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What you should check on the label of the jam to know which is the healthiest
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The type of sweetener used and the percentage of fruit is essential to know which is the healthiest jam jar
Some toast with jam is an indisputable good start to a long and tedious day, but, as much as we like the jam (How can we not like it !?), it is a product that, due to its high sugar content, we must take in moderation. “It should be borne in mind that the classic recipe for jam has half the weight in fruit and the other half in sugar. For this reason, even if its origin was home, its consumption is not recommended on a regular basis “, explains dietitian-nutritionist Ana Amengual, from the Júlia Farré center.
But, although this is the traditional recipe, it is not always fulfilled. Dietitian-nutritionist María Eugenia Fernández (@ meugenia84) comments that Spanish legislation establishes that jams
They must contain a minimum of 30% fruit, and it is when this percentage is raised to 50% that it is considered to be of “extra quality”. “In this way, those that contain 50% fruit will be healthier than those with a lower percentage ”, he points out.
Is “light” jam healthy?
At first glance, it may seem that jams labeled in the market as “light” may be healthier but, says Ana Amengual, “Being” light “does not mean that it does not have added sugars or has no calories. It means that it has less than the reference product. «On many occasions« light »jams have added sugar and to finish sweetening a caloric sweetener. There are few on the market that are made only with fruit, a caloric sweetener (which does not provide calories or sugars) and antioxidants ”, explains the professional.
Even so, as in almost all cases, we can always opt for a jam that is a little healthier than the rest, even with a high sugar content. For Ana Amengual, the ideal would be make a healthy version at home in the form of a fruit compote. To do this, the fruit should be boiled with cinnamon or anise, to sweeten, and then add dried fruits, cinnamon, or non-caloric sweeteners such as saccharin, erythritol or stevia. The recommendation of María Eugenia Fernández, to prepare this “healthy” version at home, is that we choose quality fruit and at its right point of maturation. “You can also make jam of all kinds of vegetables (carrot, pumpkin, onion, peppers, tomato …), and even nuts such as chestnuts”, says the nutritionist, who warns that, in no case, “fruit jams can substitute for fruits”, because their nutritional values have nothing to do with it. “The whole fruit, in addition to providing important nutrients, vitamins, fibers and minerals, reduces added sugars,” he explains.
What should we look for on the label of the jam to take the best one home?
If we do not prepare it at home, and we are going to buy jam in the supermarket, taking into account that we are facing a product very high in sugars, says Ana Amengual that we must look at three things when looking at your label:
1) That in the list of ingredients, the fruit name what is the name of the marmalade comy first ingredient. Prevent sugar, fructose, glucose, syrup, or another form of sugar from appearing as the first ingredient.
2) It may contain an antioxidant (like citric acid) or some thickener like pectin. “This is not a bad thing, but if it is strawberry jam and contains the coloring E-120 or carminic acid or carmine, you should know that it is an insect. Nor is it a negative for health, but it is worth knowing where things come from, “says the nutritionist.
3) It is preferable that it contains xylitol, sorbitol, aspartame, stevia or other types of sweeteners of this type, than sugar, honey, syrups, syrups or fructose.
Tips for preparing the best homemade jam
If we want to prepare jam at home, the first advice that dietitian-nutritionist Ana Amengual gives is that let’s always choose healthy ingredients, that is to say, fruits of first quality and caloric sweeteners instead of sugars, honey or syrups. If not, he notes, “it makes no sense to do it at home.”
To make it, he recommends boiling the fruit or vegetable that we want with anise and cinnamon. “These ingredients will give it a sweet touch,” he says. Afterwards, we must beat it and it can be spread. “If you have sensitive fruits, such as banana or apple or pear, we can add lemon or lime juice to prevent it from oxidizing or to minimize its oxidation”, he recommends.
The consumption recommendation for the first to choose the “healthiest” among the options. María Eugenia Fernández recalls that this would be the one that contains 50% or more fruit, although her first choice “would be a homemade fruit preserve, with up to 70-75% fruit.” Regarding the frequency of consumption, he points out that between one and two tablespoons of dessert “would be within a range suitable for healthy eating”. To finish, Ana Amengual leaves two healthy options to replace the jam. If we are talking about toast, we can add chopped fruit with a base of fresh cheese or 100% cream of nuts or tahini for example. Also, you can make a fruit compote only with fruit, to which we can add cinnamon.