BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON – In these tough economic times, the family food budget is under closer scrutiny than ever. Add to that the time parents are spending working, or taking on extra shifts to make ends meet, and home-cooked family meals are becoming endangered species. March is nutrition month, so it’s a great time to take a closer look at how families can balance time, budget, and nutrition.
For many families, packaged foods are the answer. But how can they know which packaged foods are best? Nutrition labels help, but don’t tell the whole story. And since not all packages base nutrition information on the same serving size, comparing labels while shopping can be next to impossible.
To simplify the task, HealthCastle.com (http://www.HealthCastle.com), the largest nutrition site run by registered dietitians, is launching Go UnDiet: Packaged Food Review, the first ever online tool to compare, rate, and review packaged food, so that users can easily see which packaged foods make the most sense for their families.
“The Packaged Food Review provides all the information families need in a consistent, easy-to-understand format,” said Gloria Tsang, RD, founder of HealthCastle.com. “It’s a way of helping families eat healthy in a realistic way.”
Go UnDiet: Packaged Food Review provides the key information traditionally found on food labels, but adds extra details like whole grain and high fructose corn syrup content, and identifies whether the product contains artificial sweeteners. Each product review features an “RD’s take” summary to help interpret the nutrition facts.
Users can also sort products by the amount of fat, calories, sugar, fiber, carbs, and more. Based on what’s most important for your family, you can choose the item that appears at the top of the list. Or, if trying to choose between two products, compare them head-to-head.
“We hope families will use the tool to make their packaged food choices before they go shopping,” Tsang said. “That way they’ll come home with healthy packaged foods, rather than just grabbing whatever was sitting at the end of the aisle.”
