Barb, could you please tell us which ingredients?

GMO's aren't ingredients per se. They're genetically modified organisms, meaning that rather than crossbreeding and similar kinds of things farmers do to breed new plants, their genes are diced and spliced in a lab to create the new strains. The most infamous are the GMO seeds that are resistant to Round Up weed killer, and meant to be used in conjunction with the weed killer. Many people disapprove of this, and also of the unknown side effects (for the crops--they're probably okay for people to eat), the politics, etc. GMO's are banned in some places.

If it's labelled "organic", it's supposed to be non-GMO. Most non-organic soy is GMO.
Check these past threads:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2313762/whats-the-bid-deal-with-gmos
http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2404014/wegmans-speaks-about-gmos

You can tell the sugar content and composition and the sodium content from reading the nutrition label. If it's a basic ingredient that doesn't have a nutrition label, you can look up the same information on the 'net, or a smart phone app.

Maybe I should have said "additives" For instance many of these things are added just to make them taste goodl I am thinking for instance "soy lecithin". When I researched this, it seems to boil down to cholesterol which I am trying to curtail. And soy flava---Soy seems to produce a weight issue for me. Living in a small town, we don't have a nutritionist available or naturopath or whatever. I am on my own in this area--stumbling I might add. Thanks. Barb

Yes. If you only have chain grocers, the saying is to "shop around the
sides". I haven't done that on purpose, but sometimes I realize that I
don't even know what's in the center aisles with the packaged products.
The best way to avoid those kinds of ingredients is to only buy foods
whose ingredients list reads like a recipe. I know you're limited by
your small town, but you can also talk to the grocers at your local
stores, especially the non-chain ones, about products that you'd like
them to get in. Sometimes, they're stuck with what their distributors
carry, but since food knowledge and concerns about safety are spreading,
they might be willing to put themselves out a little to start getting
in some things with less weird stuff.

Do look into what you can
buy online for pantry items you can't get locally. Often the price with
shipping online, isn't much different than you'd pay at a store. When
my grocer stops carrying a favorite, I get it that way.

Check
into any farm programs that might exist in your area, and if none do
consider starting one. CSA boxes (community supported agriculture) are
great. Small farmers know that they have a certain amount of their
crops sold, and the consumer gets inexpensive, literally farm to table,
produce. You sign up to receive a box every week with a variety of
whatever is being harvested in it. This is also a great way to learn to
cook vegetables that you haven't tried before. Usually, you pick up
your box at a farmer's market, or a similar central location, at an
appointed time, or there's one of the recipients who distributes them to
several people.

If you get to know the farmers and farm stands you might also find homemade jams, breads, etc.

Also,
look for stores that you might not have seen before. Health food
stores, ethnic stores, etc., which might carry foods that are less
industrialized. Check out all the listings for businesses in your area
(including driving a few extra miles). It's amazing what's there even
when you think you know your whole town.

I also agree, eat whole, fresh foods, at least as much as you possibly and realistically can, and you won't have to worry so much about additives. It's why I have my huge garden and can my own food, so I know what the heck's in it!

As for additives, many are preservatives, or to prevent oxidation and the resulting discoloring, or for thickening. Some are for flavor, but not most, I don't think, many more are for texture. And, as soon as you figure out what they are, they'll call them something else. (sigh)

Annie

I am afraid this is coming across as me not eating fresh and wholesome food. Believe me, I have had my own garden, I canned all kinds of foods and still to this day, I grow things in big containers, I go to Farmers Markets in the summer to supplement my own supplies. My biggest problem is breakfast and healthy snacks when I am rushed and don't have time to prepare stuff. My breakfast has boiled down to eggs, steel cut oatmeal with blueberries and bananas,and on the days when I am rushing to exercise, cheerios, flax granola. This is the area I am having trouble with. I used to grab a breakfast bar before exercise, because I do not exercise well on a full stomach, but now I find out they are ALL filled with high fructose corn syrup, soy , sodium and other things I can no longer have. That only happens twice a week., but I am struggling to find substitutes. I happen to have some health issues that are not severe but problematic. Believe it or not, it happens to all of us as we get older. It will all work out as I study and research all of this stuff. In the meantime, I am working on it. Thanks for all of your help . Also I am highly allergic to preservatatives. The problem is Cl-ME-Isothiazolinone. It is in EVERYTHING. Barb

Check your local yoga center, health food store, etc. There's almost sure to be someone making bars locally in your area. Heck, I live in a very small town where hardly anyone is interested in this and we don't have much in the way of health food around here, but one of my neighbors does a brisk business in making bars with healthy ingredients (or at least what is generally perceived that way now).

I think you're onto something - breakfast bars & others of that ilk (power bars, granola bars, etc.) are usually high in sugars, carbs & I find them somewhat indigestable - that is , they seem to cause bloating, etc. for me - I stopped eating them long ago.

I have to eat something in the a.m. w/ a medication I take, so I often just have a serving of nuts or peanuts (or a spoonful of peanut butter) or boiled eggs, plus some fresh fruit. When I boil eggs, I usually make extras to keep on hand.

1 fried egg on a piece of toast takes just a minute or 2 to prepare & a cup of plain yoghurt or cottage cheese is really quick as well. I try to avoid too much grain during the day, esp. for breakfast, since it seems to cause more hunger pangs by mid-morning. Newest science has shown that carbs can cause our bodies to release more ghrelin - the hormone that stimulates appetite.

Not sure if you're restricted on fats, but I understand having some fat in our meals (but not trans-fats), along w/ protein & fiber, helps us feel full & satisfied longer, reduces cravings, & helps w/ nutrient absorption - works for me.

Barb, You can make your own protein/granola bars;there are lots of recipes online. I made a bunch for my GD's sports tournament and the kids really liked them. The recipe is on the blog "Running with Spoons" and is called: Soft and Chewy Protein Granola Bars. Except for the protein powder all of the ingredients are common household staples. You could make a batch and freeze to have on hand; they shouldn't take long to thaw.

Barb, it's not that it sounded like you weren't eating any fresh food, but like you were having trouble getting away from also using packaged food. That's why I recommended staying out of the middle aisle. :) Thanks for narrowing it down to what you really need!

Why not make your own breakfast bars? They're easy! A lot of them need refrigeration to hold for any length of time, but you could still grab and go from the fridge in the morning if you're planning to eat it before lunch.

Check out Pomegranate Bandit's formula for protein bars/balls: https://pomegranatebandit.wordpress.com/2013/09/07/formula-for-protein-bars-or-energy-ba/
Elsewhere on the blog are recipes.

I've made this version of black bean brownies, which would also be a good breakfast bar if you're looking for something sweet. You can also cut back a bit on the dates if you want less sweet. http://lowfatveganchef.com/gluten-free-vegan-flourless-black-bean-brownies/

I haven't tried this quinoa breakfast bar because it reads a bit sweet to me (plain raw rolled oats taste sweet to me), but the recipe sounds good and I've had it saved to try: http://www.theleangreenbean.com/quinoa-breakfast-bars/

Pillog: I have the pomegranate bandit's website bookmarked from when I made the bars, but today when I go into the recipes, it just takes me to sites trying to sell protein bars. Am I missing something?

Another thought. If you are wanting something quick and make ahead that you can grab on the way out the door why not a healthy muffin?

I guess Pomegranite Bandit didn't move the recipes when she gave up her domain. What's up on Wordpress is just a framework. That's a shame!

All the "treats" seem to be on one archive page. The protein bars are at the bottom of this page (keep scrolling): https://pomegranatebandit.wordpress.com/category/recipes/treats-recipes/page/2/

I also like Country House snacks, which are sort of like a soft brittle -- sweet but not candy sweet -- made with good for you stuff. http://www.countryhousenatural.com/index_files/Page487.htm

Something like that would make an excellent breakfast substitute on the go, and you could probably figure out how to make your own. (My favorite is the black sesame.)

Barb, good luck avoiding preservatives. I can always taste them, they have a metallic kind of flavor to me. That's why I seldom eat Subway food, those fresh vegetables have so many preservatives that they taste bad to me. I keep reminded my kids that lettuce doesn't stay like that all day without chemical help.

It didn't really sound like you didn't eat healthy fresh food at all, just that you were struggling to decipher packaged stuff. My daughter is a diagnosed celiac and it's mind boggling to discover the different names they have for wheat, rye and barley, geez.

Some breakfasts can also be made ahead and frozen, like breakfast "burritos" in whole grain wraps, individual frittata frozen in muffin cups or baked in a cake pan and cut into squares and served on a whole grain English Muffin. The squares can be frozen, quickly defrosted and stuffed into whatever you are using as your sandwich. Healthy muffins can also be frozen and thaw quickly.

Annie

I read your posting as an acceptable small vent. As anyone, faced with label reading, shakes head, and wonders why all that stuff is necessary...the ingredient long list.

(-and why we keep reading about the major suppliers deciding to 'clean-up' their horrid additives...Kraft taking out chemical dyes and using turmeric, etc)

Their sales are dropping. It is all about money.

I just completed a 4 day road trip. Prepped all our meals and beverages. All done in a flurry of multi-tasking the few days before. We bought one bag of ice just before the ferry for the pups. (they would knock over a bowl of water)

My granola balls failed, but that another issue altogether. I did line up a dozen small bags and made a granola gorp...nuts, dried fruits, freeze-dried veg (good crunch), best addition was the ginger, cured two ways, one salt, the other sweet...cut the size of peas...the only sweet n salty in the mix.

Lots of quick snacks can be portioned and made weeks in advance.

-mine failed as it was too wet. I should have chopped by hand the dates, (my glue)...almond butter was too runny. I saved it but not as good as in the past....rolled in my granola and coconut flakes...nice small marble size balls.

Had a big bag of organic carrots...peeled, cut into snack size, quick two hour pickling, then into food saver portioned bags. (with some olives and red pepper strips)...yes, a big waste of plastic, but for car snacking pulled from a cooler....success

All the leftover small packages i tossed into the freezer last night. The paper thin meats with cheese slices will make a nice grilled cheese. Did not eat or make many sandwiches but we had options. Barely touched the humus but was great with carrot sticks...the other three small containers i froze. So we have lots of snacking for a few weeks....

To answer your original question...you can study, read, and learn. But will discover that buying anything packaged and overly processed is your enemy. Any good nutritionist will say the same.

Being a NewYorker i've had just about every bar, nut/fruit bar available these days...hundreds of them now. I don't buy them as they are free at work...horribly expensive. We sample them when a new one is on the table, cut into peanut sizes. Some are ok. We like the Chia bars but i would not spend the money personally.

Annie, Subway, lol. A young co-worker left a Subway in her hot car over a weekend and it looked the same a few days later... : )

Forgot to share this link earlier - it's from CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest). Scroll down to see a hyperlinked list of food additives ranked by safety...

http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm

S, what a great idea to put together sandwich fixings in individual portions!

Carolb - exactly what I was interested in. I made some copies but the whole thing was too copious. Where do I write to get the full printed material.? . Answered many questions. I usually use the stevia.,and my son, who is diabetic, depends a lot on Splenda. Makes me question everything. What are we to do? Thanks so much. Barb