Tips for Reading Food Labels

Reading food labels can be a chore. How often do you plant your butt against the side of the aisle and inspect your food choices. Sometimes it is by necessity we have to because we have an allergy or an intolerance to a certain food, and other times it is just because as humans we are genuinely curious about what we are putting into our bodies. 

Have you ever picked up a cereal box or a can of spagettti-o’s and thought to yourself “Wow! That’s all garbage”, but then you go to pick up a something that is supposed to be good for you like a container of yogurt or bottle of your favorite “all natural” juice and see what looks to be some pretty scary stuff on the label. It is because we get scared of what we don’t know. When you can’t pronounce certain words, and what you try to pronounce sounds like you might die from ingesting it, we simply put it down and carry on. Well did you know that what you put down may very well be good for you? The truth is there are many things that actually aren’t as bad for us as we think they are, and then others that are worse for us than we think they are. If you can’t pronounce it then that is something that is best to bring to a dietitian who is trained in all the foods, preservatives, and other things that are put into food. Many times it is nutrients we just didn’t know had a fancy name. You need to know what you are putting in your body and the effect it could have. Now I am not about to preach to go on a vegetable and fruit diet, but if you don’t know what it is, stick to what you know till you get the assistance you need. 

Meats, fruits, vegetables, dairy, eggs, are always safe and easy. It is when you start getting into anything that has preservatives, and other ‘additives’, in it that things can get kind of dicey, and have you questioning your food. 

Now keep in mind, questioning your food is a good thing. That is the first step to putting the foods in your body you need. The question then becomes “Where do I start?” “How do I know what are going to be the best foods to put in my body?” For many it can be all so overwhelming and so hard for many, because it is so time consuming a lot of work, and really without the knowledge it is almost impossible to do it on your own and have the success you truly want to have. Not only that but it can be financially draining. There is also the case the more dietary restrictions you have you are faced with going to 2 or 3 different grocery stores to get exactly what you need without breaking the bank. If it were me in your shoes this is where I would put down my pen and paper, say forget it and go grab a handful of cookies and milk. Wait! There is another option though. One that is healthier, and that is going to allow you to have your cake and eat it to so to speak

Working with a dietitian will give you the freedom you need to have a diet you love, and not have you hopping all over the place. Grocery shopping can be such a daunting affair, but it doesn’t have to be. When you work with a dietitian a dietitian can answer all those questions for you. From the offset there will be a little extra work on your part and the part of your dietitian, but once you have that licked you are on easy street. Would I go shopping with you? I could, but usually grocery shopping is a very personal thing to do. A great suggestion is to take pictures of all the labels of the foods you are interested in buying, based on the diet we come up with together, and we could go through them all one by one. This will serve two purposes. This will give you the help you need to make sure you are getting the most nutritional value out of your food choices, and also takes away any fear of what you are eating and putting in our body.The bonus is any guilt you may be feeling from grabbing a certain food off the shelf and eating it anyway when you don’t know if it is okay, will be eliminated because we will go through it together. Most times by the time someone gets to a dietitian you are suffering from an illness, or disease and need the guidance with your food to help heal you. It is up to someone like myself to take away all the fear, guilt by providing you with health solutions with food, so you have a renewed sense of confidence with what foods you put in your body. It is pretty amazing how the foods we eat can affect us in so many ways including emotionally.