Tips On Reading Food Labels

Deciphering food labels can be a daunting task, especially when you have trouble pronouncing many of the ingredients' names. Despite the confounding language, reading food labels is imperative to ensure you are purchasing a healthy item. There are several tips you can follow to circumvent confusion and familiarize yourself with common ingredients.

Skip the Chemicals

Many foods will have a long list of ingredients that seem to be a lesson in chemistry rather than something edible. Common additive and preservatives you'll want to avoid are propyl gallate, nitrates, butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, sodium benzoate and sulfites. Although propyl gallate is a preservative used in small amounts in foods like processed meats, potato chips and chewing gum, in high doses it can cause growth retardation, anemia and hepatorenal dysplasia, according to Donald Barcelous in the book "Medical Toxicology of Natural Substances." Nitrates are known oxidative stressors that can induce hemoglobinema. BHA and BHT may be carcinogenic in certain doses, although further research is needed. Sodium nitrite is a commonly used preservative in lunch meats, smoked fish and processed meats and may be cancer-causing, Barcelous notes.

Although further research is needed that can conclusively link certain additives and preservatives to severe disease like cancer, it is prudent to minimize your consumption of these compounds whenever possible.

Don't Let Fat-Free Fool You

Many commercial products will use a "fat-free" label to fool you into thinking you're buying something healthy. Unfortunately, something that is fat-free is not always beneficial to you. Refined sugar like high-fructose corn syrup, table sugar and syrups are simple sugars that quickly metabolize and turn into fat. In fact, these simple sugars are the significant contributors to the obesity epidemic in the U.S, according to KidsHealth. The American Diabetes Association recommends eating sugars sparingly and eating items like fresh fruits in lieu of candies and cakes. Remember, carbohydrates break down into sugars upon digestion. So you'll want to ensure you're eating complex carbs such as whole grains and cereals.

Hydrogenated?

The American Heart Association advocates a trans fat-free diet, which means avoiding the heinous ingredients of hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. These undesirable fats will actually increase your low-density lipoprotein, or bad cholesterol, levels and lower your high-density lipoprotein, or good cholesterol. Eating foods containing hydrogenated oils can significantly increase your chance of coronary, heart and arterial disease by quickly clogging pores, putting you at additional risk for heart attack and stroke.