Labels - Cole Version
Do you feel like you need a Cole version for your food labels? What does it all mean? This blog is about understanding the basic key elements to look for in choosing clean healthy food options.
Begin with your ingredient list. What ingredients are going into your body? Can you pronounce the words on the label? Is there sugar and/or salt on the ingredients list?
Challenge: Look at your favourite cereal, read the ingredients lists, can you understand the words? Now pick up a bag of natural oats, read the ingredients list... I think you will get what I mean...
Where is the ingredient located on the list? The lists are creating by weight; the ingredient that weighs the most is listed first, and the ingredient that weighs the least is listed last.
Watch for key words on your packages. There are two types of nutrition claims on foods: nutrient content claims and health claims. These claims must also follow certain rules from Health Canada to make sure that they are consistent and not misleading. These claims are optional and may be found on some food products.
Sometimes labels can be deceiving in order to market and sell the products. The word " Light " for example it can mean many things such as the colour or texture of the product rather than it caloric or fat value. There is no regulations for the word "Light". Product marketing can state nutritional claims such as Cholesterol Free Potatoe chips; Potatoes chip are made from potatoes. Cholesterol only comes from animals products. In order for potatoe chips to contain cholesterol the chips would be prepared using animal fat.
Fat- free is another label product that should be added the to stay away list. Fat makes our mouth water and our taste buds dance, without the fat the food seems bland or flavourless. With this being true then fat free products would sort of taste like cardboard or something similar, in order to combat this the manufacturer usually puts more sugar in the product. FYI, our bodies need 13 essential fatty acids only found in fat.
Avoid white sugar and artificial sweeteners . There are many natural options to get the sweet fix you are seeking. i.e. honey, raw sugar (natural form), bee pollen. Well I am going to make this simple. Sugar affects your body way of running properly - affecting insulin production, making us more susceptible to cancers ( who needs that), our body changes sugar 2 to 5 more into fat into the bloodstream then it does starch. With those facts I am just grazing the surface of the adverse effects on not only our bodies but our families bodies too. You can find over 100 reasons why sugar is worth avoiding.
What about the Nutrition Table and the %DV? The nutrition table gives you information about the serving size, 13 core nutrients at a quick glance. It will help you compare with other products. The nutrition table is a great tool in junction with the ingredients list. The DV% is your daily value intake of the nutrient and how much to meet your daily requirement.
Use your labels to compare foods and make healthier choices. But keep in mind
labelless is the healthiest way to go. Labelless - what do you mean? Food without labels such as fruit and vegetable, lean fresh meat cut. Sometimes less is more......
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