Decoding food labels is a new educational program that will help you better understand how your food is made and processed so you can make healthy and economical decisions to feed your family and yourself. Decoding food labels is intended to help take the confusion out of grocery shopping.
Be sure to check out the Milam County FCH Facebook page daily throughout the month for posts that will inspire you to try something new. All food labels are not created equal and we can help you select the one that is right for you. For even more information on food labels or to find out more about your food, check out the Path to the Plate program of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension at pathtotheplate. tamu.edu.
This week’s lesson is on buying products Whole Grains, Grass-Fed Beef, No or rBST, Ultra-Pasteurized (UHT) Milk, USDA Organic beef and milk, Non-GMO11 or GMO-Free. What does it mean?
• Whole Grains: Did you know that whole grains are more than just food for humans? Whole grains can also be food for livestock. Whole grains are nutritious and a great way to incorporate B vitamins into your diet.
• Grass-Fed Beef: How do you prefer your beef, grassfed or grain-fed? Grass-fed beef cattle are fed only forage (no grain crops) after being weaned from their mother’s milk. There have been little differences shown in national value between grass-fed and grain-fed beef.
• No Rbst: rBST and rBGH are both growth hormones that can be given to cows to increase their milk production. If you prefer milk without these hormones, that is available.
• Ultra-Pasteurized (UHT) Milk: Did you know many dairy processors heat their milk to increase shelf life? Pasteurization is the process of heating milk to a specific temperature to kill germs that may cause disease. Ultra-High Pasteurization is another process where milk is heated to 280 degrees for 2 seconds.
• USDA Organic: Did you know that your beef and milk can be USDA Organic? This means that cattle have year-round access to the outdoors, are not given any hormones, and are fed an organic diet.
• Non-GMO11 or GMO-Free: GMO (genetically modified organisms) is a common term that is used when a plants DNA has been altered through genetic engineering. GMOs have deemed safe by the UDA and FDA. There are 10 GMO crops grown and sold in the U.S.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension offers programming to fit your community’s needs. The Milam County FCH has a Facebook page. Please make sure and go in and “like” the page to get information about Milam County Family and Community Health. FCH Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Milam-County-Family-and-Consumer-Sciences/383866….
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