I decided to write about how to read food labels after my own slip-up the other day (more on that later). I have to admit that my reading of food labels and ingredients lists verges on obsession. Years ago, it was because I was looking at food labels to make sure they had no fat and as few calories as possible. Back then
, I particularly liked to buy all of my lunches in packets so I could keep a record of my fat and calorie intake. My favourite was the tuna sandwiches from Boots the Chemist - the extra thin slices of bread and really low fat fillings meant I could eat 1.5 rounds of sandwiches (3 slices of bread) and kid myself I was eating more than I really was.
Nowadays, I check food labels and ingredients lists for very different reasons. You see, when I first realised 12 years ago that my tuna sandwich had about 55 ingredients, most of which my body didn't recognise as food, I knew it was no wonder that I had digestive problems, ongoing bloating, lethargy and spent half my week on the highs and lows of the sugar cravings rollercoaster.
To help you with upgrading your diet to include more real, natural food and crowd out the highly processed food that lines our shelves, use my three-step checklist to help you on how to read food labels. It may feel like a pain at the beginning, but it doesn't take long before you can scan those food labels like a pro!
How to read food labels: 3- step checklist
1. How many ingredients?
I like to aim for a maximum of five ingredients in anything I buy. If it's got more than five, it tends to mean that there's stuff in there I don't want to eat - artificial ingredients, preservatives, or names I've never even heard of. If it's got less than five, it's far more likely to be heading towards the real and natural end of the spectrum. You don't have to be totally 'black and white' about this, but using the magical number five helps to bring your awareness to exactly what's in the packet of food you may be about to put in your shopping trolley.
2. Do I recognise the names?
The next thing I do is a quick scan of the ingredients on the list. Sure, there are weird and exotic herbs and spices that I've never heard of that may appear on there, but if I don't know what the ingredient is then usually it doesn't get any further than the supermarket aisle. Manufacturers are great at tricking consumers with their deceptive ingredients lists, so it's worth educating yourself about some of the tricks of the trade (see below).
3. Does it have added sugar or any other sugar substitute?
The final step in how to read food labels is checking to see if there's any added sugar or sugar substitute. Over the years sugar has been a manufacturer's favourite addition to our food and, nowadays, it takes a disciplined label watcher to ensure they're not getting an extra helping of sugar with everything they eat.
Even someone as obsessive as me about labels can slip up on this one! The other day I bought a trusted brand of yoghurt called "Macro". Macro used to be the health food shop in Sydney, but it was bought out by Woolworths a few years ago. However, it's still the 'health brand' within Woolworths, so when I saw a Macro Organic Natural Yoghurt with nothing else on the front of the label, I presumed it was a typical natural yoghurt with nothing added. I tucked into a bowl of it a day or so later and was pleasantly surprised to taste how sweet it was.
I actually thought to myself that my palate had really changed as now I was enjoying natural yoghurt with no added fruit or nuts or anything! But then I thought to check the label. The third ingredient of the four was... organic sugar! I suppose I should feel happy that it was organic sugar, but actually I felt totally duped that even my trusted brand had tricked me. It had 14.5g of sugar per 100g - I usually advise 10g per 100g maximum to our clients and here I was tucking into my not-so-healthy yoghurt with a fair amount of sugar!
The third step then, as well as ALWAYS check the labels even if you think you're safe, is to look for added sugar.
Don't get overwhelmed if you're not much of a label reader at the moment, just get started with my 3-step checklist for how to read food labels and you'll know as much as you need to in no time!
0 comments:
Post a Comment