Nutrition Labels
on food: How to Read Them, and Read
Between the Lines on Them
Reading nutrition labels can be tricky, but is essential if you want
to eat healthy and protect your health. Learn what to look for, and
how to compare different food choices.
|
Did you know that the loopholes in FDA requirements for nutrition labeling
allow the processed food industry to trick even the savviest consumer?
That is, if we are reading nutrition labels at all.
When it comes to reading nutrition labels on processed foods, studies
show that most people either don't pay attention to them, or don't have the
knowledge necessary to make use of them.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from health issues like: abdominal
pain, candida
food allergies, fatigue, diabetes or obesity, reading nutrition labels as
part of your Body Ecology program can go a long way toward renewed health.
Why "Nutrition Facts" Aren't That Important
Most people reading nutrition labels have been programmed to think that the
"nutrition facts" are the most important part. Especially for weight
control.
This is the section that lists calories, and the weights of macronutrients,
sodium, fiber, and different vitamins and minerals on a product.
The good news is that when you follow the Body Ecology program, you don't
need to count calories, fat grams, protein grams or carb grams in order to
control your weight and be healthy.
Instead, you will learn the Body
Ecology foods that support your health and weight, with easy guidelines
for balanced nutrition.
In this way, reading nutrition labels becomes less about the ratios and more
about the ingredients in the foods you choose.
Health is in the Ingredients!
We've always emphasized that processed foods should be avoided because they
contribute to acidic blood, candida,
and serious vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
The reality is that even when you are doing your best, and taking steps to
eat healthier, there are still times when you want to take short-cuts. And
with so many health food stores selling prepared and processed foods, there
are better choices today.
However, just because a food is labeled organic or "natural,"
or is sold in your health food store, does not necessarily mean it is good
for you.
Many examples abound of foods that have developed a reputation for being
healthy, when in fact they are not. A few examples include some organic, whole
grain cereals, energy bars, organic broths, soups, or "natural"
salad dressings.
The only way you will know if a food is really healthy is by learning
the hidden sources of unhealthy ingredients, and by carefully reading nutrition
labels to look for those ingredients.
Here's What To Look For When Reading Nutrition Labels:
- Ingredients are required to be listed in order of weight. The first
ingredient listed is the most predominant, and so on.
- Hidden Sugars: Sugar
makes your blood highly acidic, and feeds candida,
which can wreak havoc on your health.
The problem is that most processed foods contain sugar in some form or
another, but don't list it as "sugar."
These are only a few of the dozens of different names "sugar"
has:
sucrose, dextrose, corn syrup, malt, fructose, glucose, carbitol, mannitol,
lactose, evaporated cane juice, or concentrated fruit juice.
- Beware of MSG: Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) seems to be a staple
in every processed food. It is used to enhance the flavor of processed foods
that lack the real flavor of real foods.
MSG has highly toxic effects, and you might be consuming it in one
of its many disguises: glutamate, yeast extract, glutamic acid, hydrolyzed
proteins, autolyzed yeast, natural beef flavoring, whey protein, maltodextrin,
soy protein isolate, soy sauce extract, natural flavoring, and anything
that has "seasonings" in the ingredients.
- Gluten: Gluten
is a difficult to digest protein found in typical grains that can cause
celiac
disease and many symptoms of digestive and immune distress.
Many whole grains with wheat, barley, bran, rye, and oats, and the flours
or cereals made from them, contain gluten.
But since gluten is also added to many processed foods as a binder,
starch or filler, it can be hidden in foods that are free of any of these
grains in their ingredients.
Some examples of foods or ingredients that contain hidden gluten include:
soy sauce, garlic salt, onion salt, some mustard powders, flavored teas
and coffees, hydrolyzed proteins, colorings, flavorings, anything with
msg, modified food starch, malt, or graham flour.
- Know Your Oils and Fats: The good news is that the media has made
us all much more aware of the benefits of certain oils like olive oil, cod
liver oil and fish oils. And by now everyone knows the hazards of trans
fats found in margarines and processed foods.
Unfortunately you may still be buying the wrong qualities of the
so-called "good" oils.
Always look for healthy oils that say organic and unrefined.
Even if it says cold-pressed, or expeller pressed, it can still be refined
and will not be as good for you as the virgin unrefined
options.
Read the label carefully when you purchase a product with olive oil. If
it says extra virgin that means that it is from the first
pressing.
Take care because refined olive oil is often used in products
that say simply say, olive oil. For example, Whole Foods Market uses this
cheaper quality of olive oil in most of their prepared deli products,
so beware.
Avoid canola oil, or soybean oil, used in many organic, "natural"
salad dressings.
Be extremely aware of some processed foods making the claim "trans-fat
free," when in fact, reading the ingredients list clearly shows that
some hydrogenated oils were used.
How does this happen?
The FDA allows food processors to make the claim "sugar-free",
or "trans-fat-free" if the serving size of a food has less
than half a gram of these items.
Just remember, anything that has "hydrogenated" in the ingredients
is bad for you!
For more information read: Why
the Processing of Consumable Oils has Devastated America's Health
- What exactly is "Natural Flavor"?
The word "natural" is often equated to healthy foods, but just
because a label says natural does not mean that it's healthy. In fact, there
is no meaning in law or regulation around the word natural.
The food processing industry knows that you are more likely to buy something
that says it has "natural flavor" as opposed to "artificial
flavor". But the distinction between the two is actually quite arbitrary.
Both natural and artificial flavors involve some laboratory processing and
additives.
So try to avoid "natural flavors" as much as possible.
- Can you pronounce it? It should go without saying that if you
don't know exactly what an ingredient is, or can't even pronounce it, it's
probably not good for you!
Overwhelmed? Find Out More About Body Ecology
Want to choose the right foods to boost your energy and vitality?
Find out what foods to eat and what to avoid by reading The
Body Ecology Diet.
|
All of this information can seem overwhelming at first, especially when food
manufacturers have so many marketing tricks.
But just like any new skill, take it one step at a time. Reading The
Body Ecology Diet is a great way to arm yourself with the kind of information
that puts your health into your hands.
When you consume truly wholesome, all-natural foods, and follow the Body
Ecology lifestyle, you will rarely have occasion to read nutrition labels.
And if you do decide to take short cuts every now and then (and who doesn't?),
you'll know exactly what ingredients contribute to your best health!
Sources:
Nutrition Labels Confuse Consumers
http://www.hon.ch/News/HSN/535096.html
Cassandra Marx. " Identifying Hidden Sugar in Your Diet"
http://articlesunlimited.holisticnetworkexchange.com/sugar_diet.html
Hidden Sources of Processed Free Glutamic Acid (MSG)
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html
Gabe Mirkin, M.D. "Natural Does Not Mean "Good For You""
http://ezinearticles.com/?Natural-Does-Not-Mean-Good-For-You&id=113782
Alan Pell Crawford. From "Vegetarian Times", September 2004. "What
Does Natural Mean? Some Claims on Food Packages May be Misleading"
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0820/is_324/ai_n6160617
Return to Newsletter Archive
Recommend
This Page to a Friend
Print this article
