Reading Nutrition Labels?

A Reason and a Guide
I’ll be honest, for a long time, I never read food labels, in fact I judged those who did (not something fun to admit). Turns out it was because I didn’t understand the reasons or how to do it which made me uncomfortable. 

Reason: Our bodies metabolize real food best! We feel better, have more energy, balance weight, and overall metabolizing things correctly allows our bodies to work like the machine it is supposed to be. When looking at most food labels at the the store, there’s a good chance that you can’t pronounce half of the ingredients. So how in the world are you supposed to know what is a healthy choice and what isn’t? Technically it got past the FDA? There are over 50 different names for MSG (Monosodium Glutamate, or artificial flavoring) alone!  Like I mentioned… reading ingredient labels frustrated me and discouraged me from even trying to make a healthy change. So, I am going to help make it easier for you!

Focus on food without labels: First step makes it the easiest… you don’t have to worry about reading labels if there aren’t any. 🙂 Go for produce! Fill your plate with mostly fruit and veggies and you’ll know you are getting proper nutrients.

Avoid Label Gimmicks: Fat-free, sugar-free, low calorie… typically when a food company removes an ingredient it adds another. 9 times out of 10 it’s artificial and not good for you. Coincidentally (and a bit of a cruel irony) “sugar-free” typically means it’s higher in fat and “fat-free” means it’s higher in sugar. Avoid the mental game and steer clear of the gimmicks.

Truth or not?:  Recognize that “foods” get approved by the FDA, but that does not mean they are good for you. The FDA does require food corporations to be 100% accurate on their labels. Example: the ingredients of food dyes, the corporation only has to tell you that the dye is in the food, not what is in the dye. Ps. this may also mean that your food may have more calories than are listed. Recognize  Again, it’s easier to go for food without labels.

Less is more: Unless it is a super expensive organic pre-made meal it’s typically easier to go for less ingredients. More ingredients = more junk.
There are a TON of food additives that our bodies can’t recognize and make us feel crummy or have worse effects. Check out this extensive list of food additives that you will see on food labels. If you don’t recognize ingredients you can check this list to see if it is a food additive and what purpose it serves.

Food Additive List

Pay attention to serving sizes: Personally I have trouble with the self-control portion of this. I eat more than what equals a serving and those calories build up. To help myself with snack-ish type foods I portion out the food in zip-locks. For everything else, I practice reading the label and following it.