Lonneke Lessons: 5 Dangerous Labels To Avoid!
When you walk into a grocery store, you see all those brightly colored and shiny cereal boxes and soda cans! All with slogans claiming “zero calories,” “low-fat” and “with added vitamins.” If everything looks so healthy, why is a majority of the population so overweight? Manufacturers are so good with word choices that they mislead people into buying their products. For example, “low fat” might mean really “high sugar.” And sugars also make you overweight. I can talk for hours about this, but I will give you 5 terms to watch out for on the ingredient lists–things that are NOT healthy, and show up in many of our foods today. You’re in charge! Especially if you want to still fit into that Versace dress!
1.
HYDROGENATED ….oil. (partially) Hydrogenated means they make liquid oil solid. This is mostly done with vegetable oils because it’s cheaper than animal oils for production of food. Basically, they make unsaturated fats into saturated fats. But with this process, also trans fat is created, and we all know that causes heart disease and raises your LDL (bad cholesterol). Not only is that unhealthy, it’s deadly.
2
HIGH FRUCTOSE ….syrup, especially high fructose corn syrup. It’s a cheap sweetener, and you can find it in most foods targeted at children. It’s not good for your blood sugar levels, as it gives you a boost, and then a sudden drop. That’s why some kids are uncontrollable on those foods! Choose things sweetened with fruit juice instead, or with Stevia, brown rice syrup or agave. Some say evaporated cane juice is better because it doesn’t undergo the same processes as sugar, so it has more nutritional value. No real sugar, aspartame, sucralose or other of those fake sugars!
3. Anything
CONCENTRATED or
ENRICHED. This means they take out all the nutritious ingredients, and if you are lucky, put chemical vitamins and minerals back in. Not good for you at all!
4.
ARTIFICIALLY flavored or colored. Chemicals are used. Yikes, that sounds gross!
5.
ALL NATURAL doesn’t mean no bad chemicals have been added. It DOES NOT mean organic, or without bad additives. You need to read the ingredient list more to find out if it is good for you.
Remember: fresh and organic food choices are always best, because food that keeps for a long time usually has (bad) additives. But reading food labels is your best path towards better health. So check everything you put in your mouth!
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