Know what you put in your body by reading your food labels!  When you go to the Supermarket, try to shop the perimeter.  There, you will find more wholesome foods with fewer ingredients, as in one-ingredient foods, that I always recommend.  Yes, less is more.  As you enter into the middle of any supermarket, that's where the ingredient list soars and you need to be more aware than ever of what you are buying.  My general rule of thumb of what to buy is simple-if there are more than 5 or so ingredients and/or I can't pronounce them, they are out!  Let's face it, if I can't figure it out, then my body probably won't be able to either!   

 

It's important to recognize the worst of the worst offenders.  In Unjunk Your Food by Andrea Donsky and Randy Boyer, they list what they term, "The Scary Seven."   

        

• High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)-Made from corn, this concentrated processed sweetener goes right to your liver where it's converted to fat, which increases your risk of heart disease. 
• Artificial Sweeteners-Don't do it!  As a victim, myself, of Aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal), I learned the first hand the harmful effects it can have (see my story here.).  As a matter of fact, the FDA has received more complaints regarding Aspartame than any other artificial sweetener-and it's in over 5,000 products!  Also avoid others like sucralose (NutraSweet),  ace K (Sunnett and Sweet One) and Saccharin (Sweet N Low).  Stevia and xylitol are great alternatives.
• MSG (monosodium glutamate)-Found in thousands of processed foods including fast foods and restaurants, this can cause swelling, facial numbness, heart palpitations, nausea and weakness.                                           
• Artificial Flavors-This could mean 1 unnatural additiveor a blend of hundreds of chemicals.  The worst offenders are raspberry and artificial butter flavor (found in popcorn). 
• Trans Fat-This partially hydrogenated vegetable oil can increase shelf life for products, but not for your body!  They raise your triglyceride and LDL (thebad cholesterol), which increase your risk of Heart Disease, and linked to various cancers, Alzheimer's, diabetes and more. 
• Artificial Colors-BEWARE!  The Feingold Association reports their studies that prove food dyes trigger hyperactivity.  So, the gummy bear vitamins (they've got bright colors, don't they?) you gave your child this morning could really be a source of their ADD or ADHD.  They are also in soda, fruit juices, not just in the obvious Skittles and M & Ms. Simply try cutting out anything "colorful" that came in a bag or bottle for a week and see for yourself if you notice any difference. 
• Preservatives-While these are intended to preserve shelf life of the products they are in, many are chemicals detrimental to your health.  The following are some to watch for:  
• BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), 
• Polysorbate 60, 65 and 80, 
• sodium benzoate (found in fruit juices, soda and salad dressing causes hyperactivity),
•  sulfites (found in dried fruit, wine, flavored vinegars, sausages-asthmatics should especially beware of these as they can cause sudden constriction of airways), 
• TBHQ (tertiary butylhyroquinone) and
• nitrates (found in deli meats and bacon).   

While this list may be scary, the options of good, tasty whole foods are not!  Be sure to shop the perimeter and simply look before you buy. 

 

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