I am not sure about frozen yogurt. I love icecream but don’t like the low fat ones. I figure frozen yogurt is much lower in fat but I wonder about other stuff they have to put in to stabilize it etc plus what about the sugar content?. It seems to marketed as healthy alternative but is it?
By the way I think I accidentally hit submit earlier before I actually wrote anything in case you have a blank comment waiting for moderation.

I agree wholeheartedly Kathryn! How hard is it to chop up fresh herbs? Not very.

I can understand that people buy these tubes because they don’t want a big bunch of fresh herbs to go to waste.

Do this instead: chop up fresh herbs and stuff into ice cube trays and fill with water. Freeze and then store in plastic containers in the freezer. Voila! Fresh herbs anytime you like with no sugar or other nasty stuff.

I agree about these tubes of herbs – I must have bought them once because i remember thinking how terrible they tasted compared to real herbs.

One of the sneaky foods I dislike is the additives in fruit juices. (I know fresh fruit is better but sometimes juice is better than nothing.) Nothing worse than thinking you have bought 100% juice only to find it is full of rubbish. Not only are fruit juice drinks full of sugar but taste awful too. But even some supposed ‘pure’ juices have too many additives (as I noticed on some apple juice the other day).

And what really bugs me is that they prey on people who are too tired or busy to take notice who are often those in need of good nutrients the most!

(and was sorry I didn’t see Jamie Oliver show but v interesting discussions in your post on it)

‘Gourmet’ hot chocolate powders! I don’t get caught out, because I read lables of everything before I buy but I hate the fact that they have much crap in them and usually so little cocoa. Corn starch, maize starch, artificial sweetners. Yuk!

and.. most ice-cream. Even the so called Gourmet ones. Terrible stuff. Some of the cheaper ones don’t even contain dairy!

Great post Kathryn… I’ve only bought the tube stuff a couple of times and many years ago now BUT I never realised how sneaky they were… should they really be allowed in the fruit and veg section??? Maybe more appropriate in sauces section or dips etc of fridge. I’m going to forward this info to my mum – I think she’s guilty of using these tube things… and is it the same for the garlic, lemongrass, chilli etc that comes in a jar? I don’t use them so don’t have a jar to check but know plenty of people who do.

And thanks to Christie @ Fig & Cherry – thanks for the tip on freezing herbs – I always feel guilty and annoyed when I throw all those ‘once lovely now limp’ herbs out.

Renee – the jars of garlic / ginger/ etc tend to be better. They’re about 90 – 95 percent herb, with the remainder being oil and salt. Just means you need to adjust the amount of these you use in cooking. And you’re right, they really shouldn’t be in the F&V section – although they do need to be refrigerated.

Leanne – I’m not hugely knowledgeable about frozen yoghurts. They do tend to be lower in kilojoules and fat, although I suspect the sugar content will be similar. However, while they’re marketed as a healthier alternative, they’re still a long, long way from being a health food and of course it’s all about how much you eat.

And I like your recent post on multitasking – struck a few chords with me!

Good suggestions Christie. I also use them as another vegetable in my cooking and in salads. So where I might be using spinach, I’ll often mix in handfuls of herbs as well. Plus I add them in huge handfuls to salads – to spark things up. But I’ve never thought about freezing them. Thanks for adding that.

read
the
label

oh, and minced garlic from a jar is disgusting – spotted a mile off and always leaves you with stinky breath.

I suppose this is more of a rant than a ‘caught out by’ – but – diet yoghurt. I’d like to lose a few kilos, but even plain reduced fat yoghurt has twice the kj per serve of the diet fruit ones. However, these are full of artificial sweeteners and other junk. I still haven’t made up my mind which is better and seem to be buying them by turns.

Gwyneth – I hear ya. I’ve written about lite vs light yoghurts before. Choice also has an excellent yoghurt review, which includes a league table of all the different brands – so you can make an informed decision.

Johanna you’re right – avoid anything which says fruit juice drink. I haven’t checked recently but there was a brand which trumpeted it’s fruit content. But when you read the label that “fruit” included a significant amount of orange peel. Hmm.

I find it really hard to buy decent yoghurt in the supermarket. My dentist told me that the sugar they are putting in all the yoghurts, esp. the ones for kids are a major contributor to tooth decay. The diet ones are just plain yuk. I bought one of those yoghurt makers for $25 now and make my own, so I know what goes into it. Much cheaper too.

Oh I’m so glad you mention this herb goop. It was one of the first products I ever saw that made me outraged at fakery.

Omg I am loving this post. Yes, yes, yes I feel the exact same way as you about this product. I remember feeling “irky” when this herb in a tube thing first came out. I have to say I haven’t even picked up the product to read it so thank you for showing me exactly what is in it. In fact I feel I can confess to you that I actually cringe whenever I see it. I really do.
Terrific work Kathryn and well done for exposing these little pretenders for exactly what they are.

I was interested to read about the garlic in a jar. I’m afraid i have a problem with that too. I have people swear black and blue to me that it is no different to the “real stuff”. Friends say that it tastes no different to fresh garlic. I wouldn’t know cause I only ever use fresh garlic (no kidding about one bulb every day if not more).

I am certain that somewhere I read that garlic in a jar loses most of its medicinal value and that is why garlic should be eaten fresh for optimum benefit. I’d love to know what you think Kathryn.

I completely agree – I ABHOR sneaky foods! All the more reason to avoid anything in a package, where possible, I guess.

My rant has to do with the sneaky addition of gelatine – as a vego I avoid it, but it pops up everywhere! Lollies, yoghurt, even icecream. Ick.

Products like Gourmet Garden and pre-minced garlic are a bit of an insult, as they imply that the consumer is too lazy to chop up the herbs or garlic themselves. The extra expense, plus the unnecessary packaging, doesn’t make it worth it in the end.

Excellent post, Kathryn, kudos to Natacha for making your own yoghurt, thanks to Fig & Cherry for the freezing tip, and to gwyneth, may I suggest Jalna’s low-fat yoghurts? They’re set in the tub and don’t seem to contain any creepy stuff to bulk them up.

Duncan – “goop” is exactly what it is.

Mariana – Raw garlic has the strongest anti-microbial quality, while cooked garlic has the most cardiovascular benefit. But I’m really not sure of where jar-ed garlic fits into this. I think the answer is fresh garlic wherever possible. But the jars are still better than the squeezy tubes.

Iris – gelatine is one of those hard to predict ingredients. It annoys me when you find it in yoghurt. Yoghurt shouldn’t need gelatine – it should set / thicken naturally.

I agree with all that’s been mentioned here! I LOATHE those tubes of disgusting green mush! YUCK! We not only grow as much of our own herbs as possible (EASY!!!), but also only ever buy absolutely fresh herbs from our local Harris Farm Markets. There’s nothing better than your own fresh herbs in your healthy home-cooked meals. And I am very fortunate to have a husband who LOVES to cook, Jamie Oliver style!!

With garlic, I buy only the big tasty red ones. I keep some whole and usually do a very small Vegemite jar full of crushed garlic covered with pure cold pressed virgin olive oil.

If you like fresh yoghurt, make your own! Either from bought yoghurt or like I do, with an Easi-Yo yoghurt maker bought from the op-shop for $6 and buy the sachets in the ‘stupidmarkets’! At least you know what goes into it! :)

And I agree with the earlier comment… READ THE LABEL! We always do this now to see the actual content of whatever we’re buying. With cereals, all I buy is Vita Brits and Oat Bran as I have iron overload disorder and ALL the rest have added iron and vitamin C which is a no-no for me! Vitamin C assists with the absorption of iron so can’t have too much of that either… also in ALL fruit juices! We buy very cheap oranges and juice them as we need them – yum!

Great site and blog, by the way Kathryn – keep us all on our toes! :o)

By the way, for Mariana – garlic loses much of its medicinal properties from allicin – the highly powerful and reportedly healthy antibiotic like compound produced by garlic – when it is cooked. Raw is best but hard to take! Try it in Guacamole, Babganoush and cold Avocado and Garlic Soup!!

Thanks Anne-Marie. Although I mostly use cooked garlic, I do use it raw in marinated baked beetroot, roasted capsicum and chargrilled eggplant. Also in hummus, tzatziki, beetroot dip, aoili and homemade salad dressing. Just love, love, love it.

Excellent post Kathryn. As an avid label reader I don’t get caught out much, but in the past was trying to buy “healthy” snacks for work and got dried seaweed in small packs from Asian grocers – ladden with msg!

Anne-Marie thanks for your input. Your the second person I’ve heard recently who makes their own yoghurt. Good for you.

Lyndal – I’ve bought those seaweed packs before. They’re delicious, but seem to either be full of MSG or about half a tonne of salt. Detracts from the health value somewhat!

Thanks Kathryn! I’m always interested in all things natural, nutrition and alternative health! (I’m a former nurse, now massage and Bowen practitioner!) I have to admit to making the yoghurt for my husband mostly, as he prefers the Greek easi-yo yoghurt to the bought ones… but I buy Vaalia’s plain low-fat for myself!! I love it with fresh fruit and LSA sprinkled on top! :o)