Checking Out Your Package...

Packaged foods, healthy foods...no longer mutually exclusive

From the LifeMinute Team

November 4, 2014

Attention all you serial label readers... You know who you are, blocking half the aisle with your grocery cart while you obsess over the carbs and calories on every package you pick from the supermarket shelf.

"Packaged foods get a bad rap -- and for good reason," explains Sascha de Gersdorff, Deputy Editor of Women's Health magazine, "A lot of them? Not so healthy." So the mag set out sorting through thousands and thousands of packaged foods to find some that taste good and are very healthy, too, with Eggland's Best, Babybel, StarKist, Strong & Kind and V8 being the brands behind the supermarket stars that scored high marks in the health department. We'll break it down for you...

Post-Workout Pick-Me-Ups

An egg is an egg is an egg, right? Wrong. It's something to think about before scrambling up an omelet after your morning run. So, what's in Sascha's fridge? Eggland's Best Organic Eggs. She explains, "They're packed with Vitamin D, 25% less saturated fat than other kinds, and -- very important -- no added hormones or antibiotics. So, everything you need and nothing you don't."

And proving good things do come in small packages... Babybel Gouda, little cheeses that come in cool, round, portable packages. Just unwrap a little waxed wheel for 70 calories of gouda goodness. Sascha says the packaging makes it easy to control your portion sizes while getting plenty of calcium plus 5 grams of post-workout protein.

Let's do lunch

For your next lunch-on-the-go, think tuna in a pouch. Yes, really. StarKist Chunk Light Tuna is available in Low Sodium -- and that pouch is packed with plenty of protein as well as brain-boosting, cholesterol-clearing Omega-3s. What Sascha loves best about this packaged pick is it's super convenient. "This is a tear-and-go pouch," she tells us, "So you can just pop it in your bag, take it out when you're ready, tear, stick a cracker or your fork in there... No mixing, no messy draining required."

Get your snack on

For snacks, unwrap something savory. Sascha suggests Strong & Kind almond protein bars. The fave flavor of the mag's editors? "We love [the] Thai Sweet Chili," shares Sascha, "[It] has a nice little zesty spice in there, as well as 10 grams of protein to keep you feeling fuller longer."

Drink this

When you think about popping open an energy drink, "healthy" is not often the first word that comes to mind. But Sascha says V8 V-Fusion is not your garden variety energy drink, though it does take the "garden" part seriously, packing a 50-calorie full serving of fruits and veggies with no more caffeine than you'd find in a small cup of coffee.

And for even more health-packing packages -- yes, there are more! -- check out the full list of healthy packaged foods at WomensHealthMag.com.

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