Nature's Path Foods - Health & Nutrition Glossary
Health Claims
Wheat Free: The ingredient listing of this product does not include wheat.
High Fiber: Contains 20% or more of the Daily Value (DV) to describe protein, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, or potassium per reference amount. Therefore, High Fiber is 20% of the DV of Fiber (25g) or another way of looking at it is the item as 5g or more of fiber.
Low Fat: 3 g or less per reference amount (and per 50 g if reference amount is small)
Gluten Free: There is not wheat, rye, barley or oat gluten present in the product. Products are randomly tested to ensure that there is no contamination of gluten from other sources.
Whole Grain: Whole grains or foods made from them contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed. If the grain has been processed (e.g., cracked, crushed, rolled, extruded, lightly pearled and/or cooked), the food product should deliver approximately the same rich balance of nutrients that are found in the original grain seed. The USDA defines a whole grain serving as any food containing 16 grams of whole grain. 16 grams is just a little more than half an ounce – so three servings (48 grams) of whole grain total under two ounces. A small amount of whole grain translates into big health benefits! The new Guidelines advise eating half or more of our grains as whole grains – at least three 16g servings per day. A "Good Source" contains at least 8 grams of whole grains per labeled serving, while an "Excellent" or "100% Excellent Source" contains at least 16 grams of whole grains per labeled serving. Examples of generally accepted whole grain foods and flours are: Amaranth, Barley (lightly pearled), Brown and Colored Rice, Buckwheat, Bulgur, Corn and Whole Cornmeal, Emmer, Farro, Grano (lightly pearled wheat), Kamut® grain, Millet, Oatmeal and Whole Oats, Popcorn, Quinoa, Sorghum, Spelt, Triticale, Whole Rye, Whole or Cracked Wheat, Wheat Berries, and Wild Rice. http://wholegrainscouncil.org/ConsumerDef.html
Whole Wheat: Whole wheat is used in the manufacturing of this product.
Low Sodium: 140 mg or less per reference amount (and per 50 g if reference amount is small) http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/flg-6a.html
No Trans Fats: There are no (zero grams) trans fats present in this item. Trans fats are formed when liquid oils are made into solid fats (shortening and hard margarine). There are naturally occurring levels of trans fats mostly in animal-based foods.
Vegetarian: Vegetarianism is the practice of living on products of the plant kingdom, with or without the use of eggs and dairy products, but excluding entirely the consumption of any part of the body of an animal as food (including chicken, fish and seafood). The term "Vegetarian" means a person who follows such practice, or describes such a person, creature, establishment or food pertaining to vegetarianism. http://www.vnv.org.au/Definitions.htm
Nutritional Information
Fat: The solid form of lipids at room temperature (oils are the liquid form of lipids at room temperature).
Saturated Fat: A fat that is solid at room temperature and is generally derived from animal food products. Common sources of saturated fats are butter, lard, meat fat and other solid shortenings. Palm oil and coconut oil are two examples of vegetable-based saturated fats. These fats are associated with increase the level of cholesterol in the blood.
Trans Fats: Trans Fats are formed when liquid oils are made into solid fats (shortening and hard margarine) through a chemical process known as hydrogentation. There are naturally occurring levels of trans fats mostly in animal-based foods but can also be found in vegetable shortenings. Trans fats have a negative impact on the body’s ability to regulate cholesterol. They drive up the LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which increases the risk of coronary artery heart disease and stroke.
UnSaturated Fat: A fat that is liquid at room temperature and comes from a plant such as olive, peanut, corn, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, or soybean. Unsaturated fats tend to lower the level of cholesterol in the blood. Polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable are considered to be the “good” fats. They have been documented in lowering blood cholesterol.
Cholesterol: Cholesterol is the most common type of steroid in the body. Although, it has gotten a bad name cholesterol is critical in the formation of Bile acids, Vitamin D, progesterone, estrogens, androgens, mineral corticoid hormones and glucocorticoid hormones. It is also necessary in the normal permeability and function of the cell membranes. Although some cholesterol is obtained from the diet most of it is made in the liver and other tissues. The control of high levels of cholesterol involves diet, weight control and regular exercise.
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates provide the body with its major source of fuel. Carbohydrates range from simple sugars (i.e. glucose) to complex carbohydrates referred to as starches.
Dietary Fiber: Dietary Fiber (Crude Fiber) – fibers are a group of diverse and complex compounds whose single common property is their ability to resist digestion in the stomach and small intestine. Soluble – fibers that can either dissolve or swell in water or can be metabolized by bacteria. Gums, pectins and mucilages are examples of soluble fiber sources. Insoluble – fibers that mostly do not dissolve in water and are not digested by bacteria. Examples of insoluble fibers are cellulose, lignins and some of the hemicelluloses.
Soluble: Soluble – fibers that can either dissolve or swell in water or can be metabolized by bacteria. Gums, pectin’s and mucilage’s are examples of soluble fiber sources.
Insoluble: Insoluble – fibers that mostly do not dissolve in water and are not digested by bacteria. Examples of insoluble fibers are cellulose, lignans and some of the hemicelluloses.
Minerals: Minerals – elements used in the body to promote chemical reactions and form structures
Vitamins: Vitamins – number of small compounds need in very small amounts in the average diet to help regulate and support many of the body’s chemical reactions.
Ingredient
Rice: Rice feeds about one third to one half of the worlds population. Grown in warm humid climates rice in North America is typically grown in Texas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri. Brown rice is considered to be whole grain and has the highest nutrient content of all rice products. Rice is also one of the most easily digested grains and is considered to be gluten free.
Millet: Millet is the name applied to variety of grasses often used as a delicious alternative to rice. Millet is high in protein and can be used as whole seed or ground as flour. When baked into a cereal flake, the whole seeds pop and create a “holed” texture in the cereal. Millet is also gluten-free and easily digested.
Amaranth: Amaranth is a small seed from a broadleaf plant. Originally cultivated by both the Aztecs and the Incas, amranth provides us more protein, calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium than most other grains. Amaranth is gluten free.
Quinoa: Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wa”) is a seed originally grown in South and Central America, with some of the crop now grown in Canada. Quinoa has a high protein value; complete with all eight of the essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. It is also an above average source of vitamins and minerals. Quinoa is free of gluten and is a good source of fiber. Quinoa is gluten-free.
Barley: Barley is a hardy cereal grain, which can be used as a pleasant-tasting alternative to wheat. Barley contains gluten like proteins and therefore is not suitable for a gluten free diet. The malt extract made from sprouted barley grains can be used as a flavorful sweetener in cereal. The malting process produces complex sugars, which the body utilizes more slowly than refined sugars.
Kamut®: Kamut ® is distant relative to modern wheat believed to have originated in the time of King Tut. It is a non-hybridized grain that can be substituted for wheat, but is higher in eight out of nine minerals, and contains up to 65% more amino acids. Kamut ® is also higher in lipid and protein. Some people who are allergic wheat can tolerate Kamut ®, but if you have a wheat allergy you should consult a health care professional before consuming it.
Buckwheat: Buckwheat is a member of the grass family whose seed is high in calcium. Buckwheat seeds are ground whole into a flour fore used in cereal, which result in the appearance of small, black speck in flakes. Buckwheat is gluten free.
Wheat: Wheat was become a major grains of use to the presence of gluten protein. This is what gives the structure to risen breads. There are two main varieties of wheat grown in North America; Duram wheat used in pasta and Bread wheat used in most all other wheat items. The softness or hardness of the wheat is based on the level of protein found in the wheat. The greater the protein content the “harder” the wheat is considered to be and hard wheat is used in the making of bread. Soft wheat is used in the making of cereals, pastry and cakes. Whole wheat flours still contain the germ and bran rich in the B vitamins and E, and provide protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium.
Rye: Rye as been grown since medieval times mostly in northern Europe and the region that we know as Russia. The taste of rye as been described as bitter and therefore is generally used in conjuction with other cereals such as oats and wheat. Rye contains on average 12% protein and is a source of calcium, magnesium, lysine and potassium. Rye has also been widely grown in colonial America and it is believed that the fungus, rye ergot, triggered episodes of hallucinations which lead to the Salem witch trials.
Corn: Corn (also known as ‘maize’) was originally grown by the indigenous Maya, Inca, Aztec and North American people. It is now the principal food plant in North America. Corn does not contain gluten and can be tolerated by people with celiac disease. Gluten is a cohesive protein mass, which remains after starch is washed from a dough. Technically, only wheat contains gluten, but barley, rye and oats contain similar protein which can not be handled by Celiac’s and some other gluten intolerant individuals. Corn is gluten-free.
Spelt: Spelt – referred to as polish wheat, Spelt as been in grown in Europe for many centuries. Spelt is often used as a substitute for wheat as it contains a high level of gluten but does not cause wheat allergic consumers to react. The provides B vitamins (riboflavin, niacin and thiamin) and is notable of the iron and potassium levels.
Flaxseed: Flax is the richest vegetable source of Omega-3, essential fatty acids our bodies need to regulate the activities of our cells. Omega-3 has been found to be useful in controlling high blood pressure, high cholesterol and different forms of arthritis. They are also useful in the treatment and prevention of heart disease and cancer. Flax is gluten-free.
Sea Salt: Sea Salt – Sun-Dried and washed free of impurities, sea salt is a crystalline seasoning, which is evaporated from seawater.
Sugars and Sweeteners: Types of Sugars and Sweeteners – Molasses, Evaporated Cane Juice, Invert Cane Syrup, Barley Malt Extract, Honey
Miscellaneous
Lacto Vegetarian: A person who does not eat meat, meat products or eggs but does consume dairy products
Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: A person who does not eat meat or meat products, but does consume dairy and eggs
Vegan: A person who does not consume any animal products or by-products.
