How To Read Food Labels

Reading food labels is important. They tell you everything you need to know about what you are about to eat. You need to know a lot more than just calorie count and sodium content.

Does the label say sugar, fructose, sucrose and honey? Guess what, that means there are four types of sweetener and that could just be in your bread!

You know what should be in bread? Flour, water, yeast, salt and just enough sugar for the yeast to work. So....what does that plastic wrapped loaf of bread you're eating say?

How to read labels is easy:

*The shorter the ingrediant list, the better off you are. Example: your jam should be fruit, sugar, pectin. Why? Because that really IS all you need to make jam!

*The best plan is to avoid anything with partially hydrogenated oil, food dyes or anything you cannot pronounce. Bleached flour, is well, bleached, which can't be good.

Don't worry too much about how to do this, just do it. Paying close attention to what we feed our families & ourselves has never been more important. With genetic foods gaining ground, organic vs non organic, nitrate free et al, food has taken on new significance beyond that of just being fuel.

'Fake Food' is unhealthy, even if it is convient. What price are you really willing to pay to have something fast, cheap and easy?

I hear constantly how expensive it is to eat naturally. It IS more expensive than your regular grocery if you don't know how to shop for a bargain.

Know what's even more expensive? Doctors'. Bills and hosptial visits caused by heart disease, obesity and a host of other food related issues that are currently rampant in several countries.

Here's a recap on what to look for in a label:
*Short list of ingrediants
*Ingrediants you can pronounce
*No food dyes
*Sugar should not be the first ingrediant OR listed more than once
*Avoid fake sweeteners and bleached flour
*Skip the beet sugar for cane sugar

Remember not to stress! Learning anything new can be fun and challenging. Teach your kids to read labels and create a fun game that sets them on a healthy path.

Or if you need help, just give a shout!