As part of creating a LIFESTYLE of Health and Fitness, it's important to know what you are really putting into your body each time you take a bite or drink of something. Remember, how we feel physically, mentally and emotionally is a direct result of what we eat and drink! Food is not just fuel, it’s medicine and what we eat will either make us well/healthy or make us sick/unhealthy........ sooner or later. Ideally we are eating fresh, whole foods that are grown from a plant and not made in a plant. But many healthy foods do come in cans, packages, or frozen such as canned tomatoes, beans and lentils, almond milk, nuts and seeds, nut butters, whole grains like quinoa, frozen berries and veggies and refrigerated vegan options like tempeh, humus and tofu and a select few protein bars that are healthier than others. Here are the basics on what to look for when reading the ingredient list:
- Ingredients are listed in order of proportion, so the first ingredient listed is the primary and most abundant ingredient. The rest of the ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. The top three ingredients are mostly what you are eating so know what they are and be sure you can pronounce them.
- Look for labels with five or less ingredients. If it has more a lot more than five and includes chemical additives put it back or toss it.
- If a label's first 5 ingredients start with sugar, salt or something unhealthy (high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oils), put it back or toss it.
- Look for how many different versions of added sugar are hidden or broken out so sugar doesn't appear to be one of the top ingredients - if it ends in "ose" - dextrose, maltose, fructose, sucrose.
- Avoid Artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose) - our bodies don't know how to process these chemical non-food ingredients.
- Look for labels that you can understand and pronounce what the ingredients actually are. Ingredients that your grandmother would recognize, not something from a chemistry or science class.
Practice reading ingredients lists before you buy or eat/drink it. If you really want to clean up your diet, lean out and gain more energy, seriously consider the ingredients of the foods you choose to put into your body! We are what we eat - just as the image above powerfully illustrates!
Here is an example of a Protein Bar Ingredient List (Advocare Bar) sent to me by one of my clients asking if it was "good". I sent her back the other picture of these 5 bars (KIND, Lara Uber, Lara ALT, Quest) from my cabinet and asked her to compare the ingredients lists to the Advocare Bar and count how many ingredients were in each bar and how many ingredients she couldn't pronounce in the Advocare Bar and how many ingredients were hidden added artificial sugars, especially in the first five ingredients. What do you think she learned?
Protein Bar Ingredients Lists: KIND, Lara Uber, Lara ALT, Lara & Quest Brand Bars
Advocare Brand Protein Bar Ingredients List