Do You Know What’s in Your Food?

By Jamie Kaun

I grew up eating a lot of processed and unhealthy foods. My single mother worked a lot to support her three kids and meals were often something that could be microwaved or required little prep. Unhealthy heavily processed foods are convenient and often more affordable than “clean” fresh fruits, vegetables and meats. But as we know, they are often not nutritious and don’t provide the best fuel for our bodies.

As an adult, I started learning more about what’s in food, what’s healthy and what’s not, chemicals and other preservatives in our food and so much more. And then, of course, there’s the big debate over whether organic fruits, veggies, dairy, and meats are more nutritious and beneficial for your health. The amount of information available in books and magazines, documentaries, online and other resources is overwhelming for most of us, really.

And although I’ve become much more educated on what’s in our food, how many other countries have stricter rules than the United States on what is permitted in food and much more, that much of it really comes down to is simple…read food labels and determine what you’re comfortable eating and the choices you feel are best for your own families.

The American Heart Association has a simple explanation of how to read food labels, including the serving size, nutritional information and more.

Some things to keep in mind when reading labels:

• Ingredients – Ensure what’s in the product is what you want to put in your body. Ingredients are listed in quantity from highest to lowest, so the higher on the list an item is, the more of that item is in the product. If a product has more than 2-3 lines of ingredients, chances are, it is a highly processed food.
• Serving size –Many items that appear as if they are likely one serving contain multiple servings and you may be ingesting more calories, fat, etc. than you realize.
• Label claims – words like light, no added sugar, multigrain, natural and more may lead you to believe you’re eating a healthful food. Be aware that foods marked “light” may have added sugars or other filler to enhance the taste. “No added sugar” foods may be naturally high in sugar. “Multigrain” (unless it says whole grain) just means there’s a mix of grains, which are likely refined. “Natural” could simply mean there’s at least one ingredient from a natural source.
• Sugar – Sugar sources go by many names and you may consume more sugar than you realize. If it has sugar or corn syrup in the name, it’s pretty easy to spot. But forms of sugar often used that don’t specifically say “sugar” include honey, agave nectar, barley malt, molasses, cane juice, lactose, fruit juice concentrate, glucose, maltodextrin, and maltose among others. 
• Dyes–Food dyes, such as red #40, yellow #5 and yellow #6 are just a few of the dyes used in foods. Whether or not they can cause cancer or hyperactivity in some children is controversial.

Reading food labels can be time-consuming when you are grocery shopping, but once you become more aware of what’s in foods you often purchase, it will go more quickly and the effects of making wiser choices can last a lifetime!

Want to learn more about real food and healthy recipes for the entire family? Check out 100 Days of Real Food and Weelicious