Label or Ingredients?
I went grocery shopping with a client today and they asked me a question:
“Should I look at then nutritional label or the list of ingredients?”
Because our food supply is so layered I suggest you start with the ingredient list.
Here are the Five Tests to give each food:
1.How many ingredients does the food have? If there are more than 5-6 ingredients, consider re-evaluating your food choice, since the more ingredients the more processed the food will be.
2.Does the food contain omega 6 oils (ones that have a pro-inflammatory effect in the body)? Omega 6 oils are corn, soybean, cottonseed, safflower, sunflower, vegetable. Avoid these omega 6 oils and canola oil as well since it is more than likely a genetically modified and contains trans fats.
3.Does the food contain sugar or other names for sugar such as sucrose, dextrose, maltose, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup or Agave? A small amount of 100% cane or honey is acceptable.
4.Does the food contain non-nutritive or fake sugars such as aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, sorbitol? These fake sugars are many times sweeter than sugar and can increase hunger and insulin resistance.
5.Does the food contain MSG (or sources of it), multiple preservatives or additives? If so, re-evaluate your food choice.
If the food passes the Five Tests it is probably safe to buy and eat. You can then check the label to make sure it contains less than 15-20 grams of total carbohydrates per serving to keep your carb intake in check. Lastly, check the levels of sodium to make sure it is less than 500 mg. per serving.
This list is not completely fool-proof but can start you on the path to cleaner eating.
