More adventures in reading labels...

You'd think that something like almonds or cashews would be an easy paleo snack.

And they are.

IF you buy the right brand.

One brand gets it right, one doesn't.

Roasted cashews.  Pretty hard to screw that up, right?

Wrong.

So while it is obvious to avoid the cashews encrusted with brown sugar and sesame, even the Camel brand roasted cashews have WHEAT and SUGAR in them.  So do their almonds.

However, Tong Garden gets it right:

No wheat.  Just almonds.  Their cashews also don't have wheat, and while they use palm oil, that is generally okay for most folks.

Good nuts...

So always check your labels when buying something that seems to be as easy as almonds or cashews for a palo snack.  Wheat in Thai is ข้าวสาลี, so while most labels are in English, be sure to check (sometimes it will be in the ingredients list as just สาลี or แป้งสาลี).

Read your labels!

It is easy to get excited about finding new things in the supermarket in Chiang Mai.  We're going to highlight a few things we've found that look great at first, and then turn out to not really be what they seem.

While we all know that getting fresh coconut water is pretty easy (go to Kat Muang Mai, buy a bunch of fresh coconuts, and get handy with a machete), it would be nice if there were some easier ways to do it on the go.

So were were excited to see this in the cold drinks section of the supermarket in Chiang Mai, since we've seen this sort of product in the US at Whole Foods, but from other companies.

Our excitement didn't last long, however, as soon as we read the label.

2% sugar isn't a huge amount, but still it is there -- and isn't necessary to make it sweet .  And, if you can do math, you can figure out there is 28% missing in the ingredients list -- we assume that's just water to dilute the coconut water.

But, it isn't just in coconut water in bottles.  If you're buying it on the street, and not getting it from a fresh young coconut, be sure to ask, as sugar (น้ำตาล ) is almost always added to it to make it extra sweet!

Shredded dried coconut (มะพร้าวอบ)

Shredded dried coconut is very useful for a lot of paleo dishes, but it often has sugar in it here in Thailand.  To make sure it doesn't have sugar, you can ask the vendor or look on the package.  Sugar in Thai is "น้ำตาล" and is usually -- but not always -- listed.  Rimping, Yok, and Kasem all carry dried shredded coconut that doesn't have sugar in it. (มะพร้าว is coconut and อบ is "baked" or "dried".)

But the labels don't always make sense in English...