5 Things to Look for on Every Food Label
Navigating the grocery store aisles can feel like a part-time job with the amount of processed foods available everywhere. There are countless options in every category, and it’s overwhelming to decide what to bring into your home. Life becomes easier once you establish a few trusted brands, but it’s empowering to be able to analyze any label and know whether or not you or your family should be consuming it. Here are five things I look for on every food label.
I do a quick scan to see the number of ingredients in a food item. A general rule of thumb is to consume processed foods with 5 or fewer ingredients. I follow this rule often, with a few exceptions. Sometimes sauces or certain items contain a longer list because they include several different spices. As long as I can recognize all the ingredients and I know they’re healthy, I’ll add them to my cart!
As I check the number of ingredients on a label, I’m also checking the list to see if I recognize the ingredients. If I could keep every individual ingredient in my own kitchen, the product generally gets the green light. Of course there are exceptions, but I try to keep the unrecognizable ingredients to a minimum—especially if it’s a product I buy regularly.
Next, I’m checking labels to make sure that the food does not include inflammatory oils ( canola, sunflower, safflower, rapeseed, corn, soybean). If the product does contain oil, I want it to contain avocado, olive, or coconut oil. Read more about the importance of healthy oils here.
I also like to check labels to see if they contain gums or lecithins. Recent peer-reviewed research has demonstrated that common emulsifiers such as gums and lecithins are disrupting and inflaming our intestinal lining, leading to conditions like IBS, IBD, and metabolic syndrome. I try to minimize these emulsifiers in foods I consume regularly. If on occasion you consume them, it shouldn’t be cause for concern.
Lastly, but certainly not least, I check every processed food for sugar content. I choose to purchase items with fewer than 5g of added sugar per serving. Of course, I make exceptions when I am intentionally buying a dessert, but we should not be consuming large quantities of sugar in items that we eat daily or regularly.
This list isn’t about being perfect, but I hope it helps you make more informed decisions for you and your family in the grocery store!
XO,
Kara
