How often do you eat foods with sugar/salt/fat? (ingredients, frozen)

[Mikala43]

Originally Posted by Suburban_Guy

I'm just amazed at how much sodium so many foods contain, even 'healthy' foods such as cereals, oatmeal, etc. It all adds up.

A sprinkle of salt, a fraction of the amount manufacturers put in their foods, is more than enough for my taste buds. Same with sugar.

My SIL and I were discussing the amount of sugar in ketchup yesterday, she made a claim on the amount, and I "no, that can't be true!". OMG, 25% of the bottle is sugar. I don't eat a lot of ketchup, but I am offended anyway.... and may have to either find a convenient alternative, or start making my own.

[TabulaRasa]

Ketchup has a crazy amount of sugar in it. It's why my toddler wants it as a dip for every conceivable thing. Small kids' taste receptors are highly skewed toward sweet tastes (goes back to breastmilk), and that broadens as they grow and develop.

I find ketchup largely disgusting due to its sweetness. I also make my own marinara because of the added sugar in most commercially prepared tomato sauces. It kills me how many delicious tomato products have sugar heaped into them. Some people hold that it's necessary to balance the acidity...I don't necessarily agree, but will make a concession for it...that said, you don't need as much as is typically commercially added.

[Mikala43]

Yeah, I can't eat pre-made marinara or other sauces. I make my own or pass. I do add sugar, but a small amount.

[Robinwomb]

My fat intake tends to be a little lower than many, but not too terribly low. I very rarely consume/use butter, and don't use a ton of oil, but I do eat nuts/seeds or nut/seed butter, avocado, olives, a few eggs each week, a few servings of fatty fish (otherwise vegetarian). I don't eat much dairy except nonfat plain Greek yogurt, but about once per week I have some kind of cheese (feta, hard chedder, parmesan etc). I do use a little organic mayo (Sir Kensingtons) here and there but not daily. I do not eat meat other than the little bit of fish. I am one who piles on weight with higher fat intake, and in fact increased fat intake to purposefully gain weight some time ago. But I have also been on the extreme low end of fat intake (did periods of raw vegan fruit based with leafy greens) and didn't find that too healthy for me as I dropped too much weight and was losing hair.

I don't eat junk food, soda pop etc, however, I do use canned tomatoes and beans which are loaded with salt. My sodium was actually rock bottom normal at one point with electrolyte blood work, and I was encouraged to consume a little more salt because I was exercising a lot and getting a little dehydrated. So I am not too overly worried about salt intake. I rarely eat out, maybe six times per year at most. Bread is high in sodium but I don't eat a lot of it.

This is what I am eating today (and typical of my diet) which isn't terribly high in salt/sugar/fat but maybe high in natural sugar (I also tested negative for any inflammation markers last year when I had pain in joints/legs which turned out to be something unrelated). I tend to like sweet foods more than salty ones, and am usually a big fruit eater (about 3 servings per day average).

Greek yogurt 0% (Fage) 1.5 cup with ground flaxseed and 1 cup blueberries
banana
dark chocolate bar (Equal Exchange fairtrade brand)
Homemade tabbouleh (bulgur wheat, black beans (canned), cucumber, fresh tomato, mint leaves, black pepper, lemon juice)
vegetarian German potato salad homemade (red potatoes, white vinegar, olive oil, onion, Dijon, teaspoon of sugar for entire batch which I am sharing with husband)
roast asparagus (in little bit of coconut oil)
2/3-3/4 cup white beans (canned)

[silibran]

You need some fat and some carb, along with protein, to feel your best, IME. But most of us get more carb as sugar and fat than we need. It is best to avoid empty calories in highly sweetened candy, which have quickly absorbed sugars that can lead to insulin spikes.

[Amelie90]

Originally Posted by celticseas

Or add sugar/salt/fat to the foods you cook? Would you say that its okay everyday to eat as a snack, skittles/sour gummies along with a healthy brown rice and salmon for lunch?

I eat foods with sugar, salt, and/or fat every day.

[Charlie&Rose]

I have cut down on salt,fat and sugar, because of high chloesterol issues. Chloesterol has come down, and I have lost weight. I do eat the good fats like avacado`s and nuts.

[athena53]

I watch my health stats and let those guide me.

Salt: I'm pretty relaxed because my BP is on the low side of normal. If I'm cooking and nothing I'm including has salt in it, I sprinkle on a little smoked paprika salt or one of the other fancy varieties I've found at Marshall's. I never add salt to anything at the table but I do snack on pumpkin seeds, which I've loved since I was a kid.

Sugar: have to watch that carefully- a1c just jumped from 5.5 in January to 5.9 a couple of weeks ago so I'm cutting back of my consumption of fresh fruit. I rarely eat candy, baked goods, bread, potatoes or white rice.

Fat: plain Greek yogurt with a little honey, string cheese and that's about it. Fish maybe once a week. I eat a lot of non-meat protein sources such as quinoa, beans, bulghur, wheatberries, barley, etc.

[Southern man]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

I know several people who salt food before they even taste it. We can go to a restaurant and as soon as they get their food they reach for the salt shaker. I don’t understand it.

Yep, thats me, as soon as I set my slice of watermelon down, I reach for the shaker..

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by celticseas

Or add sugar/salt/fat to the foods you cook? Would you say that its okay everyday to eat as a snack, skittles/sour gummies along with a healthy brown rice and salmon for lunch?

I probably eat sugar, salt, and fat every day. Today I'm making turkey meatloaf and it will have fat. I will add some salt to it. Yesterday I made peach cobbler and I added sugar and butter. If I saute some onions, I do it in olive oil. I steam most of my vegetables and when I eat them I usually add some salt.

I'll pass on the skittles and sour gummies because I don't know what they are.

I eat too much sugar because I have a weakness for good ice cream, actually "ice cream" made from almond milk due to dairy allergy. I don't see anything wrong with adding salt or other seasonings when you cook--how would chicken soup taste without any salt?

When I ate out the other day--okay, it was at a faux diner--but ugh, my meal was inedible due to the salt. All I could taste was salt. If that passes for food, then it's no wonder so many people are sick. BTW, this "diner" prided itself on healthy foods, it wasn't a "greasy spoon" type of place.

I think it's okay to eat a few things that aren't particularly good for you as along as your health is good. I wouldn't sit around eating potato chips or candy bars, but every once in a while I will indulge. I would never, ever drink soda.