Coach❤️Theah 4 top tips for reading food labels. Don't let food labels fool you, learn these 4 top tips and tricks to become a label detective and avoid toxic ingredients.
Food labels can be misleading. Many food products make health claims to lure you into buying.
Just because a product is labeled "natural" or "healthy," doesn't mean it is!
Luckily, once you know the right tricks, it's easy to sort out the junk from the good stuff.
Simple tips for reading food labels
❤️Scan the first 3 ingredients. Ingredients are listed from highest to lowest - so the first few will make up the bulk of what's you're eating.
❤️Avoid anything hard to pronounce. If it looks like it belongs in a science textbook, it doesn't belong in your body.
❤️Stay away from long ingredient lists. If the ingredient list is a mile long, the food is ultra processed.
❤️Focus on whole foods. They don't need an ingredients list, so there's less guesswork.
Sneaky Ingredients to Avoid
❌ADDED FLAVORS ~ Monosodium glutamate (MSG) ~ Aspartame ~ Sucralose ~Saccharin Acesulfame ~potassium ~Yeast extract~ Natural flavors ~Artificial flavors
If you see any product with "natural flavors", put it back!
The only rule regarding natural flavors is that they must originate from something natural. After that, you can alter the flavor any way you want using chemicals. This is done by 3rd party companies and by scientists in a lab. Don't ask these food companies what's in their natural flavors because they don't actually know! There is a ton of research available online. Just start searching for it.
PRESERVATIVES
Nitrates
Nitrites
BHA (Butylated hydroxy anisole)
BHT (Butylated hydroxytoluene)
Potassium bromate
Propyl paraben
EMULSIFIERS Carrageenan ~ Maltodextrin ~ Polysorbate 80 (PS80) Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) ~ Soy lecithin ~Xanthan gum ~ Polyglycerols
ADDED COLORS All added colors should be avoided (especially Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3) Titanium dioxide (color additive)
Organic vs Non-GMO - Know the difference
Organic food is non-GMO, but non-GMO food isn’t necessarily organic
❤️USDA Organic regulations prohibit any GMO ingredients in a certified organic product.
❤️Organic crops cannot be grown with synthetic pesticides.
❤️Glyphosate (Roundup) is prohibited on organic crops
❤️Organic ingredients aren’t processed with the neurotoxin hexane.
❤️Organic crops are prohibited from being fertilized with sewage sludge (biosolids) which is literally the treated waste that’s flushed down the toilet, and waste from hospitals and industry. This waste can be contaminated with heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, pathogens, dioxins, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides.
❤️Organic animals aren’t fattened up with growth-promoting antibiotics or growth-promoting drugs, like ractopamine.
❌Non-GMO crops can be grown the same as conventional crops and can still be laden with toxic pesticide residue.
👎Non-GMO crops (such as non-organic wheat and non-organic oats) can be sprayed pre-harvest with Roundup. This herbicide accumulates in your body the more you are exposed to it and is linked to cancer.
❌Hexane is used in the processing of many conventional oils (soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil) and also some additives such as soy lecithin, soy protein, and textured vegetable protein. Testing has found hexane residues in some of these ingredients, even if they’re not GMO.
This is why Non-GMO labels isn't Enough!
With organic food, you’ll automatically avoid most of the “Terrible 10” ingredients
Chemicals like synthetic preservatives, artificial colors, synthetic pesticides, growth hormones and antibiotics are not used in organic food! These chemicals can lead to hyperactivity in children, allergies, skin issues, and even worse.
When possible, buy Organic non-GMO foods
Apps & Resources
NON-GMO PROJECT SHOPPING GUIDE (www.nongmoproject.org)
This app provides shoppers with a guide to non-GMO products.
GMO CHECKER App
This app identifies products that are organic, vegan, gluten free and GMO free.
FRUIT CHECKER App
Fruit Checker is a PLU reader which confirms whether products are certified organic, conventional or genetically modified. With certain products this app will also tell you where the product was grown.
Coach❤️Theah Tips:
❤️ Do "YOU" ~ and surround yourself by people who support your choices
❤️ Find time to prioritize and make "YOU" important
❤️ Reach out or find someone who can support and encourage you
❤️ Plan your goals, write them down and track your progress
You can reach me at coachtheah@gmail.com for any help, customized plans or more information.