Ice Cream and Labels

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I had a great breakfast conversation with a friend yesterday, as we caught up on family and life and eventually about power pantry choices. Our dialog strayed into the basics of what to purge from our pantries and fridges, and what are great replacement foods (whole, unprocessed, nutritionally-dense foods).

I was reminded, as we talked through making these improvements in our eating choices, how important it is to read package labels. A great power pantry has the least processed, most nutritionally dense food that you can find, while also respecting preference and budgets and convenience. That means there will certainly be some easy-to-eat convenience foods, and some comfort foods, but the majority will be whole foods which are nutritionally-dense and good for us. And we'll know what we're eating by being uber-choosy and scouring the labels on anything that is packaged or prepared.

That got me thinking about an ice cream switch we made a few weeks ago. We had been on a frozen yogurt kick for a few years. Being from Lancaster County, we buy Turkey Hill products -- it's good and supports local jobs. Several weeks ago, I re-read the ingredients on the Vanilla Frozen Yogurt and realized it has this laundry list of 15 ingredients, including carrageenan, maltodextrin, mono- & di-glycerides, etc. Uhg... I know I had read that list in the past, but I guess the fact that it was yogurt was more compelling at the time and we would buy it anyway.

Then I looked at Turkey Hill's All-Natural Vanilla Ice Cream. Wow... five ingredients. It's literally ice cream like you used to make in the crank-handled churn (if you ever did that as a kid). We didn't need maltodextrin and carrageenan to make great ice cream. Just a few fresh ingredients: cream, non-fat milk, sugar, vanilla, and vanilla bean. Yummm...

So now the Mullers are on the Turkey Hill All-Natural Ice Cream band wagon. That's the way our treats should be. There's nothing wrong with comfort foods as part of our power pantry. What is often the problem is that we end up with a wolf in sheep's clothing (something that looks 'healthy' like frozen yogurt, which actually has some really unhealthy ingredients).

Today would be a great day to question what's in your pantry. Take a look at the labels. Be discerning. Are the ingredients natural? Nutritious? Even if you think you're a 'seasoned' label-reader and aware of nutritious choices, I'll bet you too can find something that needs a healthier substitute.

By the Way

A great compliment to a comfort food treat, like ice cream, is a simple addition like frozen berries. We keep a stock of frozen berries in the freezer (strawberries, blueberries and red raspberries are the most affordable; blackberries are great as well). That way you're getting some power-packed anti-oxidants in the berries with your treat. You may even want a drizzle of raw honey on top. Mmmmmm....