Reading Food Product Labels For Beginners

#cleaneating #cleaneating #healthyeating #foodlabels #foodtoxins #productlabels #womenshealth Jun 28, 2023

When we adopt eating cleaner and healthier there is a fundamental tool to have in place. That tool is the ability to read labels. Knowing what to look for and avoid, is a must. Especially when beginning the journey of eating more healthy! Here are a few important tips for reading food product labels for beginners.

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Order of Ingredients

The order in which you read the ingredients is very important. The ingredients should be read in the order in which they are written. The ingredient that is most abundant in the product is the very first ingredient. The ingredients are listed from most to least in order of their quantity. That means if sugar is the first ingredient then there is a ton of it. Likewise, if high fructose corn syrup is the third item, then there is still a whole lot!

The Number of Ingredients

Aside from the order of ingredients, you want to also keep in mind how many ingredients are in the product. The golden rule here is the least number of ingredients, the better. The higher the ingredients, the more processed that product will be. If there are 20 ingredients and most of them are too hard to pronounce, you should return them to the shelf. Three to five ingredients identified as food is a good number to strive for. Look out for harmful ingredients added to the products including; preservatives, additives, and chemicals. These are all added to increase shelf life, alter the color, and enhance flavor.

Watch out for “Misleading” Product Ingredients

Sometimes harmful ingredients will be disguised as a scientific-sounding name. These names can make consumers believe that they are acceptable and/or healthy. For example, hydrogenated vegetable oil. You think that because the word vegetable is in there, it must be good, right? Actually, this is another term for trans fat, which is the worst type of fat to consume. To learn more about fats and the balance of your plate, check out this article.

Understanding Chemical Names and Acronyms

This becomes important. When you have the following on the product list, you can immediately conclude the product is not the best choice and is highly processed and/or toxic. None of these will serve your body and overall health.

Preservatives

BHT- used to stabilize fat and preserve flavors, colors, and smells.
BHA- this prevents fats from going rancid
TBHQ- extends shelf life

There are numerous preservatives used in labels, but these are the biggies and most worrisome.

Colors and Dyes

Typically numbered and can be spotted easily. Examples include Blue #1 and #2, red #40, yellow #5, etc. If the color cannot be circled back to its natural composition. The color did not originate from the natural state of the food. You can then assume it was chemically altered. This is quite common in children’s cereal and snacks!

Artificial Sweeteners

These are notorious for causing a boatload of health issues. Found in artificial sweeteners, Aspartame is the most common. Some of the most common ones are Acesulfame-K, Aspartame, Equal®, NutraSweet®, saccharin, Sweet’n Low®, Sucralose, Splenda®, and Sorbitol.

I can’t say this enough about artificial sweeteners. They are completely toxic to your body. Stay away from them!

Fat-Free

Beware of foods labeled non-fat, low-fat, and fat-free. They generally contain substitute chemicals, including artificial sweeteners. When the natural fat in food is removed, a substitution will be added. This is likely to contain not only chemicals but added calories and simple carbs. Fat is what makes you feel full. When you remove it, you are likely to eat more! Additionally, if you are not getting enough fats, you will likely crave more carbs.

Watch the Serving Size

When we read labels and see certain ingredients, we may dismiss the items listed. Why? Because the percentage appears minimal. For example, let’s take a cookie. If we look at the label and see less than 1 gram of trans fat or 90 calories, then it appears it is okay. However, the serving size is one cookie. Most of the time, we will at least consume 2, if not more. This begins to add up. Less than 1 gram, or 90 calories, is a marketing point.

It tricks consumers into believing that it’s really not so bad. Trans fat, is the fat that you should avoid. The kicker is this. It is legal for a product to be labeled as “no trans fat” if it has 0.5 g or less of trans fat per serving. Again, how many servings are you consuming?

Certified vs Non-Certified Labels

Sometimes there can be confusion when it comes to what labels mean. To clarify, these types of labels basically tell the consumers where and how the food was grown. They tell us what animals are eating when being raised. They also tell us the environmental impact generated. And lastly, what was or not used in harvesting. In the end, companies want you to believe that the food is healthy for you. Here is the differentiation between the certified labels and the non-certified labels.

Certified Labels

A certified label means they are tested and approved. Choose these as often as possible.

Grass-fed—Implies that the animals spend their lives on pasture eating what nature intended. They are not treating them with hormones or antibiotics. They are not fed unnatural grain. This becomes problematic because all cattle eat grass. What constitutes “grass-fed” is not being well defined. In recent years, the USDA dropped its official definition of grass-fed. This has made it easy to make “grass-fed” more of a marketing label. Rather than it being certified. The American Grass-fed Association is an organization that has developed its own independent grass-fed certification. They stepped in and better described the “grass-fed” definition than the USDA. According to Biological Capital, that definition is on four main areas of production. Those are diet, confinement, antibiotics and hormones, and origin. This certification covers cattle born and raised in the US. These cattle have only been fed grass. And, they forage from weaning until harvest. They are raised on a pasture without confinement. And, never treated with antibiotics or growth hormones. (2)

Organic-in order for animal meat and dairy to be labeled “organic,” the animal must never have been given the following: antibiotics, hormones, or GMO grasses. Likewise, with plants, the treatment cannot include any chemicals. Those chemicals being as follows: additives, synthetics, pesticides, or genetically engineered substances.

GMO-Free/Non-GMO/Non-GMO Project Certified—Produced without the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Naturally Grown—Reserved for food produced on small farms. These farms abide by the USDA Certified Organic methods of growing and selling locally.

Non-MSG- Products that are given the non-MSG seal if they do not contain any monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Gluten-Free- Products that contain the gluten-free seal. This once their status as a gluten-free product is confirmed by the manufacturer. (1)

Non-Certified Labels

No Hormones Administered/No Hormones/Hormone-Free—When seen on beef, this is positive. However, it can often be misleading. This is because the USDA prohibits using hormones when raising hogs or poultry in the United States. Therefore, beef may have this label.

Free-Range or Free-Roaming—Birds raised in this manner can go outdoors to engage in natural behaviors. However, birds are allowed 5 minutes of open-air access a day. This is to meet USDA requirements.

Pasture-Fed/Pasture-Raised—This indicates that animals are raised with humane treatment. They will have higher levels of micronutrients. For beef, labels must also read “organic” and “grass-fed” for this to really matter. This assures that the animals were not fed the following: GMO grains, grasses, corn, or soy.

Natural— This one is tricky. It indicates that the product does not contain the following: any artificial flavorings, color ingredients, chemical preservatives. Nor does it contain artificial or synthetic ingredients. Sometimes this is a misnomer. There is no way for you to know how a particular product was grown and harvested. For example, you may have natural strawberry flavoring added. But we don’t know how that strawberry is grown. Do they grow them using GMOs, pesticides, or herbicides?

Minimally processed—A process that does not fundamentally alter the raw product. As good as this sounds, this is not a certified label. However, it could still be true, nonetheless. Look for the certified organic label.

Antibiotic-Free or Raised Without Antibiotics—Meat and poultry carrying these labels must not have had any antibiotics administered during the animal’s lifetime. Look for this label combined with certified organics labels.

Other Non-Certified Labels

Cage-Free—Implies that hens laying eggs not caged inside barns or warehouses. It does not mean the hens have access to the outdoors. It means they may be able to walk, nest, or spread their wings.

Certified Humane Raised and Handled—Animals raised for dairy, lamb, poultry, and beef products are treated in a humane manner. They are without growth hormones or antibiotics.

Farmed Seafood or Fish Farming—Involves raising fish commercially in tanks or other enclosures. These fish are artificially raised. They are not wild caught in their natural habitat. Good to stay clear of this.

Wild-Caught Seafood—Applies to seafood caught in their natural habitats by fisheries. Again, this can be true and is better than farm-raised. However, it is not a certified label and is used more for marketing.

No Additives—Implies a product (or packaging) is not enhanced with the addition of natural or artificial ingredients. You will need to read the label more. This will tell you what you’re actually consuming.

The bottom line is that the best nutrition doesn’t come in a packaged box. So, don’t rely on labels for your nutritional intake. Instead, focus on getting the large majority of your macronutrients and micronutrients from whole food. Food that grows on Mother Nature’s earth. Be sure to read the labels. Educate yourself before purchasing packaged food. It’s your best way to ensure your optimal health.