocks in at a 9. The less-savory choice contains four ingredients of concern: sodium nitrite, sodium phosphates, natural flavors and carrageenan<\/a>.  <\/p>\n

\"Food
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just-Not-Worth-It Treats
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n

Step away from the Kellogg\u2019s Rice Krispies Treats<\/a>. Despite having only 90 calories per bar, these beloved marshmallow bites are deceptively bad for you. Each serving contains the equivalent of two whole teaspoons of added sugar, making the squares 36 percent added sugar by weight. Also found in these snacks: butylated hydroxytoluene, an ingredient that\u2019s been linked to lung cancer, thyroid problems and liver tumors in animal studies, according to the EWG. <\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>11 No-Bake Energy Bites Recipes<\/a><\/p>\n

Another surprise: Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate <\/a>Squares <\/a>with assorted fillings clock in at a 10 on the Food Scores scale. Though the packaging is fancy, and the chocolate is dark, these rich bites contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils \u2014 a source of trans fats. With 37 percent of your daily saturated fat and five teaspoons of added and natural sugars in each three-square serving, we\u2019re going to say this sweet treat might not be worth it. Compare it to Scharffen Berger Dark Chocolate<\/a>, which was ranked at a 4. <\/p>\n

Even more shockingly, it turns out not even frozen yogurt is a safe bet when it comes to sweets. Ben & Jerry\u2019s Raspberry Fudge Chunk Greek Frozen Yogurt<\/a> gets a 9. It has six teaspoons of added and natural sugars per serving, and high levels of saturated fats. A better bet: Stonyfield Oikos Organic Nonfat Greek Frozen Yogurt<\/a> in chocolate earns a slightly more respectable 4.5.<\/p>\n

Make-Over Your Plate<\/b><\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t worry, the database will never encourage you to give up<\/a> your favorite snacks entirely. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking for corn chips and the EWG says, \u2018No, have an apple,\u2019 [we know the] consumer will laugh,\u201d Leiba says. \u201cSo on every product page we have a graph to show how the product you\u2019re looking at compares to other products within the same category.\u201d<\/p>\n

That said, nutrition experts advise that eating clean<\/a> is the best way to stay healthy, in the long run.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile this tool is a great guide to eating well, consumers can eat intuitively by simply sticking to real foods<\/a>. Try to avoid as many packaged and processed foods as possible,\u201d Doerfler says. \u201cThere should be no confusion that an apple rivals corn puffs\u2026.even if [those corn puffs] are organic and minimally processed.\u201d<\/p>\n

What did the Food Scores tool reveal about your favorite goodies? Tell us in the comments section. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever wondered how bad packaged foods really are, you\u2019ll dig this new food calculator that breaks each one down on a 1 to 10 scale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":33772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,18],"tags":[51,59,251,347,397,167],"class_list":["post-33769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-weight-loss","tag-food-choices","tag-healthy-substitutions","tag-news","tag-tax1family","tag-tax2childhood-nutrition","tag-technology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}