I’ve never really been able to get into the overnight oats trend that the blog world is obsessed with. This combo sounds like something I’d like, though. I do love yogurt and granola! I might give it a try!

I look at the ingredients first. I know that if I am eating “Real food” then I will be full and satisfied before I need to worry about the calorie count. My husband likes to look at protein and fiber grams, though, so sometimes that’s a factor in which brand of something we choose (processed things like cereal or bread that I am just NOT going to make myself at home!)

I usually look at the ingredient list unless it’s more of a treat food. Even then, though, if the ingredient list is too long I won’t usually get it, have you ever seen the list of ingredients on a piece of cake or a brownie from a regular grocery store bakery?? In general I try to eat things that are whole foods, and recently I stopped drinking Silk Soy Milk because it has Carageenan in it, which isn’t supposed to be that great for you. WestSoy has a kind with just soybeans and filtered water in it. Anyways, I always stay away from things with partially hydrogenated oils and HFCS. Also, I’ve heard if sugar or a form of sugar is in the first three or five ingredients, it’s got too much!

The first thing I look at is the ingredients. You would be surprised at what kind of crap is hiding in our food.

I always look at the ingredient list. If I can’t pronounce it, or if it contains HFCS I don’t buy it. I also look at the calorie/fat content. Not so much the fiber/protein content, but maybe I should start paying more attention to that part!

I avoid all artificial sweeteners, HFCS, and a couple other random things. If I am comparing two options, I usually elect for the one that has more fiber/lower sugar.

I just wrote out the things I check on nutrition labels, then erased it because I realized it’s pretty much everything BUT sugar. Woops.

Have you tried making your own granola? You can make a lot and it lasts a long time. Plus you’ll know exactly what’s in it.

I watch for the biggies HFCS/trans fats etc and then look for something that has the fewest ingredients possible, the most whole food ingredients etc. When I can’t pronounce half the ingredients I just don’t buy it. And when sugar is one of the first things I don’t buy it either.

…oh yes and wanted to add after reading about pumpkin/yogurt here I’m finally having it for my snack for the first time today. I mixed plain yogurt, pumpkin, nutmeg, toasted almond seeds and ground flax…hope it’s good!

That looks delicious! I look for what kinds of sugars and how many different kinds of sugar there are. I also try to stay away from anything “hydrogenated” 😉

I simply look at the ingredient list. I like to be aware of added stuff. I usually look at grams of sugar too. Seeing lots of sugar never deters me from a purchase though!

Yum yum.. overnight oats are the bomb. And SO filling from the protein in the Greek yogurt!!

Such a pretty day! I wish I lived in FL when I see days like that on your blog… i’d KILL for some sundress weather right now.

I look at calories, sat and trans fat, fiber, and protein. And hfcs (HARD to avoid).

I look at the ingredients, then protein and sugar grams usually. But depending on the product, those things really don’t matter…like if I’m buying yogurt or veggie burgers I prefer that there be a sufficient amount of protein and very little sugar, but when it comes to crackers or cereal, I don’t worry so much about protein because I know I’ll be pairing it with something else.

aw sweet puppy is so cute!
good luck on the workout and the articles!

Granola is so sneaky 😉 You could make your own to control the amount of sugar. It depends what kind of food I’m looking at, but in general I check fiber first, then look at the ingredient list for scary imposters and things like trans fats, etc.

Don’t forget that March 14th is Daylight Savings! Don’t want you to be late for your race 🙂 I always look at the sugar, protein and fiber on the nutrition facts, and I also check for HFCS and partially hydrogentated oils.

HFC is one of those ingredients that have become a negative buzz word and unfairly so. HFC is no worse for you than other types of sugars. It’s simply sugar. Avoiding sugar in general or high doses of sugar is probably what shoppers should be looking for instead. I think Jenna has a pretty good explanation about this in her FAQs section.

i actually always look at the calories/fat/fiber/sugar first, then make sure i can pronounce and know what each ingredient is. if i don’t know how to say something, i’ll likely not buy it!

I always make sure that I can pronounce the ingredients and it doesn’t sound like a chemistry experiment. Anything that sounds like it can’t grow naturally from the ground turns me off from a product. I also look at sugar and protein content– I never knew until recently how much sugar goes into some “healthy” cereals! Sodium is also a deciding factor, too. I can’t believe it when a soup packs in 80 percent of your daily sodium intake.

As for great tasting granola with less sugar, I suggest you try Bear Naked Fit Granola. It only has 4g of sugar and no unpronounceable ingredients.

I always look for sugar substitutes and try to avoid them. Unfortunately, my favorite English muffins have sucralose in them. Thankfully it’s the second to last ingredient so I don’t mind quite as much.

I look for HFCS and meat products (as I recently became pescetarian…maybe one day I’ll give up fish, but I’m not sure yet). I also look for added sugars (besides HFCS) if the product shouldn’t technically have added sugars. I also check calories, sodium and fat (for trans fat) to make sure it’s not terrible.

I always read the ingredient list to make sure nothing sneaky/artificial is in there. It is hard to eat “real” food all the time but I really try my best!

I usually try and avoid the typical “nasties”: HFCS and trans fat, extra sugar and salt…that sort of thing.
But this month, I challenged myself on the blog to stick to whole foods and natural ingredients…eliminating the preservatives and chemicals and unknowns.
It is a little tougher than you might think…but a good thing to think about when you’re shoveling the food in :)! So I was excited to see your post today!

I look first at the ingredients list to see how many items I don’t recognize. I don’t like to buy food with ingredients that I don’t even know what they are.

Then I look for ingredients that I know my body can’t tolerate, like anything with any forms of “whey”, “whey protein”, or “whey protein isolate” as I don’t enjoy gastrointestinal distress!

And then I look at the calories per serving size. I determine if the serving size is ridiculous and if the calories are worth it to me.

I grocery shop alone and it is because I drive everyone nuts with how long I take. I swear I read ever label.. it is actually fun for me?

I first check the ingredient list to see if there is hydrogenated oils or hfcs. Then I see if there is added sugar and how far down it is on the list. Then I check nutrition facts for serving size, sugar, protein, and saturated fat.

I am quite thorough…I don’t like being tricked by companies.

But on another note.. I see overnight oats being made all the time.. but I don’t get how it compares to granola for you. Do the oats get crispy overnight? I am intrigued!

I check out the serving size and consider the calories. Then I look at protein and fiber. And no sugar alcohols..they are evil.

You should try making your own granola?? That would be healthier! 🙂

I always look at the ingredients list – making sure there are no fake sweeteners, weird preservatives, or things I don’t understand! I also look at sodium if it’s soup or something like that.

That picture of James is adorable. He is such a cute puppy and looks like he’s living the life with the warm sun on his face!
I try to do a once over- ingredients, calories, fat, sugar, fiber, sat fat, sodium, vitamins, etc.

Oh man, I used to analyze nutrition facts obsessively. I looked at everything, from calories to fat to sugar to protein to sodium. These days, I’m more interested to see that there are simple ingredients. I try to avoid long lists, with lots of artificial crap. I don’t really care too much about calories or fat or sugar. I just don’t have brain space to obsess over that stuff anymore. Ha. I know I eat healthy and I feel good, so I go with that 🙂

Your overnight oats look delicious! I have yet to try to make them…..This recipe makes me want to try.
I got a laugh over your avoidance of the nutritional facts because I tend to avoid certain ones too. Don’t need the reality check!
When I look, i tend to look for anything fake like trans fats, splenda, high fructose corn syrup…….
Have a great day!

I look at the whole label…ingredients first to make sure the product is vegan, then all of the nutrient values in relation to what a serving size is….if it has HFCS it goes back on the shelf…I also look at sodium. I’ve stopped buying a lot of canned or processed foods. My husband loves processed foods but is now looking at how much sodium is in the foods he likes. I find I can make it healthier and tastier on my own. That goes for granola too. I make my own every couple weeks and use it as just regular cereal with almond milk or put it in my yogurt and even on top of my smoothies.

I love granola and yogurt – and granola is so easy to make!

I usually check protein content first, then fiber content. HFCS is also a no-no for me.

James is so cute! I also look at serving size, calories, saturated fat, sodium, and fiber. And then in the ingredients I look for HFCS and MSG, along with any other 18-syllable words 🙂

Caitlin,

Do you find that adding pumpkin to your meals in the morning help satisfy your hunger throughout the morning? I am asking because I used to add pumpkin to everything and it seemed to help-especially when I start work at 6:30a and my lunch isn’t until 11:30 or noon.

~Kristi

As I said above, I try to avoid HFCS because of GMOs, but products made from GMOs (including simple-seeming items like fruit and veggies) do NOT have to be labeled … this bugs me and grosses me out. I was looking around online, and if what I found can be believed, even though produce with GMOs aren’t obviously labeled, we can still tell the difference.

“So using this numbering system, a conventionally grown banana would be 4011, an organic banana would be 94011, and a genetically engineered banana would be 84011.” Source:
http://missourifamilies.org/features/nutritionarticles/nut76.htm

Hi Caitlin – I’m sorry if this was mentioned before but why can’t you make your own granola? It’s super easy and takes really great. I usually start with oats, honey or maple syrup, and canola oil and then add in any type of dried fruit or nuts and cook it for a while in the oven on a low temp. like 200-250. Kath also has really great granola recipes.

I love those overnight oatmeal/yogurt combinations – they keep me full for hours!!

that pictures of James to soo cute, love the squinty eyes =)

I check for calories, sugar, fat, and sodium. I read the ingredient list and make sure it is as short as possible with whole/ natural foods.

I’m buying very little processes foods now. When I do I look at the sodium and sugar and calorie/serving facts. If those don’t look too bad then I look at the ingredient list.

Following you it seems you eat very well so if your “one” bad thing is granola I don’t think it’s too bad if you continue with it.

Caitlin, I loved your idea of the canned pumpkin, but when I went to the store in pursuit all I could find was pumpkin pie filling (and that was the 3rd store I tried!). The sugar content in this stuff is super high (I think it was 17g a serving). Is this what you use? If not, where do you stock up and what brand? Thanks!