Food labels

Let’s face it, a lot of food labels look very pretty. Photos of fruit and vegetables abound. Words like “natural”, “whole” and “healthy” appear in large letters. It’s safe to say that in many cases they are used rather loosely by marketers. But that is their great skill – to present the best possible “package” for their product while staying within the law.

As always, it’s buyer beware. And with food that means getting out the reading glasses and picking up the package. Federal regulations vary from country to country but in Canada certain nutritional information must be disclosed on the food label. At a glance you can determine calories, sodium content, percentage of fat, trans-fat content, and the major ingredients. As a rule, processed products are not very healthy. They are invariably high in sodium, unhealthy fat and usually sugar. This doesn’t mean you can never eat them but they should not constitute the majority of your diet.

Perhaps you have heard the adage to “shop the outside aisles and ignore the middle” of a grocery store. Generally the perimeter aisles have short shelf life products like fresh fruit and vegetables, meats, and dairy while the middle rows contain the canned and bottled products that are built to age gracefully. And how do they achieve that fountain of youth? Additives. Better living through chemicals, as the old commercials used to say. Well, our new commercial would say, “ Not if your objective is better health”.

Clearly the best advice is to eliminate processed foods from your diet whenever possible. It’s not as hard as you think. I mean, the stuff in those cans was real food once. And chances are can still be found in one of the fresh departments. And often less expensively. Canned soup is a perfect example. Boiled water with some vegetables, a small amount of meat (or not) and a sprinkle of herbs. Easy. Simple. Quick. Healthy. And totally unnecessary to buy in a can.

Here’s a list of words that you don't want to see on your food labels..”

Saturated fats – found in meat and animal byproducts (butter, cheese, ice cream) as well as some plants (coconut and it’s products). These are fats that stay solid at room temperature and should be eaten in great moderation.

Trans-fats – bad, very bad. They raise the bad cholesterol and lower the good = a quick trip to high blood pressure and heart attack. Found in margarine, vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated oils and many commercially baked goods.

Hydrogenated – an industrial process that stabilizes oils and makes them unfit for healthy human consumption. See trans-fats above.

Refined – the product has been “improved” to the point that it has little or no nutritive value.

Aspertame –suspected negative side effects; be on the safe side and use an alternative like stevia or sucrolose.

Acesulfame K – a sweetener; you don’t need it.

Saccharin – another artificial sweetener; you don’t need it.

Artificial coloring – possible negative side effects; studies are inconclusive. But there are no benefits, so avoid when possible.

MSG – a flavor enhancer that can produce a wide array of negative side effects. Often used in the preparation of Asian food, avoid if possible.

Sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate – used to preserve meat. Limit consumption of processed meats, which are very high in saturated fat anyway, and carcinogenic risk is reduced.

Sulfites – act as a preservative; often produce allergic reactions in people.

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