So, continuing on with the discussion about reading food labels. I think it's important to realize that the way food is processed and made has been changing over the years. We need to take time when shopping to read the labels so we know what's in the food we're buying (and eating/feeding to our families).
A good summary to examine is the % Daily Value section of the label. Based upon a 2,000 per day calorie diet, this % daily value of a food tells you how much this food meets that daily requirement.
It's important to check on the serving size that the % Daily Value summary is based on. It will be clearly listed on the container. For example, it might be one cup of a cold breakfast cereal. That will be the portion that the % daily value is figured on.
It's unbelievable, but there are over 300 food chemicals that are used in processed foods today. With that in mind, here's a list of 12 - 15 that I think are the most important to avoid:
sodium nitrite/sodium nitrate
BHA/BHT
propyl gallate
MSG
Aspartame/Acesulfame-K
food colorings: Blue 1, Red 3, Green 3, Yellow 6
olestra
potassium bromate
high fructose corn syrup/white sugar
sodium benzoate
artificial flavoring
You can do more reading on your own to learn more about hazardous food additives. I trust Dr. Mercola's advice and research, so I'm including a link to one of his articles on this topic here.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/06/24/12-food-additives-to-avoid.aspx
In summary, realizing that the way food is processed and made has changed greatly over the last 5 years means we need to food shop with caution. Take your time andslow down while shopping in order to read the food labels carefully. Avoid as many dangerous food additives as possible---use this list or do some research and make your own. Take that list with you when you shop, so you can refer to it if you need to. Then you'll be in a good position to shop for the healthiest food for you and your loved ones. Good health to you!
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