Decoding a Nutrition Label

I started this post in November, but for some reason, I never posted it! Silly me. Anyway, this post is to help us decipher our confusing food labels, that are getting more misleading by the second.

Much to my dismay, Prop 37 in California did not pass. I was really hoping that this could have been a catalyst to inspire us all to be more truthful and informed about our food choices. Unfortunately, we have to sort through the misleading information ourselves now.

The reason I'm so upset is not for people like me who are OCD about their groceries, and probably not like you who care enough to still be reading. I'm upset because the vast majority of Americans are not informed. This law would have made it easier for people to understand what they are buying.

People are becoming much more concerned with their health and nutrition, but a lot of products and claims can be misleading. Some of my favorites include: "all natural," "low carb," and "gluten free." These labels trick you into thinking something is healthy, but really, they don't mean much.

Here's what you can do to buy the most healthy products available.

First of all, the easiest way to avoid chemicals and GMOs and other yucky stuff, is to buy organic produce. Nothing bad can get in there!! But let's be real, no one survives on kale alone. Everyone buys packaged products.

This gluten-free craze is one of the worst offenders. If you really do have celiac disease, and your body can't tolerate gluten, then these labels are important to you and do matter. However, most of the world is not gluten free and people think that when they see this label, it means they are eating something healthier, but gluten free versions of certain foods can be worse for you than regular versions. If you are not gluten intolerant, there is no reason to avoid gluten. Gluten is just wheat protein, so things that are made from wheat like bread and pasta have gluten, but they can be a part of your healthy diet (as long as you get the whole wheat kind and not the more processed versions). Food companies are now slapping the "gluten-free" label on everything. Even things that never contained gluten in the first place. This is leading consumers to pick things up that are probably not the healthiest choice, and think, "Oh this must be healthy, it's gluten-free!" If you really do have a gluten sensitivity, there are a lot of breads and grains made from brown rice or quinoa that would be an equally healthy option. Just make sure you're actually choosing a healthy item and not buying it just because it's gluten-free.

A few years ago, everyone got into this low-carb diet frenzy. If you look at what this entails, there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that this can be a healthy, sustainable diet. Carbs are the basis of the healthiest foods there are. Vegetables, fruit, whole grains: CARBS. This diet focused on a high fat, high protein diet. It encouraged eating lots of processed foods and a lot of meat and cheese, and basically that's it. Carbohydrates are not evil. They are actually the only source of fuel that your brain can process. This high-fat diet is also terrible for your heart and your kidneys. A healthy diet is full of vegetables and fruit and the fiber and vitamins in them. What's worse is when you take a food that normally has carbs in it, and you take them out, like they do in the processed foods they created for these diets, they actually have to replace them with artificial ingredients, usually artificial sweeteners (see my previous posts for the dangers of those bad boys), and added fat, sometimes trans fats. Honestly, I'll take good old carbs over processed, artificially sweetened, trans-fatty crap any day.

And here's where Prop 37 would have come in. The "all natural" label. Basically right now, if something says "all natural" it means absolutely nothing. It could come straight from the factory to the grocery store shelves never actually seeing the sun and still end up with an all natural label. The only things that can't be added to food for it to be considered all natural by the USDA and the FDA are artificial coloring and artificial flavors. However, most "natural" flavors, are not really very natural. This label also gives no indication of how the product was made before it was processed. For example, meat that was given antibiotics or that was feeding on GMO corn can be labeled all natural. Produce that was doused in chemical pesticides and sprayed with food wax can be labeled all natural. The only way to know if what you are eating is really natural, is to read the label and know your products. Check the labels for anything you can't pronounce. If you can't say it, they probably didn't grow it. Also, buying organic products eliminates a lot of these harmful ingredients.

Speaking of organic, there are some confusing terms when it comes to these labels too. "100% organic" means that all of the ingredients have been certified organic and all of the processing follows the USDA"s guidelines for preparing the food. "Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are certified organic and the processing follows the USDA guidelines. "Made with organic ingredients" means that at least 70% of the ingredients are organic. Any amount less than 70% can only be listed on the ingredient label as organic.

I know this is really confusing, and I know it can be expensive to buy everything 100% organic, but there are a couple shortcuts. And remember that while it may seem expensive now, keeping your body healthy will save you money in the future. One of the shortcuts that will help you is to remember the "dirty dozen" and the "clean fifteen." If an item is on the dirty dozen list, you should always buy it organic. These products have shown to have the highest levels of chemical pesticides. The clean fifteen are items that have a relatively low risk of pesticides, and you can buy these conventionally.

Dirty Dozen: apples, celery, bell peppers, peaches, strawberries, nectarines, grapes, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, blueberries, and potatoes.

There are also a few items of concern that should probably also be bought organic: beans and leafy greens.

Clean Fifteen: onions, sweet corn, pineapple, avocado, cabbage, sweet peas, asparagus, mangoes, eggplant, kiwi, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, watermelon, mushrooms.

Although sweet corn is on the clean fifteen list, I would buy that, as well as soy products organic. These foods are the most genetically modified foods in the U.S. so if that's a concern for you, organic would be a better option.

I hope I've cleared things up, rather than making them more confusing. Hopefully sometime soon, there will be more accountability in regards to what food companies are telling us, but at the end of the day, they want to make money by selling their products. It's up to us to research and figure out exactly what we put into our bodies, and I hope this will help you all do that.