Dear Consumer,

My name is Andrew and I’m grateful for the opportunity to provide you with information about diet

food so when you select a product, you can make an informed, intelligent decision.

As the owner of www.thinslimfoods.com and www.lindasdietdelites.com , I have spent 15 years working

with diet food companies from all over the US, Canada, and Europe. During my years in the industry, I

have learned that diet food is the subject of much confusion. In fact, people have so many

misconceptions about diet food that I decided to offer this consumer education message.

I’m going to share with you 9 Mistakes To Avoid When Choosing a Diet Food, plus 6 Steps to a Perfect

Diet Food Product. And I’ll give you 4 Questions you should ask any food company before you invite

them into your home.

Dieting isn’t easy.

Why? Because you’re bombarded with misleading information, confusing claims, simply bad

information, products that are regular food dressed up to be ‘diet’, and in some cases products with

fraudulent nutritional facts.

How do you ever find a qualified product that isn’t misleading?

We wrote this guide to help you better understand diet food. Now with information you can make an

informed, intelligent decision.

To Whom this Report is Applicable As with all things, everyone has an opinion on what is ‘healthy’ and what is not, even if the opinions are

not based on science or testing.

This report is not for the type of consumer whose diet is focused on organic food, natural food, gluten

free food, non-GMO food, raw food, vegan food, Paleo Food, etc. as those all have their own separate

limitations.

Instead this report is for the type of consumer who is interested in finding diet foods that have healthier

nutritional facts than normal food and use ingredients considered by the FDA to be ‘Generally

Recognized as Safe.’

In addition, this report assumes you have a general understanding of ‘healthy’ eating. As such it does

not include instructions such as “don’t eat fried food” or “careful because smoothies have loads more

sugar than you thought” or “salads can be very high calorie when you put all those toppings on.”

Instead this is a more nitty gritty look at the world of actual diet foods created for those actively seeking

better products so you can differentiate between your available options.

If you have any questions about diet food, you’re invited to visit us at www.thinslimfoods.com and reach

out to us via email. We’ll be happy to help you in every way.

Consumer’s Inside Guide to Diet Food

Dear Friend,

The diet food industry is one of the few types of food that is not heavily regulated and has a low barrier

to entry such that anyone can create a product and call it ‘diet’. Yet these products can be marketed and

sold to consumers on the premise that they will help people lose weight and stick to their diet.

Most consumers think that all food products are heavily regulated and no products are permitted to be

sold without full inspection of ingredients, nutritionals, packaging, and production facilities by the FDA.

In fact, very few products receive FDA inspection and even those are rarely inspected. In some

instances, companies producing knowingly fraudulent products have not been inspected by the FDA

even after multiple reports of such activity. There is even an exemption from certain laws when a food

producer is under a certain size.

The question now is how to differentiate the helpful products from the junk … and we have the

information to help you do just that.

The following is a summary on how to choose the right diet food products. It covers some of the

common mistakes made by consumers in choosing a diet food product, and also the four steps you can

take to help you in choosing a truly helpful product.

9 Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Diet

Food

MISTAKE #1: Choosing a diet food product based on low price. Diet food is a product where usually you get what you pay for.

There is no increase due to 'prestige' (as opposed to handbags) because other people don't see you

eating the diet food.

Instead, there are three core components to price – production cost, packaging cost, and ingredient

cost.

Separately, there is distribution cost (in store availability as opposed to paying for shipping), but for the

purposes of choosing a better quality option we won't be addressing this.

All of these costs (production, packaging, and ingredients) are lower for large manufacturers, but the

savings are not large enough to impact the price of a product more than 10% since most products for

sale in retail outlets will have at least reached a sales volume to start seeing savings on all three

components.

The cost that creates the largest price difference between products is the type of ingredients used

because the difference in ingredient cost is drastic.

It doesn't cost 1-5% more to use better ingredients. It costs 100-500% more.

That is why most companies do not use them. Lower quality, non diet ingredients cost less. Higher

quality, lower calorie or carbohydrate, higher protein, or higher fiber ingredients cost more.

Example 1 - Oil: Using a low quality oil such as soybean oil instead of olive oil will be 5X less expensive.

Example 2 - Sweetener: - Using the sweetener alternative maltitol will cause a ‘laxative effect’ whereas

a higher quality sweetener such as Erythritol or Stevia will not. The cost for maltitol (retail) is ~$3.49/lb.

The cost for erythritol (retail) is ~11.49/lb.

Example 3 - Base: - Two often used ingredients are soy flour and almond flour. Each has similar

nutritional facts, but soy flour results in a mostly soy based product, which isn't something you should

be consuming consistently. The cost for a 16oz. bag of soy flour is ~$4.49. The cost for a 16oz. bag of

almond flour is ~$10.99.

This price difference can actually be helpful in spotting potentially inaccurate nutritional facts. If a ‘diet

food’ is much more inexpensive than other products with similar nutritional facts, it is an indication that

the nutritional facts and ingredients of the inexpensive item may not be accurate.

Takeaway: If a product is significantly cheaper than its alternatives, realize you are making a choice to

ingest significantly lower quality ingredients and may also be risking your calorie/carb count accuracy.

MISTAKE #2: Choosing a diet food that is just a smaller version of the

non diet food. In the last couple years, 100 calorie packs have appeared for every snack product.

The portion control and convenience of these is excellent compared to oversized regular packaging, but

they are still junk food.

For long term success, you need to learn to make better food choices so that the calories you consume

are not just reduced, but also come from healthier sources.

You should be looking to consume the type of calories that are higher in healthy fats, protein, and

fibrous carbs. The reason is that this mix will keep you full for longer, will have less of an impact on your

blood sugar (and in turn storage of calories as fat), and will increase the calories you burn.

Most 100 calorie packs are exactly the same as their unhealthy originals, just in a smaller serving size.

If you want to have a splurge like this, don't waste your calories on a poorly made, mass produced junk

snack.

Go to your local high end bakery and get a mini version of something super indulgent. It will be a nice

reward, you won't have the rest of the box lying around your house waiting to be eaten, and you won't

wind up stocking your pantry full of junk food that will definitely get eaten at some point.

Or, you can have something like the 45 calorie ThinSlim Foods brownie as your indulgence. It isn't a

smaller serving size and it satisfies enough that you won't need the full calorie indulgence.

MISTAKE #3: Choosing a diet food product based on the quick

nutritionals, rather than comparing ounce for ounce. In order to determine whether a product is truly diet, or just small, make sure to compare the nutritional

information ounce for ounce.

For example, lets compare the Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies (widely available on most supermarket

shelves) and the ThinSlim Foods 45 Calorie Brownies.

Here is the packaging artwork for the FiberOne product:

The starting point to note is the serving size.Each brownie is .89oz. or 25g.

Here is the nutritional profile for the ThinSlim Foods Brownie.

Each brownie is 2oz. or 56g.

In order to compare the nutritional facts of these two products, you first need to normalize them to

match (like finding a common denominator for fractions.)

We are going to use a serving size of 2oz. since that is the normal size.

If you adjust the Fiber One Brownies to be 2oz. here is what their nutritional profile looks like:

When normalized, they don't look so diet.

Examples like this can be found with many brands and other types of products.

Don't make this simple mistake. Fiber One makes excellent products, but their brownie certainly isn’t a

diet brownie.

MISTAKE #4: Assuming Sugar Free Means Low in Carbohydrates AND

Assuming Gluten Free has anything to do with Macro-Nutrient Content This one frustrates me all the time when speaking with people just beginning to integrate a reduced

carb lifestyle. The reason is that there is so much misinformation that it leads to poor choices.

For example, a relative of mine was just diagnosed as pre-diabetic. As such, they should be attempting

to reduce their consumption of refined carbs and sugar, sticking to high fiber foods, and try to be more

active.

Unfortunately, my relative was told BY THEIR DOCTOR, that they should follow a Gluten Free diet as a

result of being pre-diabetic. If you have ever shopped for gluten free food in the packaged food aisle,

you'll know it has even more sugar and fat than traditional versions in an attempt to make it taste

'normal.'

In the same way, many diabetics are told to look for products labeled 'Sugar Free', rather than teaching

them how to read a nutritional label to find out if it is low in 'net carbs' and teaching them how to

monitor their blood glucose levels.

This results in people consuming the type of sugar free products you find in traditional supermarkets -

sugar free, but loaded with carbohydrates that convert straight to sugar when digested.

If following a reduced carbohydrate diet, make sure you understand how to read a nutritional label and

how to calculate net carbs.

You need to look for products that are not just low in sugar, but also low in net carbs. Since controlling

blood sugar impact will go a long way towards controlling weight gain, it is important to only

concentrate on the carbohydrates that will impact blood sugar levels.

Alternative sweeteners and fiber will not impact blood sugar levels. So they are removed from the total

carbohydrate count to give you a net carb count.

Total Carbohydrates – Fiber – Sugar Alcohol = Net Carbs

If you are unsure, feel free to email us. We'll point you in the correct direction.

MISTAKE #5: Assuming Anything Labeled as Whole Wheat is Healthy A lot of money has been spent by the government and food companies to educate consumers on the

benefits of whole wheat and whole grains.

These ingredients are healthier than white flour, but as any diabetic or other person who tests their

blood sugar will tell you, whole wheat products are just as bad as white flour products.

The reason is that when consumed, whole wheat breaks down to sugar just like white flour.

For a diet product that uses flours to be healthier it needs to use flours that are very very low in net

carbohydrates so they do not impact blood sugar levels.

Such ingredients are things like oat fiber, oat flour, almond flour, inulin, chicory root, flaxseed meal, and

more.

If you don’t know which ingredients to check for, just look at the fiber content. The healthier the flours

used, the more the total carbohydrates will come from dietary fiber.

MISTAKE #6: Assuming All Alternative Sweeteners are Unhealthy Alternative sweeteners to sugar are normally found in diet foods because they maintain the sweetness

of the food while reducing the calories.

For diabetics or those watching their blood sugar (anyone following a low carb diet), alternative

sweeteners help keep blood sugar levels from rising from the digestion of regular sugar.

A common myth is that all alternative sweeteners are bad for you.

Some people will go so far as to say that these will give you cancer.

This is misinformation at best.

The difference between Artificial Sweeteners and Sugar Alcohols

Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes but may be derived from naturally occurring

substances, including herbs or sugar itself.

Examples include Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet), Saccharin (Sweet N Low), and

Sucralose (Splenda).

Sugar alcohols(polyols) are carbohydrates that occur naturally in certain fruits and vegetables, but they

also can be manufactured. Despite their name, sugar alcohols aren't alcoholic, but the chemical

structure of sugar alcohols is a hybrid between a sugar molecule and an alcohol molecule, hence the

name.

Examples include Erythritol, Isomalt, Maltitol, Sorbitol, and Xylitol.

Where the Bad Reputation Comes From

For Artificial Sweeteners, the bad reputation is the result of studies in the 1970's that linked saccharin to

bladder cancer in laboratory rats. Because of those studies, saccharin once carried a warning label that it

may be hazardous to your health.

But according to the National Cancer Institute and other health agencies, there's no sound scientific

evidence that any of the artificial sweeteners approved for use in the U.S. cause cancer or other serious

health problems. And numerous research studies confirm that artificial sweeteners are generally safe in

limited quantities, even for pregnant women. As a result of the newer studies, the warning label for

saccharin was dropped.

For Sugar Alcohols, the bad reputation is the result of sweeteners such as Maltitol which cause a laxative

effect when consumed in large amounts. Hence the warning on mainstream sugar free candy packaging

to such an effect.

Fortunately, there are some sugar alcohols that don't cause this laxative effect.

What is Your Preferred Sweetener?

We prefer erythritol and stevia.

Both sweeteners are relatively natural, are the lowest in calories, and are digested differently so they do

not cause a laxative effect.

Ideally we like to stick to erythritol whenever possible because stevia sometimes has a slightly bitter

aftertaste.

We don't use Maltitol because it is one of the worst sugar alcohols in regards to creating a laxative

effect.

And we don't use Splenda because we don't like the strong aftertaste it often creates.

Xylitol is an interesting sweetener that we would certainly consider using especially due to its ability to

strengthen teeth, hence it being found in many dental products. The only reason we don't use it is that it

is slightly higher in calories than Erythritol.

A new sweetener to hit the market, Oligofructose, found in products such as Quest Bars is quite

interesting because it is entirely fiber. The only problem is that many diabetics have been reporting that

it still has impacts, albeit in a limited nature, on their blood glucose levels.

The Deal with Agave

A number of years ago, Agave and Blue Agave hit the markets to much fanfare, but unfortunately not

much to back up the claims.

Although Agave is marketed as a sugar alternative, most diabetics find it to behave the same as sugar in

their bodies. The American Diabetes Association even instructs diabetics to treat agave exactly like sugar

because despite its lower glycemic index, its high fructose content will eventually adversely influence

blood sugar levels.

In addition, Agave has the same calories as sugar so it is not helpful when trying to reduce calories.

MISTAKE #7: Not Knowing About Soy People sometimes ask why we put "Soy Free" in the seal on the Impastable packaging in the upper right.

The reason is that we do our best to avoid using Soy in our products and consuming excess Soy.

Soy can be found in A LOT in low carb products because it is very cheap and it is low in carbs. This is

doubly true for low carb pasta.

Normally that is the type of combination we would love to be able to utilize.

Unfortunately, the downsides of soy don't make that a great idea.

So why can soy be such a dieting saboteur?

1. It lowers testosterone (a powerful fat-fighting, muscle-building hormone)

2. Reduces fertility in men

3. It may contribute to an increased risk of certain cancers

4. Lowers thyroid function

It would be wrong to say that soy is completely evil, and should be avoided at all costs. We aren’t part of

the ‘alarmist’ foodie crowd that claims certain ‘Generally Considered Safe’ ingredients are poison.

In fact, natural soy, such as the type you find in edamame beans, soy sauce, and foods like tofu and

tempeh is perfectly fine in moderation.

And the odd bit of added soy won’t wreck your progress and kill your weight loss.

BUT, As much as possible, you should look to limit your soy consumption, and certainly not think of it as

a healthy alternative, a fat loss food, or try to eat more of it.

In addition, if you are like most of our customers, you don't stock your pantry with just one low carb

cookie or one low carb bag of pasta. As a result, if not conscious of the ingredients of the low carb

products you choose, you may wind up consuming much more soy than you wish.

MISTAKE #8: Choosing a diet food product based on one nutritional

component. Many diets have decided to focus on only one nutritional component instead of a combination of all of

them.

For some, a product needs to be low in calories, for others low in fat, for others low in carbs, and for

others high in protein.

The problem with such a focused look at the nutritional label is that this results in companies creating

products that optimize one nutritional component at the expense of another.

For instance many low fat products will still be very high in carbohydrates and many low carb products

will be very high in fat.

These tradeoffs can only hurt your diet since they will lead to a product having a higher overall calorie

count.

Look for diet products that have found ways of reducing both carbs and fat. These products will be

inherently low in calories.

I starting learning about eating and training for maximum impact (depending on my specific goals) while

in late high school and college.

The foods I chose had one major thing in common: lots of protein.

By focusing on one macronutrient I wound up not paying attention to ingredients, to blood sugar

impact, or to caloric content.

The Fix

No matter the macronutrient or healthy eating lifestyle, focusing on only one figure does not provide

the full picture.

Even if your focus is on staying low carb - if you overdo it with poor quality fats or fats in general (there

is an upper limit) you will not see the results you desire.

Instead learn to look at all aspects of a food so you can compare it to other options and find the best

one in the moment.

If you are struggling with what "the best one" is, reach out to us. We don't typically provide diet advice,

but we can point you in the right direction based on the type of eating lifestyle you are focusing on.

High Protein Options

This leads to a second, related point. Don't be led astray by the huge variety of "High Protein" foods now

available. Most of these are just overpriced junk food with whey or soy protein added to beef up the

protein content.

In some instances it is the same food as before, just rebranded as "High Protein".

You'll notice ThinSlimFoods never does this. The reason is that it is superfluous.

Instead we focus on minimizing calories and carbs and leave the 'add ons' to you whether through

shakes, or otherwise. That way you can customize it to your needs.

Plus, making something both low in carbs and low in calories is truly a craft - whereas making something

just low fat, just low carb, of just high protein is easy. If you'd ever like to do that just do a quick search

on Pinterest for 101 recipes.

MISTAKE #9: Assuming the Nutritional Label is Accurate This one is a BIGGIE.

It is one of the reasons ThinSlim Foods was ever started.

Many small foods companies (and sometimes some larger ones) either estimate nutritional information

based off the ingredients without telling consumers or in some cases make up their nutritionals from

thin air.

Estimated nutritionals are better than fabricated nutritionals, but often they are quite incorrect since

the ingredient components may change during the baking process. We have seen products come back

from lab testing and be 20% different than estimated.

Once you find a product you think you enjoy, call the company and ask if they have had the product lab

tested and if their labels are based on the results.

If the company says, “We are FDA inspected,” or "We are inspected by the State" that isn’t the same

thing. The FDA and local health authorities mostly inspect the production facility, ensure labels are

correctly formatted, and only verify nutritionals via lab testing when complaints have been received.

Even then, as long as the product is within 20% of the test results no action is taken to change the

required labeling.

6 Steps to a Perfect Diet Food Product If you’re thinking about purchasing diet food products, we encourage you to follow these six steps. At

first look they appear slightly time consuming, but keep in mind they are intended to help you find a mix

of products that you will be consume again and again. So it is a time commitment that is an investment

in your health.

STEP #1: Choose your diet and make a commitment to its success. Choose the style of diet that you feel will work best for you. The reason the majority of diets are popular

is that most work in some way. Ultimately though, the most effective diet is the one you can stick to.

We usually suggest people follow a diet that focuses on moderately reduced calories derived from

healthy fats, high fiber carbs, and a focus on lean proteins.

STEP #2: Pick Your Type of Product Once you’ve chosen your diet, start your food search by choosing a product category. Is it muffins?

Brownies? Breads?

Focusing on one product category at a time makes it easier to compare similar products.

STEP #3: Create a Nutritional Comparison Chart Based Ounce for Ounce Gather the nutritional info on all the products you are interested in and start converting them to an

ounce for ounce comparison so you can get a look at how they really compare.

STEP #4: Exclude Any Products that Use Ingredients You Don’t Wish to

Consume

STEP #5: Ask Questions Here are 4 questions to ask a product company to help you feel more confident about the one that you

choose (many of these you already have the answer to, but the answers the company gives are often

telling about their motivations):

1.) What type of ingredients do you use in your product and why did you choose them?

2.) Are your nutritional facts based on lab testing?

3.) Do you guarantee your product in any way?

4.) What type of dieter is your product intended for?

STEP #6: Place a Small Order

Many companies will allow you to order in small quantities or will have online stores that carry their

products in small quantities. Place a small order for the product so you can test out whether you enjoy

them without having to waste money purchasing by the case.

Conclusion

The purpose behind these steps is to empower you with the information you need to make a wise

decision in choosing your diet food products. A healthy lifestyle is driven first and foremost by the foods

you consume (it is easier to reduce calories than to burn them off via exercise) so it is essential to find a

mix of healthy foods to meet your needs.

I invite you to peruse our product line and see if the foods we have created could help you in your quest

for a healthy lifestyle. Should you have any questions we can always be reached via our Contact Us page

or by calling 866-213-1250.

Here’s one last point: I know even after consumers see our products have excellent ingredients and

unmatchable nutritional facts, they are skeptical because there is an assumption that all diet food

products taste terrible.

I guarantee all our products taste great! That’s right. I fully guarantee you will enjoy the items you

purchase! If you aren’t happy we’ll refund you for your purchase. We not only guarantee you will enjoy

the taste, we also guarantee the product will not spike your blood sugar level.

As a matter of fact, add these questions to the list. “Do you offer a taste guarantee on your products?”

and “Do you guarantee your products won’t spike my blood sugar?”

Not all companies offer this guarantee – in fact, I could not tell you any other company that guarantees

no blood sugar spike.

To say thank you and to help you on your diet food discovery, we have created a special Sampler Pack of

some of our products. You can find it on ThinSlimFoods.com

As a newsletter subscriber, you have access to a gift code that when used at checkout provides ad

discount on your Sampler Pack and the shipping!

Make it a great day!