Count the beans

Do you care that the house brand of some foods contain significantly fewer food items than the "name" brand? Have you ever compared cans of beans, for example, by dumping out the cans and counting the beans? Maybe if you have enough time to do this, you should get a life. But, if you do, and I know people who have done this, you might find that the house brand contains significant amounts of filler and/or water over some more "expensive" brands. Fortunately, the food labels give you a lot of information, if you know how to read them.

Here are some of the key Websites:

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. You need to look at the Heart and Vascular Information, The Low-Down on Food Label Claims

Reading Food Labels

U.S.D.A. How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label

Don't pay for filler or water. Use your head and think about the food you are buying. Does it do what I want it to do? Is it a good price based on content, cost per volume or weight and quality?

Do I really need the calories?