How to Shop Healthy Foods and Read the Labels Properly

1) Do you want to eat healthy ?

2) Do you get tempted by the advertisements claiming to be low fat or fat free, low calorie, sugar free?

3) Do you stock up brand name products and buy from commercial supermarket store?

4) Do you just read on what's written on the front cover and buy the pack?

If you had answer yes to all of the above questions then you might be one of the millions who want to eat healthy and lose weight but still cannot. Many are suffering with minor ailments like frequent headaches, frequent allergies, growing pouch in belly, bad breadth, skin problems etc that can lead to dangerous diseases ahead.

What is wrong then?

Everyone wants to make money by reducing the cost and using the cheapest raw materials! So when you buy any brand name or fancy food box , do not expect it to be the better in nutrition than homemade.

Fat Free :

Many famous brand name products made using fat when claiming to be fat free/ low fat might not be totally fat free. This is possible because they have reduced the portion sizes per serving on the Nutritional info. According to the nutritional guideline by FDA, If the amount of fat or other nutrient falls below 0.5 g per portion serving, the manufacturer may round it to zero. That's how even a can a cooking spray claims to be fat free which is made of pure fat, by reducing the serving size[2] .Some prepared foods like yogurt when claimed to be fat free, we think that it gets it name as they use fat free milk and hence healthier. But check back on the label behind it, you will see that it will have more sugars than whole yogurt to balance out the flavor. Also it contains more calories. When you see on the cover that its fat free sometimes you tend to eat 2 or more packs and that means adding more calories and sugar than you would with whole yogurt. Thus more sugar + more calories means gaining more weight instead of losing.

TransFats:

For those who does not know at all what this term means; in simple language it means that this is the deadliest fat what no body should consume. It increases free radicals which is the main cause of the heart disease. You can look on the ingredients list on any cereal bars, chocolates, Cookies, soup , etc that has "Partially Hydrogenated oil", Palm oil, in ingredients list then that food items contains this Trans Fats.

Food for thought: Does your food pack say No Trans Fats? It might not be true.

Reason: Because of the FDA's nutritional guideline where

Sugars:

Sugar as whole, raw and unrefined is high in nutritional value which is used in India commonly known as Jaggery . It is rich in Potassium, calcium, Iron, Vitamins etc. When its processed with chemicals and bleached, the white sugar is what we get. This type of sugar has no nutritional value. Another common type of sweetener used is High Fructose Corn syrup. Its used in almost anything from sauces, ketchup, chocolates, candy bars, peanut butter, Jams, sodas, salad dressing, granola bars, cereals, shakes, protein bars, sports drink etc. Though manufacturers claim to consume it in moderation but limit remains undefined. Actually how much limit is considered moderation?
From day to dawn, on average we consume more than ever this type of sweetener. One of the main reasons behind gaining weight is eating too much of refined sugar and the way our body absorbs it. Studies show that these type of sugars are associated with addiction to the particular food, obesity, various diseases[3]. When we eat natural sweeteners like whole Raw unrefined sugar, Pure Maple syrup, Raw Honey, Raw Agave syrup, Stevia etc, they do not raise our blood sugars like white sugar or High Fructose Corn Syrup and hence mean less toll on digestive system.According to the experts sugars in refined form should be limited to 8 teaspoons or 32 g for a normal person. If you are planning to reduce those extra pounds then eating on these refined and processed sugars is not a good idea.

Sugar Free:

This one has caught a lot of attention over the past few years but does it really help shed those extra pounds?The answer might be better explained by those who use it on regular basis. Dr. Hull better explains it in her book called Sweet Poison where she mentions some dangerous side effects reported to FDA. Few to mention starts from Headaches, Vomiting, Nausea, Mood swings, Seizures, Fatigue and the list goes on [4]. It contains chemicals that make you addicted to the product[4]. All the "diet friendly" products usually contains this type of sugar free sweetener like saccharine, aspartame etc. These artificial sweeteners are excitotoxins that damage the nerve cells [5].

Tip: Check back on ingredients list to see the type of added sugar.

Salt:

In the world of diet and health related issues where the only main focus is upon fats and sugars, the effect of table salt is often neglected. Just like white looking compound is termed as "sugar", the white iodized stuff is called "salt" after chemically treating and heating at high temperatures .The natural Sea salt looks dirty and has high nutritional value. It not only makes the food much tastier but is healthy too.This table salt which is a refined version not only brings whole lot of health issues but excess of sodium means gaining more weight. Many products when are claimed to be low in sodium, do look at their serving size. Some might just reduce the serving size in nutritional info and claim it to be low in sodium. National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine recommends sodium intake daily not exceeding the range of 1,500 and 2,400 milligrams a day for healthy adults.

Check on: Can of soup, Crackers, Cereals, Sports drinks, ketchup, Soy sauce, Broths, Frozen foods, Ready to eat food etc.

Tip: Do look at the sodium content before buying if you were planning to loose some weight on that product. Keep a note of other sodium containing products that you would be eating rest of the day. If possible replace your table salt with good quality sea salt. Celtic salt is even better if you can find it in your health food store.

How to choose smart?

If you wanted to make an orange juice at home all you would do is squeeze the orange and juice it to drink. Ideally the juice should contain pure juice and water if necessary. But look at the ingredients listed on any famous juice box? Obviously most of them you wouldn't even add in your homemade juice. An orange itself would provide calcium, vitamin c and other necessary enzymes (if drank within 15 minutes of juicing). Most of the companies add vitamins and calcium which lures anyone into buying it. All of these added vitamins or fortified calcium is poorly absorbed by the body. As a result it loads up the body with unnecessary toxins . These toxins if explained in simple lanuage are unrecongnised matter by the body and hence stay in blood to give allergies or headaches. Other chemicals like artificial or natural flavors , preservatives, Mono sodium Glutamate (MSG), also form toxins when enter the body. Lesser the toxins mean less the load on our body and a healthier life. Consider putting stones and mulch in your regular hand blender and complaining about broken blades.

Consider these tips before buying anything:

What ever you wanted to buy just read its ingredients list and see what you do not recognize . If there are more than 5 things you do not recognize its better to not buy it.

When you buy anything look for ingredients made with whole grain, natural sweeteners, good oils, No high fructose corn syrup, No Mono Sodium Glutamate(MSG), No partially hydrogenated oils, No preservatives .

References:

1) Guide to Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) Requirements

2) http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/labels.html,

3) Natural Cures "They Don't Want You To Know About" - Kevin Trudeau

4) Sweet Poison- Dr. Janet Starr Hull

5) Excitotoxin- The taste that kills by Russell L. Blaylock