Food Labels
Translating Labels
Today, as a Saturday, there is no new task or video. Below are explanations of common labels you will see throughout your local grocery. You'll soon know how to read and translate labels and be a smart shopper!
General Guidelines
Look at the ingredients list; there should be around six or fewer ingredients, and you should understand what each ingredient is.
Look for what the product DOES contain rather than what it DOES NOT contain.
Look for the deceiving phrases “Good Source Of” and “Made with.” These labels can distract you from nasty ingredients.
Labels That Don’t Mean Sh*t
"Natural"
The FDA has no formal definition of “natural”; therefore, foods labeled "natural" have no real restrictions. These foods are just as likely as any other foods to contain chemicals and ingredients detrimental to your health.
"Multi-Grain"
Multi-Grains simply means that the products contain more than one type of grain. It has no reference to how much or how processed it is. Multi-grains are most likely refined grains that quickly become sugars in your GI system. Don’t confuse “Multi-Grain” with “Whole Grain.”
"Fortified"/ "Enriched"
Fortified or enriched foods have had synthetic vitamins added to them. This sounds great, right?! Not really.
Our bodies do not process these vitamins made in a lab like naturally occurring vitamins.
For example, most vitamins and minerals need cofactors, another nutrient required for breakdown and utilization. For example, vitamin D must have calcium to absorb. These cofactors are not always present in fortified foods.
Secondly, the type of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) added to fortified and enriched foods are determined by the food corporations, who leave out a huge portion of nutrients. If you’re interested in this topic, read this article to learn more.
"Light"
Restrictions on using the word “light” are imprecise. It can simply mean that it “tastes light” or is light in color, and it does not mean the product is lower in fat or calories.
Eggs Labels
Farm Fresh: no regulated meaning
Organic: chickens eat organic corn (an unnatural diet)
Vegetarian: (Chickens eating corn. an unnatural diet)
Cage Free: Raised in chicken houses. They do not see daylight.
Free Range/ Free Roaming: Raised in chicken houses, sometimes with a small outside area they are encouraged not to go through with the help of strong fans. They usually do not see daylight.
Pasture- Raised with Certified Humane label: Chickens mostly live outside, eating a natural diet of bugs and plants. The only naturally raised and fed egg!
-THIS- article explains egg labels more in-depth
Labels That Mean Something...Sometimes
Low Fat
When fat is removed from a product, it loses taste. To replace this lost taste, sugar is added. Check the sugar and fake sweetener content on low-fat foods. And remember that healthy fats aren’t bad for you anyway!
Low Sugar/ No Sugar Added
When you see a label advertising “no sugar added,” go straight to the nutrition label to look at the sugar content.
No sugar added orange juice= 22g sugar/ serving
No sugar added ocean spray= 30g sugar/ serving
Keep in mind that the recommended sugar intake is 24g/day for women and 36g/day for men.
Look for and stay away from artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame ones (NutrasweetⓇ& EqualⓇ).
Stevia should be the only natural sweetener that you consume.
Organic
Organic Produce
Farmers must adhere to strict guidelines like using non-synthetic fertilizers to display the organic label. Organic produce is always the better option. It has less pesticides and higher micronutrients.
Organic and Processed
Processed foods labeled organic don’t necessarily mean they are healthy. Cereal, for example, can be labeled as organic but still consists mostly of processed carbs, sugar, and synthetic vitamins.
Organic Animal Products
While organic meat must only be fed organic feed, they still eat an unnatural diet of grains. The compositions of nutrients and good and bad fat change drastically depending on the animal’s diet.
Gluten-Free
A Gluten-free or GF label doesn’t mean it's necessarily healthy. A wheat substitute, like rice or almond flour, while not having the detrimental effects of wheat, still has little nutritional value. Potato chips are gluten-free but fried in inflammatory vegetable oils. Gluten-free cookies are gluten-free but loaded with sugar.
Whole Wheat
While whole wheat may be included in the ingredients list, how far down is it on the ingredients list? Make sure it is #1!
Wheat is a very common food trigger for immune diseases and sensitivities. While wheat does have fiber, there are many other sources of fiber out there that might be better suited to you.
Non-GMO
There is nothing inherently wrong with GMO crops. The contrast comes into play when you examine how non-GMO and GMO crops are raised. GMO crops are produced to be resistant to herbicides. And since they are resistant, they are then doused with harmful herbicides, which end up in our bodies.
Only 10 GMO crops are grown in the United States, BUT they comprise a large percentage of commercial foods. Most GMO plants make ingredients used in other food products, like sugar, corn, and canola oil.
- Sugar Beets: Used to make granulated sugar, are GMO 99.9% of the time
- Corn: GMO 92% of the time
- Cotton: GMO 94% of cotton of the time. It is used for cotton products, while the seeds feed industrial-raised animals, and the oil is sold for frying.
- Alfalfa: Alfalfa is GMO and used to feed industrial-raised animals
Labels That DO Have Meaning
With Beef:
“Grass Fed” (not “Grass-finished,” which means the animals were only put onto pasture the last few months of their life)
With Fish:
Look for: “Wild Caught”
For Eggs:
Look for: “Pasture Raised”
For Produce:
Local is always best, as you can learn about the farm's practices.
References:
-THIS- article is a straightforward read on misleading food labels