4 food label ingredients to avoid

4 food label ingredients to avoid

The 1st step to eating healthy is to understand what you’re eating. Next time you buy packaged food or food ingredients, turn the package around, and read the “Ingredients” label.

It has the list of ingredients by descending order of weight. What’s first on the list is highest and what’s last is lowest in quantity.

Here are some ingredients that you should avoid.

 

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

- It’s a sweetener made from corn

- It increases cholesterol and triglyceride levels which cause people to overeat

- It’s high in fructose which is linked to weight gain and diabetes

- Found in beverages, baked goods, sweets, soda, and snacks

 

Trans-fat (or) Partially Hydrogenated Oils

- Saturated fats are converted into harmful trans-fat by adding hydrogen

- It increases the shelf-life and keeps the food fresh longer

- It increases bad cholesterol and decreases good cholesterol 

- Constant intake causes heart trouble, inflammation and diabetes

 

Artificial Sweeteners (Aspartame, Sucralose, and Saccharin)

- Has low calories than natural sugar

- But our brain and body has a hard time digesting artificial sweeteners 

- It increases our appetite, tricks our brain to thinking we can eat more and leads to overeating and weight gain

 

Sodium Nitrite

- It’s a preservative added to increase the shelf-life

- It adds a salty-flavour, draws out the moisture to keep the bacteria away

-  When cooked, it can turn into nitric oxide or nitrosamines which causes diseases

- It disturbs oxygen transport and causes headache and fatigue

 

The more you look, you’ll find these more often than you think. If you find one or more of these ingredients on your food’s list, try looking for healthier alternatives.

Back to blog