In my previous post I taught you the importance of not getting caught up with fancy packaging and food labels. The most important thing to look at before buying a product is the nutrition information and the list of ingredients. Here are 3 (of 10) ingredients that you should AVOID along with a brief explanation of why.

Diet sodas contain both artificial sweeteners and dyes

Acesulfame K: This artificial sweetener is found in gum, instant coffee, pudding and other sweet products. Initial studies have indicated an increased occurrence of cancer in animals, which means that humans are most likely at risk too. It’s always better to stick to natural sweeteners like honey or stevia.

Artificial colorings: Although that pink yogurt might look tastier than its white counterpart, the synthetic dye that produces the pigmentation has been recently proven to be a carcinogen. Artificial dyes are put into many products, such as sodas, juices, popsicles and other snack foods. It might sound like artificial colorings are impossible to avoid, but try to think of the food in its original form. If you have never seen a neon blue raspberry bush or orange milk coming out of a cow to produce orange cheese, you probably don’t want to be drinking blue raspberry drinks or eating orange cheese. Food labels are required to list any dyes used, so be sure to look at the list of ingredients to be sure.

Aspertame/ Equal/ NutraSweet: Used as an artificial sweetener in diet sodas and other low calorie sweets, these sugar substitutes can cause headaches, dizziness and an increased risk of certain cancers. They have become popular because they are lower in calories than sugar and honey, but need to be avoided. Not only do they cause health problems, but by consuming them you are actually training your taste buds to crave sweets more and more.

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As we walk down the aisles of the grocery store today we are bombarded with brightly colored packages that advertise thirty percent less fat, no high fructose corn syrup and zero grams of trans fat. Nowadays even Girl Scout cookies advertise zero grams of trans fat. That makes them healthy, right? WRONG! There are certain buzz words that the media has conditioned the average consumer to try to avoid, such as high fructose syrup, trans fat, saturated fat and MSG. But not having these additives in your foods doesn’t necessarily make them healthy. Sometimes it feels like you need a degree in nutrition to truly eat healthy.

Here are a few quick and simple tips to help you decide what to buy:

1. Don’t get caught up with the bright advertisements on the front of the package. Manufacturers have a way of highlighting the positive aspects of their product and hiding the negative things when designing their packaging. Instead of focusing on the front of the package, turn it over and look at the list of ingredients and nutrition information.
2. When looking at the list of ingredients you don’t need to be an expert. If you see a list of ingredients that is longer than your weekly grocery list, it’s probably best to put it back on the shelf. Next, actually read the list of ingredients. If there are more than a couple of ingredients that you do not recognize and can’t pronounce, put it back and step away!
3. It is also important to look at the nutrition information. The top half of the chart lists calories, fat, sodium and other things you generally want to see low percentages of. The bottom half of the chart lists fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals; things you want to see a lot of.

These are just a few guidelines to help with your next trip to the grocery store. In my next post I will go over specific additives to avoid and why.