Nutritional Food Labels: Look out!

The great thing about food in todays day and age is that you can see a clear list of ingredients on the label. Although this is great, sometimes it can be hard to understand certain ingredients, or to even identify where they come from. A good rule is that if you can't pronounce something, you probably shouldn't be eating it, but I have come up with a nice list of ingredients to watch out for in order to help protect your health and well-being :)

Also just know that anything that happens in the manufacturing process does not need to be listed on the food label. For example, baby carrots are dipped in bleach to maintain their bright colors, but they don't have to list bleach on the ingredients list because it is part of the manufacturing process. Loop holes I tell you!

Top ingredients to look out for on food labels:

• Hydrogenated Oils (ex: Hydrogenated Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Oil, Vegetable Shortening, Shortening) - The problem with hydrogenated oils is that they help preserve the shelf life of a product, but that means that it also lowers your life span as well! Avoid all hydrogenated oils because they are a trans fat. Also it is good to know that if a food has less than 0.5g per serving of trans fats, they don't have to list it on the ingredient. (products such as skippy peanut butter and circus animal cookies have hydrogenated oils)
• MSG (ex: Monosodium Glutamate, Autolyzed Yeast, Textured Vegetable Protein, Natural Flavorings, Sodium Caseinate) - MSG is very addictive and is harmful to our health. It can cause headaches, nausea, and weakness in the body, as well as not allowing us to absorb the full spectrum of nutrients from foods. A good example of a product that uses it is flaming hot Cheetos. Now I can understand why my cousin always wants to buy them every time we go to the grocery store. MSG has also been popularly used at a lot of Chinese restaurants, so make sure to ask them first. Also know that it doesn't always show up as just MSG on the label, check my ()'s above for all the ingredients it can be found in. 
• High Fructose Corn Syrup (ex: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Fructose, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids) - Corn syrup is genetically modified corn used for it's sweetening abilities at a low cost. Our bodies basically don't even recognize what it is and it can disrupt our hormones, and imbalance our bodies fat. It is incredibly sweet and is in EVERYTHING now a days. Avoid it at all costs because it increases your risk for diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and cancer. 
• Sugars/Artificial Sweeteners (ex: sugar, evaporated cane juice, fructose, sucrose, aspartame, sucralose, rice syrup, saccharine, nutrasweet, sweet n' low, splenda, equal, sorbitol) - The issue with sugar is that is is overly processed, bleached, and not in it's natural state once it reaches that box of cookies you so desperately love. It acts as a poison in the body and can disrupt kidney function and some have even been linked to cancer. Above I have listed many forms that sugar can take on an ingredients list. Most things ending in -ose, are a sugar derivative. Replace conventional sugar in recipes with raw Agave, Molasses, Coconut Sugar, Honey. Theses are all much healthier and more in their natural state. 
• Artificial Colors/Dyes (ex: Red #40, Blue #1) - These have been linked to allergic reactions, asthma, and other health issues. They are usually derived from coal-tar derivatives in order to help enhance the color of food and make it more visually appealing. 
• Benzonate Preservatives  (ex: TBHQ, BHT, BHA) - These preservatives help to keep fats from going rancid in food, but it does come with a price. These have been linked to tumors, asthma, hyperactivity, and estrogen imbalance.
• Bleached Flours (ex: bleached wheat flour, bleached white flour) - Bleached flours are stripped of all nutrients and are only empty calories. Look for foods made with flours that are unbleached and have whole grains. These will be more beneficial to your health!

This isn't a comprehensive list of everything, but a great starting point to help you figure out what is in the food you are eating. If you are unsure about certain ingredients or cannot pronounce them, then it is probably best to avoid it. Eat food in it's most natural state, or make it yourself. Stick to the outer edges of the grocery store, because this is where the freshest and healthiest foods are.

Thanks for reading! Please comment with any other key ingredients that you think may be good to know! :)  

This post is written by Michael.
Adapted from: 
Personal Knowledge
Ingredients to Avoid
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