Check Your Ingredients!

For optimum health, it's important to know what you're putting in your body. The best way to get an accurate picture of what you're consuming is to read food labels and check out the ingredients. 

Food manufacturers are required to list all ingredients on the label. They are listed in order of the ingredients used in the greatest amount first, followed in descending order by those in smaller amounts. You should always check the ingredient list to see what is in your food. 

Here are the most important things to look for: 

The fewer the items the better

If the list of ingredients is short, it is less likely that the product is full of additives, preservatives or artificial ingredients.

Find the names of ingredients you recognize

You know what onion, carrot and lentil mean. Do you know what, "sorbitan monostearate" is? If you don't recognize the ingredient, the food is probably processed & probably not the healthiest choice.

Avoid artificial ingredients

If you see the word "artificial," steer clear. If you see any numbers on the ingredient list, most likely it contains artificial colors.

Limit sweeteners

Avoid natural and artificial sweeteners such as: sucrose (sugar), glucose, fructose, sorbitol, mannitol, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K), neotame.

Look for whole grains

"Wheat" and "Enriched Wheat" are processed. If you want the whole grain, the ingredient label needs to say "whole wheat."

Avoid "fake" fibers

Food manufactures add isolated fibers to their products, simply so that they can claim that their products are high in fiber. However, these isolated fibers do not provide the same benefits as intact fiber, which is naturally present in whole foods (fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains). "Isolated" or "fake" fibers include: inulin, maltodextrin, oat fiber, polydextrose.