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    Shopping - Ingredients

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    At the Grocery Store

    What to check for on ingredient labels:

    Brands really vary- the first time you shop will take a little extra time, but if you note down which brands are the ones that fit the bill, you’ll know for the future without having to re-check again.

    Whole foods Zealot- fanatical-

    Sugar

    Sugar being additive, other additives that are used for preservation or taste or texture. In a perfect world we would never consume any of this and every ingredient we used would be just what it is, but I live in the real world - by showing- you can see your option so that you can make realistically good decisions consistently.

    How to tell when sugar on a nutrition label matters
    Example:
    4 grams sugar = 1 teaspoon.

    Bacon
    The ingredients shows it DOES have added sugar- but in this case, how much, and how much will you be eating? For instance, there the bacony-egg cups recipe in week 1 - calls for 2 slices of bacon for 6 of these “cups” which you will eat 2 for a breakfast serving. The sugar is so small that it is listed as “0 grams” of sugar per serving, even though there is some type of sugar in the ingredients. You will be having only ½ a slice of bacon per serving of that bacony-egg cups recipe. So is this something to worry about - 50% of what’s close to zero grams of sugar? Probably not. IF 1 piece of bacon had 1 gram of sugar (which it apparently doesn’t)- that would be ¼ of a teaspoon - which you are eating only ½ a slice in the bacony-egg cups, so that means you’d be eating ⅛ tsp. Of sugar. Which you actually aren’t- that’s hypothetical- so just to show how in this case, the “sugar” added in the ingredients in my mind isn’t something to worry about- the flavor the bacon adds to that recipes is incredible.
    Contrast

    Tomato
    Hunts brand of diced canned tomatoes - 3 grams of sugar per ½ cup (NO added sugar in ingredients- so this is the naturally occurring sugar IN the tomatoes themselves.
    Contadina - diced canned tomatoes -
    Contadina tomato paste “italian herb” - 2 tbsp - 4g sugar - 35 cal - has high fructose corn syrup and wheat in it.
    Hunts- actually didn’t have sugar added, but still had 4g sugar per 2 tbsp. hmmm…..

    Truvia/Swerve/Erythritol in Smoothies
    I did not include the “carbs” in the final nutrition facts of these smoothies - this is because erythritol is not absorbed by the body. The kind of carbs we are concerned with are the ones that our body absorbs and utilizes as calories.
    Important to note, erythritol and stevia do not cause blood sugar or insulin spikes- which is the type of thing that can cause problems with weight stabilization.
    Always look at the ingredients because the packaging and advertising often doesn’t say it all. There are a number of “truvia” or “stevia” sweeteners that actually contain some real sugar, or fillers like maltodextrin that CAN effect blood sugar. OR “stevia in the raw” - a HUGE bag - you can bet this is mostly dextrose. 1 for 1 with sugar isn’t possible with actual plain stevia. So a LOT of filler has to be added to make it like that.
    Truvia brands NOT all the same- small container only erythritol and stevia OK - larger bags that say for baking or that browns like sugar- look- they contain sugar in the ingredients as well.
    Monk fruit sweeteners- still mainly sweet because of the erythritol
    Erythritol is almost completely excreted through your urine.
    When I first start using it I found it best to increase the amount I used slowly, because I would get a little gastric upset at first but then my body seemed to adjust to it after a week.j
    Erythritol has a glycemic index of 0 out of 100, so you basically can’t get any better when it comes to a sweetener that won’t affect your blood sugar or act as a CARB in your body.
    Show the many different brand options for this sweetener now.
    On the go in my purse- got this from my sis in law- a small container to buy to keep in.

    Tomato Based Products

    You want products you buy to have no ADDED sugar.
    What can be confusing is that certain things like tomatoes, have natural sugars already IN the tomatoes. So the nutrition profile might say “2g sugar) and then you might think, ooops, can’t use that it has sugar. In reality, what you want to look at is the INGREDIENT list for added sugar - like sugar, corn syrup, brown rice syrup, doesn’t matter how natural it is, if it’s an ADDED sugar, for our purposes it’s not a good idea.
    Really does vary- some brands are JUSt tomatoes, calcium chloride and salt, and then others have high fructose corn syrup and even hydrolyzed wheat protein! Crazy.
    Often it’s the “flavored” ones that have this extra crap- like “Italian herb” flavor etc.
    Once I actually calculated it out, it looks like the ones that have sugar added, still don’t have any more grams of sugar per serving than the brands without sugar- I have no idea why this is- perhaps again the amount added is very tiny- however, in cases where we have choices- like 2 brands that don’t have sugar added and 2 brands that do, why not choose the one without added sugar?
    Tomato Paste
    Tomato Sauce
    Dice/Whole Tomatoes

    Coconut Milk

    2 types of coconut milk:

    • Canned - high cal/creamy - almost always in the Ethnic aisle - NOT in canned aisle - go fig. You would think it would be mainstream enough now to make it to the canned aisle too.
    • Cardboard box kind - low cal - flavor and some texture. Usually in refrigerated aisle, but also in the juice aisle you’ll see boxed low cal nut milks and coconut milk there too.

    Most coconut milks, canned and boxed, have a gum ingredient added to them- guar or xanthan - that makes their texture smooth and creamy without lumps. I admit I LOVE the texture. However, I find it causes constipation or at least slow bowels for me. I think the amount you have makes a difference as well.

    There are a few brands of organic canned coconut milk that do not have these added gums - they are just coconut milk only - there is a difference in texture a little - however, if it does better for your digestion  may be worth it.
    Brands: Natural Value brand - link to online source in the online ingredients guide

    Sometimes, especially at beginning of P3 recipes call for a reduced-fat version or “lite”canned coconut milk, because it’s a very high calorie item/calorie dense- we want the creaminess but can necessarily down a whole can all by ourselves- 1 full can of full-fat coconut milk has 700-800 calories depending on brand - the “lite” canned coconut milk is essentially just regular canned coconut milk with water added to it- so you can buy low fat canned coconut milk OR you can make your own by adding 1 part full fat canned coconut milk to 2 parts water.

    Non-stick Cooking Sprays

    Show comparisons of:
    One with yucky ingredients
    Ones with just what it is - olive oil, coconut oil, etc. - I even found these at Walmart.

    Mayonnaise

    These days we’ve been told it’s best to avoid canola oil, which is what traditional mayo brands were made with.
    Always check ingredient labels- can be so deceiving- one brand says on the front “olive oil mayonnaise” but on the back, the first oils listed were soy and/or canola oil, and the olive oil was the 4th ingredient listed. Ingredients are listed, by law, from largest to smallest in terms of how much of each ingredient was used.
    You can now find mayonnaise made with avocado oil. Primal foods is one brand- ingredients are just: avocado oil, eggs, egg yolks, vinegar, sea salt, and rosemary extract. All organic.

    Many mayo’s have sugar in the ingredients.

    Lunch Meats

    From time to time, they come in handy. It’s better than grabbing a baked muffin at starbucks any day.
    Natural doesn’t mean no sugar - applewood is natural, organic, but has sugar added.
    True story brand has no sugar added
    Organic food praire chicken breast has no sugar
    HAM deli meat usually has sugar because people typically have a sweet ham taste.

    Insert Content Here

    26 COMMENTS
    1. Hi Rayzel!
      I am starting phase 3 in just a few days…so getting ready to buy it all this week.
      My question is: What can I use in place of SWERVE or erythritol? May I simply add more stevia instead?
      Also is Vegenaise, soy free okay? It has brown rice syrup listed…but NO sugars listed…
      Thank you so much!
      Mari

      1. Rayzel says:

        Hello! I haven’t looked at veganaise I’m not sure- yes basically if the amount of mayo you consume has essentially no or 1 gram of sugar, I wouldn’t sweat it if the ingredients has a small amount of sugar.

    2. Hi Rayzel!
      I am starting phase 3 in just a few days…so getting ready to buy it all this week.
      My question is: What can I use in place of SWERVE or erythritol? May I simply add more stevia instead?
      Thank you so much!
      Mari

      1. Rayzel says:

        hiya! you can probably use more stevia yes- it might not taste quite as good, but I often do my dessert smoothies with just stevia, I’m used to it.

    3. Hi! I’m looking at recipes in week 3 that have Greek yogurt—are you using fat free, 2%, or whole? Thanks!

      1. Rayzel says:

        Hello! In this case it’s whole greek yogurt- hope that helps!

    4. Most vanilla protein powders I have looked at have sugar listed. Is this okay?

      1. Rayzel says:

        Hello! That’s so interesting because most protein powders I look at, even flavored ones like vanilla, don’t have sugar haha! I have a protein powders document here on the website you might check out that shows specific brands that are typically sweetened with stevia only and you can select a vanilla one from there if you like – here’s the link to that doc: http://p3tolife.com/courses/guides/protein-powders/
        I hope that helps! – Rayzel

    5. Hi
      I’m gathering, shopping, and ordering items in preparation for P3. I like to shop at a Trader Joe’s along with the local grocery store, my question is when the recipe calls for butter is this ghee butter or a special kind? Any other favorite items anyone likes to buy at Trader Joe’s? Buying bacon is another question on what right kind to buy at the store? Thank you for this program, I’m excited to try it!
      Mari

      1. Rayzel says:

        Hey!
        Any butter is fine. I don’t use ghee but you certainly could, but it’s not necessary. For bacon, I usually go for nitrite/nitrate free kind. That’s all I can think of at moment – I moved to rural area without a Trader Joe’s 3 years ago and boy do I miss it! They have so many pre-prepped raw veggies and other cool stuff you’ll probly be able to make use of on the program.

    6. Hello Rayzel
      I am wondering about almond milk… I have always gone for it as it is lower carb then coconut milk.
      Please give me you opinion??
      mez

      1. Rayzel says:

        The low cal almond milk seems to be just fine for most. The only reason I leave nuts out of weeks 1 and 2 is because they are so calorie dense and easy to eat too many calories of them but this isnt a problem with the almond milks so I’d say go for it.

    7. Hi Rayzel,
      I just wanted to take a minute and thank you for creating this awesome program. I am sure I would not have started another round of hcg without the P3tolife program. I am on the last 24 hours of the 72 hour detox. I completed a 46 day round with the pellets I ordered through you, and released 30.2 lbs. I’ve never known how to make a meal plan, so you doing the leg work has saved me so much stress and frustration on trying to survive another p3. I am optimistic and so extremely excited to start P3tolife tomorrow!! My husband and I went grocery shopping today and it was so easy, and painless! I LOVE THIS PROGRAM!! You truly are a blessing to all of us who have struggled on p3. I am super excited to keep you updated on my success on the program!!

      Thank you so very much for all the time and effort you put into this, I can’t wait to see what else you will create!!

      Becky L.

    8. Hi Rayzel,
      I’m looking at the ingreditents in the Applie Spice Mornin’ Mug bread and am finding that the ingredients I have are not adding up correctly to the 224. What type of flax meal do you use in the recipe? The ones i have seen are about 60-70 per 2 tbsp, so about 120-140 for the bread, and then about 100 for the butter. Am I using the wrong type of something?
      Thank you!

      1. Rayzel says:

        Hey Julie! It’s actually 1 teaspoon butter, not tablespooon. ThAt might be the problem? I used bobs red mill flaxseed meal- let me see if I can upload a screenshot of the macros by ingredient.

      2. Rayzel says:

        Here you go:
        Does that help? The doc I looked at stated tsp for the butter but let me know if there is an error perhaps showing tbsp in another doc you are looking at or something.

        1. Hello Rayzel,
          IF wanted to use the recipes from original plan for p3 week 1-3 where can I find a
          Straight up grocery list for all of it? Do I have to go through each recipe to figure it out or do you have a list?
          Thank you,
          Pamela

          1. Rayzel says:

            Hey Pamela!
            The grocery list for each week is right in the PDF for each weeks’ document – you’ll see it there when you go into it / let me know if you don’t see it okay?

    9. Hello Rayzel,
      I was wondering if the Walden Farms products are acceptable to use during the phase 3 program. I’m particularly wanting to know about their coffee creamers, Ketchup and BBQ Sauce.

      Thanks for all your hard work

      Randy

      1. Rayzel says:

        Hey! Yes I would definitely think so if you are okay with Splenda- that is the sweetener they use. It makes me feel unwell and seems like it’s not as healthy a sugar free sweetener but o know many use it so it should be an option. I hope that helps!

        1. Thanks Rayzel, I appreciate your quick response. So, how do you feel about fat free sherbets. Are these ok?

          1. Rayzel says:

            Hey there! A fat free sherbert from the store you mean? Any traditional sherberts will have a LOT of sugar added to them if you check their labels, which is why they will taste so sweet. That’s why we make our kind of sherberts with stevia and swerve. I hope that helps. Definitely would be something to avoid in P3 for sure because of all that sugar. I don’t even eat those now- it’s a bit hit of sugar with no fat to slow down it’s absorption in your system so would probably stimulate a big insulin release and could lead to fat storage.

    10. Great video packed with information! I am prepping for my P3 and have been using your tools guide, grocery list, and videos to decide what to purchase. It’s been a blast! I have deliveries coming from Amazon and it feels like Christmas! 🙂 Your content is so helpful and I love, love, love the humor that you insert (outtakes especially) and just the casual way you deliver! I laughed out loud at 7:23…”Ta da…miracle…the video is still going and these just appeared in my hand!” Lol!! 🙂
      I am really feeling poised for P3 success with this program!! After now 5 rounds of losing the same 20 pounds, I am confident that this time it will remain OFF!!

      1. Rayzel says:

        Aww I’m so glad to hear this has been a happy process for you so far! Heehee, that’s what I love about being in charge of my own biz- I can be myself and let my silly genetics shine through – thanks for appreciating that side of me 🙂 I really hope the P3 meal plan will go well! We will hopefully have the build your own meal plan and the simplified plan up in the next couple weeks here too for more options to choose from (same recipes but different layouts to fix different schedules and circumstances for people).

    11. Mayo is super easy and fast to make if you have a blender with an opening to slowly pour the oil into. This is ME talking. I’m no great shakes in the kitchen. And it keeps well for a couple of weeks in the fridge. Although mine doesn’t because it’s yummy. 🙂 It’s just an option for people who are super particular about ingredients or maybe can’t find a mayo with an oil they want to use. Or sometimes people like to add other flavors like dill, horseradish, sundried tomato. Lots of tutorials online. I’m making myself hungry.

      1. Rayzel says:

        Love those ideas, thank you for sharing Christine!

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