How to Understand What is in Your Food |
Posted: December 11, 2017 |
How to Understand What is in Your Food Every day, the average person in the United States consumes over 2,000 calories of food. This includes everything from the coffee we drink in the morning to the late-night snack we have before going to bed. However, many people don't understand how the food choices we make impact the health of our bodies. Each calorie that we consume serves as a source of energy and as a building block for our body. If we don't provide our bodies with healthy calories, it's not possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The following guide provides simple tips and tricks on how to understand what is in your food. Look at The List of Ingredients The best way to understand what's in your food is by looking at the list of ingredients on the back. Under U.S. law, food manufacturers are required to list all ingredients (excluding flavorings and some spices) on the back of a food container. This listing is organized based on the quantity of each ingredient. The ingredient with the highest amount in a food product is listed first, while the ingredient with the least amount in a food product is listed last. For example, on a box of cookies, the first ingredient you may see listed is wheat flour, while the last ingredient is carrageenan, a type of binder. Look at a bag of grated cheese. The final ingredient listed on many labels is something called cellulose. Cellulose may seem like a strange ingredient to have in cheese. In fact, cellulose is made from wood pulp. However, it plays an important (and safe) role in the cheese you consume. Cellulose, at its core, is a type of plant fiber that helps ensure that grated cheese doesn't stick together. Does Natural Mean Healthy? In other situations, ingredients that are listed as natural may not necessarily be healthy for us. Many people know that hot dogs are made from highly processed meat, so they may try to avoid eating hot dogs that contain artificial binders and fillers. In many cases, hot dogs feature nitrates and nitrites as preservatives. These chemicals help prevent the spoilage of hotdog meat, ensuring it is fresh when it reaches the consumer. Unfortunately, nitrates and nitrites have been associated with some types of colon cancer. Because of this, many people try to limit their intake of these chemicals. Some hot dog manufacturers have come out with a new line of hotdog products that don't have nitrates or nitrites. They achieved this by adding a new ingredient called celery extract. However, there is something big that these companies aren't telling you: Celery extract is essentially a pure form of nitrates. Even though it's a plant-based source of nitrates, it still carries the same level of health risks as artificially-produced nitrates. Conclusion When looking at ingredients, the best way to ensure you're eating a safe food product is to look for items that have as few ingredients as possible. If a food label has 30 or 40 ingredients, it can be difficult to understand what each ingredient is. On the other hand, a food label with only 10 or 15 ingredients is easier to understand. It's also less likely to contain as many unhealthy additives or fillers that could contribute towards poor health.
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