The SWEET truth

Looking deeper into labels of packaged foods when grocery shopping can really make or break the overall outcome when meal prepping and calculating your macros. 

Scenario: I love coconut and almond milk. The smooth texture, nutty taste and density really amps up my morning americano and is the cherry on top of a solid protein pudding. I buy two cartoons a week. I use it so frequently its the first item that shows up in my "recently added" in MyFitness Pal. Needless to say, its a staple for me.

HOWEVER. With coconut milk being the only packaged food item I buy, initially I made a huge rookie mistake when incorporating it into my diet. 

Labels y'all. They put it on the carton for a reason. Take the extra 0.3 seconds to check the label. Its the LAW to have nutritional facts on the box of packaged foods yet how many of us reaaaaallllyyyy look into it when grocery shopping. I can tell you now that I sure didn't. Here's what I discovered in switching from 'Vanilla' to 'Original' to 'Unsweetened' and how I freed up a crap ton of macros for myself to fill up with actual whole foods. 

Let's take a closer look at the caloric breakdown, carbohydrate sugar content in each of these options. (Silk Almond Milk used for example**)

Vanilla:

Original:

Unsweetened: 

As you can see, the carb and sugar count per serving changes quite drastically from vanilla to unsweetened. Personally, being on a lower carbohydrate macro plan, I make sure ALL my carbs come from whole foods to optimize the actual amount of food I consume. (I like to eat a lot...) Needless to say, I've switched completely to unsweetened nut milks and now pay close attention to any added sugars, syrups or "unnecessary" carbs. I encourage everyone to do that extra check up on labels when doing groceries especially when buying packaged foods.

Trust me on this one, its the little tedious things that will make you go the extra mile.

-Thea