Favorite Football Snacks Week 3: Onion Dip (Part 2)

So last week I focused on major brands of store bought onion dip. At the conclusion of the article, I discussed that most store bought onion dips a riddled with fillers, preservatives, stabilizers, and other things you don't want in your body.

This week we are looking at alternatives to store-bought brands. First up we have onion dip the way my mother made it, using Lipton's Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix.

THE GOOD: By mixing your own dip you have control of the dairy aspect of the dip. You can use full fat sour cream, low-fat sour cream, or even plain yogurt. You have the option of controlling the calorie content.

THE BAD: High sodium content. Most of these pre-packaged soup mixes are more salt than any other flavor (tip: ingredients on nutrition labels are listed in order of quantity of ingredients). In this case, salt is the second most abundant ingredient. The good news is the facts on the nutrition are listed for the mix itself, they are not based on the mix once mixed with another substance. However, the serving size of onion dip was 3 Tbsp per serving, and the mix serving size is 1 Tbsp which is fairly close to a proper serving ratio.

Just one serving of the onion dip contains 25% of your daily value. If you were to consume the packet in one serving, you would be getting 200% of your daily sodium intake.

THE UGLY: Those sneaky fillers and preservatives are still there! Cornstarch, MSG, and all those things you hoped to avoid by making your "homemade" dip are still hidden in the mix. The mix also contains caramel coloring.

A few notes about the ingredients:
Cornstarch- a filler and thickener; made from a corn using water- no harsh chemicals used
Autolyzed Yeast Extract- Flavor enhancer; yeast broken down to protein form
Caramel Color- "natural" coloring made by heating carbohydrates, often using sulfite or ammonium compounds
Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil- aka Trans fat; Products do not have to list trans fats below 1g, though most products containing any type of partially hydrogenated oils contain trace amounts of trans fats
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)- a flavor enhancer lower in sodium than table salt; Frequently blamed for side effects, but research data shows little evidence for these.
Disodium Inosinate and Disodium Guanylate-  used together under the name of disodium 5' ribonucleotides; frequently used with MSG; often derived from fish; flavor enhancer; should be avoided by people with gout, uric acid kidney stones, and asthma
sulfur dioxide- at base level a toxic gas; used as an antioxidant; can cause allergic reactions to people with "sulfite" sensitivities and asthmatics

THE VERDICT: F; The only upside to this "homemade" solution is calorie control. However, there are more chemical ingredients than real ingredients in this mix, and the sodium levels are through there roof.

Favorite Football Snacks: Week 2 Onion Dip (Part 1)

Anyone who knows me knows my love of onion dip. In high school my diet consisted of onion dip and chicken fingers. So it only seems appropriate to feature this snack food. A lot of the nutrition for onion dip is very similar to that of ranch dip.

There are a lot of different onion dips on the market, so this week we are focusing on store bought onion dip. Next week we will talk about homemade alternatives.

First up we have:
Dean's French Onion Dip, Frito-Lay Onion Dip, and Heluva Good French Onion Dip

I'm lumping all three together because nutritionally they are all very similar although each uses different ingredients.

 THE GOOD: Um...is there really anything good. Dean's and Heluva Good have some calcium.

THE BAD: This is not a low calorie/low fat food. Dean's and Helluva good have fairly high levels of saturated fat. (Fruit lay brand has more filler than dairy= lower fat but less dairy). When you see how low the nutrient value is- do you really want to waste that many calories? (And we didn't even talk about the calories from the chips!)

THE UGLY: The fillers, stabilizers, emulsifiers, etc. These things are full of crap. All three have Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and modified food starch. The shelf life on these guys is way too long. Some of the fillers are put in to reduce the caloric load of the dairy. The amount of processed food stuffs and chemical compounds in Dean's and Frito Lay Brands are terrifying!

THE VERDICT: Dean's and Frito Lay each get a solid F. Little to no nutrient value, saturated fat, and indigestible preservatives. It may taste good, but it's not worth it. Helena Good gets an F+ for having slightly less chemical additives. 

A Few Notes About Ingredients:

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)- a flavor enhancer lower in sodium than table salt. Frequently blamed for side effects, but research data shows little evidence for these. 

Modified Food Starch: Primarily used as a filler and thickener. "Modified starch, also called starch derivatives, are prepared by physically, enzymatically, or chemically treating native starch to change its properties" Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_starch

 

Dean's Onion Dip:

Hydrolyzed Protein- protein that is broken down to its core 

amino acids. Commonly derived from boiling in strong acid (like sulfuric acid) or strong base. (Ew!)

Sodium Hexametaphosphate- preservative; generally recognized as safe my the FDA, but amounts are limited and regulated; completely chemically derived

Locust Bean Gum and Guar Gum- naturally derived thickening and gelling agent; may cause some gastrointestinal issues in large quantities but safe.

Soy Lecithin- emulsifier and stabilizer; derived from soy plants but low allergy risk; also used as a supplement a good source of choline; generally regarded as safe; may contain GMOs

Carrageenan- thickener and gelling agent; naturally derived from seaweed; generally regarded as safe; may cause gastrointestinal issues

Yellow 5 & 6- Man made; "derived primarily from petroleum and coal sources"(http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Consumer Updates/ucm048951.htm); there is a known but uncommon allergy to Yellow 5

Frito-Lay Onion Dip:

Hydrolyzed Protein (Gluten), Artificial Color -see above

Acetic Acid and Citric Acid- usually naturally derived, generally harmless

Sodium Ascorbate- antioxidant; derived from ascorbic acid; generally safe; created by dissolving ascorbic acid in water with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) as the catalyst

Yeast Extract- similar to MSG, flavor enhancer (essentially vegemite)

Canola Oil- is an oil derived from the rapeseed plant; frequently genetically modified

Datem-diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono and diglycerides; emulsifier; generally excepted as safe manufactured through chemical synthesis

Heluva Good French Onion Dip:

Potassium Sorbate- synthetically derived by neutralizing sorbic acid and potassium hydroxide; inhibits mold and yeast growth; safe in regulated levels

AND NOW...

The "all natural" Trader Joe's Carmelized Onion Dip.

As the name of the product should indicate the "carmelized" onion dip has a bit of a sweeter taste than the other brands, but this is the only "healthy" brand I've liked so far- and it's about half the price of the other "healthy" dips.

THE GOOD: No artificial colors or flavors and no preservatives. 

THE BAD: Less additives equals more fat and calories. Trader Joe's brand is 70 calories per serving size, versus the 60 calories of the other three brands. It's also void of many of the flavor enhancers of the other brands, and therefore contains a lot of sodium to aid flavor. One serving contains 10% of daily sodium value.

THE UGLY:  Still contains many naturally sourced additives (xanthan, carob bean, and guar gum; modified corn starch, yeast extract). 

INGREDIENTS:

(note: I am skipping ingredients I have previously discussed during this article)

Cultured Dextrose: a preservative derived of fermented sugars; uses "good bacteria" to inhibit mold growth; still under study by the FDA

THE VERDICT: The Trader Joe's dip gets a "D" rating. While not full of artificial fillers and additives, it still has many "natural additives" and high fat, saturated fat, and sodium content.

Favorite Football Snacks- Week #1: Buffalo Sauce

So today is the first NFL game of the season! In honor of my favorite sport to watch on TV, I'm beginning a new series that breaks down a bit of nutritional information on our favorite Football snacks.

The number one football snack among my friends seems to be Buffalo Chicken Dip. Most people make there own dip, so I decided to break it down to the primary ingredient- buffalo sauce.

What the heck is buffalo sauce?

Basically- Hot sauce, butter, and vinegar (no wonder it taste so good) and a few extra seasonings that vary per recipe.

So let's look at the most popular brand- Frank's Red Hot.

Source: Frank's Red Hot Website

THE GOOD: This is a low calorie, low fat sauce with very little additives. The vinegar is natural preservative. Homemade buffalo sauce tends to have butter (calories) and many add flour as a thickener (more calories). This product is gluten free and vegan.

THE BAD: This product has pretty high sodium levels. (This is a theme we will see through most of our favorite football snacks.) It also has no nutritional value.

THE UGLY: "Natural Butter Type Flavor." What the heck is this? After a couple searches, I'm no closer to an answer. According to Frank's reps it contain no dairy or animal products. Which leads most people online to jump to the conclusion that it is plant sourced. However, the term "natural" is not controlled by the FDA AND most chemicals are "naturally" sourced. However, it is deemed low concern by the FDA (http://www.ewg.org/foodscores/ingredients/7786-NaturalButterFlavor).

A few notes about the ingredients:
Canola oil- often genetically modified, this product does not have a no-GMO's label
Xantham Gum- a naturally derived stabilizer and thickener
Sodium Benzoate-  preservative (generally perceived to be harmless)

THE VERDICT: In the realm of processed food, I'd give this sauce an A-/B+. If you make your own sauce at home it will not be as low calorie due to the use of butter (why companies use imitations in the first place). If you want to take the extra time to cook your own buffalo sauce- go for it! But Frank's is a low fat option, and friendly to all those vegans out there (who probably won't be having buffalo chicken dip).