When buying packaged foods, do you read the informational labels? What are you looking for? Food labeling gives you lots of different information about what you’ll be getting from the product that you are going to consume. Sure, it might be helpful for you to know how much fat, carbohydrates, and proteins among other things the food/drink might contain. However, it might be even more important to pay attention to the actual ingredient lists of what is being used to create the product, to get a clearer picture of what you’re consuming.
When you’re looking to improve or even just maintain your health, looking at the the ingredient list might be much more beneficial than the numbers on the nutritional labels.
The Hidden Truth: Why Ingredient Lists Matter:
Eating healthy means consuming good quality foods, not just certain amounts of fats, carbs, and proteins. And it’s definitely not all about the calories. To find out what you’re truly eating or drinking, the ingredients lists are where you have to start.
The more whole foods (not processed) foods in the list, the better they are for you. The more processed they are, the more likely they’ve been stripped of their nutritional benefits and exposed to more chemicals and toxins.
Generally, the shorter the list is, the better it is for you. Also, you’ll want to stick with foods that don’t have ingredients that are recognizable as real foods. If it sounds like a chemical, some long scientific name that you have never heard of or can barely pronounce, it’s probably best to avoid it. These chemicals and toxins can counteract our efforts of trying to live a healthy lifestyle. They can cause all kinds of health issues, from depression, infertility, to an inability to maintain a healthy weight.
Also, if you are sensitive or allergic to certain ingredients, you won’t know they’re in there unless you look at the list. The nutritional value won’t give you that information. It might not be harmful to some people, but if your body doesn’t tolerate it well, it will be worth it to avoid those foods.
Recognizing Unhealthy Ingredients
There are other ingredients you might see in packaged foods/drinks that are recognizable and that you’ve heard of, but don’t want to consume as well. These ingredients are things like trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners. There are all kinds of products containing these things that you might not even guess unless you look at the ingredient lists. Some of these foods might even be advertised as “healthy”. For example, just because something says low or no sugar, doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Check the list! These foods typically have artificial sweetener in place of sugar. Artificial sweetener can still lead to insulin resistance and obesity as well as increase your risks for certain types of cancers.
High fructose corn syrup and trans fats also increase your risks of developing serious health conditions like, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Look out for ingredients such as, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. These are the trans fats you want to avoid as much as possible.
Ingredient Order and Quantity
Reading the nutritional value section can tell you how much fat, carbs, proteins, sugars and fiber are in a product and a serving size. This section can be misleading unless you pay attention to the serving size. Most times it’s a much smaller amount than most people actually consume. Plus these numbers are frequently inaccurate by up to 25%. Another reason to not rely on that information to determine if you want to consume it or not.
So again, we’re back to looking at the ingredient lists. Did you know that ingredients are listed in descending order based on the amount that the product contains? Meaning, the most abundant ingredient is listed first and the least abundant is listed at the end. If you’re going to consume something, you definitely want the main ingredient to be something you recognize as food and that contains valuable nutrition that your body actually needs, not just calories. Your body needs adequate vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients to function properly, not just anything that provides energy through calories.
Natural vs. Artificial Ingredients
You might recognize ingredients that are on a label, like dyes and preservatives, but that doesn’t make them ok. Just because something is abundant and in a wide range of products doesn’t make them ok. This is true of artificial dyes, such as Red no. 3 and Yellow no. 6, to name just a couple. These dyes are not naturally occurring. They are derived from petroleum and have been linked to changes in behavior in children and the development of cancer. And yet, they are still found in things like baked goods, candy, packaged fruits and juices. They won’t be advertised on the front of packages in bold letters either. The only way to know they’re there is to read those ingredient lists.
Not all colorful food have artificial dyes in them. Look for foods that use juices from fruits and/or vegetables to enhance the color of the product. If it grows in nature, it’s most likely a much better choice than something that was created in a lab.
As far as preservatives go, just because they keep your food from spoiling quicker doesn’t mean they are good for you. Some of the artificial preservatives used are benzoates, sulphates, sulfites propionates, parabens, nitrates, and sorbates. Sure eating rotten foods isn’t good for you, but these ingredients might even be worse, causing much longer and riskier health conditions.
The healthiest foods will need to be consumed within a smaller window of time from when you buy them, but at least we have refrigerators and freezers to help prolong the time they are good to consume, right?
Stay Informed To Make the Best Choices
It’s up to you to make the right choices for you and your family. If you’re trying to stay healthy and avoid the things that might prevent you from doing so, read ingredient lists anytime you are thinking of buying an unfamiliar item or even from time to time for the products that you do buy frequently to make sure the ingredients haven’t changed.
Look for natural and whole food ingredients and try to avoid artificial, unknown, and harmful ingredients as much as you can. Also, of course make sure you are aware of your own personal sensitivities and allergies, so you can avoid those as well.
If you haven’t been reading ingredient lists before now, it might seem time consuming to read all the labels before you buy anything at the store. Of course the best way to avoid that is to buy all whole foods, you know, the ones without labels. Or, just start with the products that you buy most frequently that have labels. Once you know what’s in those and if they’re safe, you’ll only have to check the new and less frequently bought products. Basically, what I’m saying is, over time it will get easier and less time consuming.
Knowing what you’re actually consuming and making the choice to eat real foods that actually contribute to your overall health is the goal. And, avoiding ingredients that hold you back from feeling your best is also worth the effort. The food industry isn’t going to tell you what’s best for you. It’s ultimately up to you!
When we feel good, everything in our life is better. It enhances us physically and mentally.
You’re worth eating well!
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