Did You Know Reading Food Label Can Be So Tricky?

I began to look out for nutrition information on food label when choosing honey. And when progressing from honey to other foods, the learning process didn't get any easier; in fact it only got more overwhelming. From your cabinet or refrigerator, pull out a few canned foods, bottled drinks, and packaged biscuits, and look at their labels and packaging. Are you able to make any sense out of what you read on the food label? Do you question how transparent food manufacturers are? How much is truth and how much is pure marketing tactics? You probably know what I mean by now.

Food label is an important touch-point for us consumers as it serves as a key source of nutrition information when looking for healthy food. A huge global study done by a marketing research agency ACNielsen revealed that the top six ingredients most likely checked by consumers were "Fat, Calories, Sugar, Preservatives, Colouring, and Additives". And because manufacturers recognise how powerful product claims can be, many have exploited them by being very creative in presenting of information on the food label to the consumers. Here, I have made a list of 8 simple pointers that I thought Benefits of Honey visitors could gain in one way or another.

1. Look Out for Hidden MSG!

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), "the miracle flavour enhancer" often associated with Chinese foods, is known to be neurotoxic or harmful to our brain cells. Packaging can claim "no MSG" yet still contain MSG, which can be hidden in fancy or confusing names like yeast extract, autolyzed yeast, sodium caseinate, hydrolyzed protein, yeast food, yeast nutrient, calcium caseinate, gelatine, glutamate, textured protein, and torula yeast. And as if this doesn't boggle our minds enough, there is also "No Added MSG", which seems to imply that there is already some. The truth is MSG is much more prevalent than many people realize. Many popular fast-foods have MSG, and in general, the more highly processed a food is (or the more ingredients listed on its label), the more likely it is to contain MSG.

2. Do You Perceive "Red and Vibrant" as "Fresh"?

I began to realise how much effort food manufacturers spent on food appearance when I learnt that most commercial honey was pasteurised or treated with high heat to prevent crystallisation, which makes it impossible to compete with honey that are smooth, creamy, and appealing. Similarly, "sodium nitrates" are added to meats to make them look fresh and red on the shelf. Without it, meat would be gray and too unappealing for consumers to buy. Many scientists believe that "nitrates" or "nitrates" found in processed meats like bacon, ham, sausage, pepperoni, salami are cancer-causing chemicals. Dyes are fed to egg-laying hens to make egg yolks turn bright orange, and also given to salmons to look orange-red. Bacon and ham get their red tint from sodium ascorbate, a colour stabilizer, to make them look fresh and vibrant.

3. Don't Expect All Ingredients to be Listed

Food companies can get away with using non-natural processes and chemical ingredients and claim all natural. For example, foods fried at high temperature, resulting in the formation of cancer-causing acrylamides. There is no requirement for food ingredients lists to include chemical contaminants or toxic substances found in food and manufacturers need not declare all of the ingredients they use. Additives which are used as processing aids or serve no technological function in the finished product also don't have to be listed.

4. Definition of "Natural" can be Ridiculously Loose

A food labelled "all natural" can contain pesticides, herbicides, heavy metal toxins, hidden MSG, synthetic chemical vitamins, and a host of other non-natural substances. "Natural" does not mean organic. As there is no official definition for "natural food", food producers and manufacturers have the liberty to call anything natural. Another trick is to pad the list with itsy-bitsy amounts of great sounding ingredients like natural berries and herbs. Having a tiny amount of a superfood appear at the end of the ingredients list often doesn't mean anything in terms of health value.

5. Beware of "Natural Coloring"!

Artificial colours like FD&C Red No.5, FD&C Yellow No. 5 (Tartrazine), FD&C Blue No. 1 (Brilliant Blue FCF) come from coal tar which is basically a petrochemical product. Found in ice cream, canned processed foods, sweets, drinks, soaps, shampoos, and cosmetic application, they have caused allergic reactions such as migraines, itching, rashes, anxiety, and general weakness in some people. Carmine, a well-known natural food, drug, and cosmetic additive found in "strawberry" yogurt, ice-cream, milk, fake crab, lipstick, eyeliners, nail polish sounds like an innocent pink food colouring but it's actually made from the smashed bodies of cochineal beetles (shocked?). Despite reports of severe allergic reactions, it's still been regarded as safe and imposing "no significant hazard" to the public.

6. Know that Sugar and Fat Have Many Names

One of the most common tricks is to distribute sugars such that they don't appear in the top three of the food label. For e.g, a manufacturer many use a combination of sucrose, high-fructose syrup, corn syrup, brown sugar, dextrose to make sure none of them are in large enough quantities to attain a top position on the ingredient list. The same goes for fat; "total fat" includes all kinds of fat: saturated, trans fat, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated. Many foods that claim to be "low-cholesterol" can be full of saturated fats.

7. Nutrition Claims Can Be Awfully Deceptive

The name of the food product has nothing to do with what's in it. For instance, a "cheese cracker" doesn't have to contain any cheese, or a "fruit juice" doesn't have to comprise any drop of real fruit juice. Nutrition labelling is required when a nutrition claim is made e.g "High in calcium", "High in Fibre", "Low in Sugar", "Zero Trans-fat". By the way, any food containing 0.5g or less of trans fat per serving is allowed to claim zero trans fat on the packaging. Hence companies arbitrarily reduce the serving sizes of their foods to ridiculously small amount (e.g 1 small cookie) to bring trans fat down to 0.5g per serving. If you take 30 cookies with 0.5g of trans fat each, you would have taken 15g of trans fat in total!

8. Think Twice When Laying Hands on "Sugar Free" and "Diet" Foods

Watch for hidden sugar in processed foods like bread, salad dressing, soups, and be careful with "fat-free" products, as sugar is often used to replace the flavour that is lost when fat is removed. Fat-free doesn't mean calorie-free. You think brown sugar is less refined and processed, and healthier than white sugar? Wrong, brown sugar is a gimmick to fool consumers into paying more; it's just white sugar with brown colouring and flavouring added. And don't be fooled by what artificial sweeteners can offer you. They mimic the taste of table sugar but have virtually no useful energy. In fact sugar substitutes like saccharin, aspartame and sucralose are toxic to the body. So be more sensitive to food label claims with words like "diet" "low calorie", and "sugar free".

Be an intelligent shopper; fill your carts with lots of fresh raw foods like vegetables and fruits. Don't get fooled by deceptive food packaging, see through the marketing hype on food packaging, be sceptical about claims such as "less", "natural", "reduced", "free", "light", ask if the serving size indicated is the amount you would usually eat as one portion; be an avid food label reader.

Source: http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/food-label.html

Autor: Ruth Tan

R. Tan is the owner of the website http://www.benefits-of-honey.com which is a rich honey resource community specially built for all the honey lovers and fans in this world. She has packed this website with a wide range of quality contents on honey based on her knowledge and experience with honey, so as to promote its invaluable benefits which she believes could bring many positive spin-offs in everyone's daily life.

Added: March 17, 2008
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Mystery of a Failed Weight Loss Diet

Bringing you the story of Jane to unravel why some weight loss diet strategies just wouldn't work...

Jane is struggling big time with her weight loss diet. Since young, she has a voracious appetite for sweet delights like ice-cream, candies, and desserts. Now that she understands the health risks related to obesity, she has started to conscientiously cut down her fat intake by avoiding foods such as milk, cheese, etc, eating a much lesser amount of rice for each meal, and taking a lot more fruits and vegetables than ever. However, inconceivably, she is still getting fatter. So, what's the mystery here?

Firstly, like many people, Jane probably doesn't know what a carbohydrate is. She seems to think carbohydrates are starchy foods like rice, pasta, noodles, breads, whereas vegetables, fruits, and even sweets are simply food types that she can eat in unlimited amounts to satisfy her sweet tooth without gaining weight. The truth is sweets, vegetables and fruits, like rice and bread are all carbohydrates, which are merely different forms of simple sugars linked together in polymers. Any carbohydrates not immediately used by the body will be converted into fat and stored in fatty tissue. And in this case, if Jane continues to eat a lot of high-glycemic sugared stuff and have aplenty fruits and vegetables, she is consuming an excessive amount of sugar and refined carbohydrates. And worse, if she is leading a sedentary lifestyle and not exercising regularly, she would have even a harder time shedding kilos.

Secondly, eating fat does not make us fat. Our body cannot metabolize fat into fat. When we consume fat, our body has to break it down into its little building blocks and then absorb the pieces, and what is not used it eliminates. The fat you have in our body is not the same as the fat you eat. The problem with fat is that it's calorie-dense and it clogs your arteries and coupled with starch causes bad cholesterol. Many dieticians believe it's hard to be successful in any weight loss diet by simply restricting calories. Eating less and losing excess body fat are not compatible. Low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diets generate a series of biochemical signals in your body that will take you out of the balance, making it more difficult to access and utilise stored body fat for energy.

The insulin stimulated by excess carbohydrates in Jane's body can aggressively promote the accumulation of body fat. And the higher the body's insulin levels, the more effectively it prevents fat cells from releasing their stores, and the harder it becomes for Jane to see any pay-off in her weight loss diet. Over the long haul, high insulin levels can lead to insulin resistance and cause Jane serious health problems like accelerated aging, heart disease, and diabetes. Diets high in refined sugars which Jane has cravings for release more insulin thereby allowing less stored fat to be burned. High insulin levels also suppress two important hormones: glucagon and growth hormone. Glucagon promotes the burning of fat and sugar. Growth hormone is used for muscle development and building new muscle mass. Insulin also causes hunger. As blood sugar increases following a carbohydrate meal, insulin rises with the eventual result of lower blood sugar. This results in hunger, often only a couple of hours after the meal. Yearning for sweets can become frequently part of the cycle, causing Jane to resort to bingeing on even more carbohydrates.

The learning gleaned from Jean's paradoxical eat-less-and-get-fatter situation is actually very straightforward: Our body's response to excess carbohydrates in our diet makes us fat. We have a limited capacity to store carbohydrates. Excess carbohydrates, which are fat-free, end up as excess fat in the body.

Source: http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/food-label.html

Autor: Ruth Tan

R. Tan is the owner of the website http://www.benefits-of-honey.com which is a rich honey resource community specially built for all the honey lovers and fans in this world. She has packed this website with a wide range of quality contents on honey based on her knowledge and experience with honey, so as to promote its invaluable benefits which she believes could bring many positive spin-offs in everyone's daily life.

Added: March 17, 2008
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Some Simple Healthy Eating Advice

Nowadays our society is in the middle of a health trend. There's information about being healthier no matter where you are. Eating healthy foods is one of the best ways to improve your health. So often when people hear those two words they think of boring, tasteless foods that can only be purchased as a natural food co-op. But healthy foods are things that you already eat every day, some times just prepared differently.

The huge impacts on how our bodies function when were older and how we can take care when we're young. Just take a gander at some current medical and health statistics if you don't believe in me.. These are easy enough to come by on the World-Wide-Web. All I wanted to figure out is that every living human being should take in a healthy eating regime and fitness program. These two factors are essential to staying healthy. The question is what are you're currently eating on a regular basis and what physical keeps on your toes each day? I hope that you didn't answer this question with fast food and no exercise. If this is the case, then it's high time for some healthy eating advice and exercise routines. Are you psyched?

In this time you can attain healthy eating advice where ever you please. It's absolutely simple to come by. You just only approach that check out counter in the grocery store, take a look at the nearby magazines and I'm sure 50 percent of them regard to healthy eating advice and fitness. And the other 50 percent is from Hollywood gossips. You can and should avoid that garbage with your life. You should use your extra hour to plan out a healthy eating schedule for the week. You will feel and look better after eating decent and nutritious meals only just for one week. Now, add a effective exercise routine on to that and you're good to go. Spend an hour a day, five days a week exercising. This is nothing! As time passes by, you will love your new figure and energy levels.

If everyone is consuming poor foods they should acquire some sort of healthy eating advice. It's time to stop if you eat fast food each day because in that matter is not only killing you, it's also slowing you down. If you eat high fat meals it makes you feel drowsy and tires. Your body doesn't get the proper nutrition to function well. All you need to do to find a healthy eating advice to better your lifestyle is to drop your deadly routine. It's all in the cyberspace.

It can be very pleasing to the taste and plate when eating healthy foods. The main thing to remember with healthy foods is that the closer the food is to its natural state the healthier it is for you. By cutting down on the number of preferred foods you eat; you can begin changing your eating habits to more healthy foods. Prepackaged foods are loaded with preservatives and artificial ingredients. Packaged foods are suitable, but healthy foods can be also, once you get in the habit of preparing them.

It is very easy to prepare healthy foods. In eating healthy foods it doesn't require more time and money. Here is an example of a great meal that is easy to prepare, inexpensive and features healthy foods. Grill lean hamburger patties until well done. Place the patties on whole grain all natural hamburger buns. Serve the burgers with a large tossed salad and a side of steamed green beans. Follow this simple meal with an offering of fresh fruit for dessert. Grilling or baking lean meats, fish or chicken is not time consuming. Tossing a salad of fresh greens and vegetables can be done while the meat is cooking. You round out the meals by using fresh or frozen vegetables. You can add variety to your meals by trying different healthy foods that you haven't tasted before. The produce section of your local grocer is stocked with a wealth of healthy foods including exotic fruits and vegetables. Most produce sections have recipes and tips in how to prepare fruits and vegetables that you may not be familiar with. It is the best way to expose your children to a variety of healthy foods.

To prepare fast nutritious meals we can use healthy foods on our daily basis. If you have time you can also use healthy foods in more exotic recipes. Healthy foods can also be prepared ahead of time and frozen for later use. You can prepare your own frozen foods, but make sure that you don't load with artificial additives and preservatives. And involving your children in the preparation of healthy foods can create a time when each other can share about their day. Eating healthy foods do not have to cost you time or money, and they are so much better for you.

Autor: Crizza Reyes

Crizza For more information on diets and weight loss, please visit our Online Diet Plans web site.

Added: March 1, 2008
Source: articlebiz.com

Weight Loss Diet Programs

Obesity or over weight badly affects the health of a person. To retain the health, it is important to reduce the over weight. Weight loss diet program is the best solution to overweight. A person can make a research on diet programs through Internet, books or friends. The choice, to consult a dietitian, is another way to find the proper diet plan. A dietician gives information about the proper diet plans, as per the physical requirements of a person.
Some people take diet pills to cut down the weight. Studies have shown that, in the year 2006, more than 50 billion people had taken weight loss pills. Accordingly, the health professionals stated that, these pills offer great success but are harmful to human body.
A simple weight loss diet program such as a low carbohydrate, low fat and low sugar diet can bring out miracles in a person's life. A person can improve his health and reduce the overweight with the introduction of fruits and vegetables, daily in his diet program.
List of Diet programs:
The list of weight loss diet programs include:
1. Protein diet programs: The protein diet programs or Dr. Atkin's diet is a weight loss diet program that focuses on muscle mass increase. Dr. Atkin principle states that, if there are more muscles, the body supplies the additional nutrients to muscles to perform their work. The additional nutrients in normal case are stored as fats. This weight loss diet program includes only protein food. 2. Balanced weight loss diet program: This diet focuses on a balanced chart of diet plan. This diet sheet involves fruits, vegetables and unique soup. The plan divides the eatables evenly on weekly basis. A person on balanced diet program has to avoid high cholesterol food such as dairy product, oils and noodles.
3. Milk and Banana diet program: This diet program includes only milk and banana intake. A person on this diet program has to avoid all other food supplements. 4. Detox weight loss diet program: An initial diet program removes toxic waste to keep the body healthy. The diet plan concentrates on easily digestible food and a plenty of water intake. This diet program increases the bowel movements, which helps to remove the waste easily from the body. A person on detox diet has to avoid chemicals, coffee and processed food.
5. Liquid diet plan: The diet plan includes food in the liquid form. A person can take water, coffee, soups, milk and fresh juices. The health experts state that liquid food supplies minimum calories and has low fat and carbohydrate content. People with liquid weight loss diet program have to avoid solid food.
Impression:
It is very easy to reduce the weight of a person with regular exercise and proper diet plan. Apart from the above discussed plans, natural diet plan is another weight loss program practiced by the ancestors. Researches show that, our ancestors had a good health. This is because, they were on naturally obtained food such as fruits, vegetable and water. The food from nature increases the body's metabolism and reduces the over weight. The diet plan comprises of uncooked food only and is the best of all weight loss diet programs.

Autor: Darren O Connell

Darren O Connell: Health Fitness Exercise Diet & Weight loss http://www.greater-weightloss.com Master Cleanse Secrets - http://www.cleanse.greater-weightloss.com

Added: March 1, 2008
Source: articlebiz.com

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