How to Read Food Labels

Do you find yourself standing in the supermarket staring at the label and there seem to be 100 items listed as ingredients? We know that the fewer ingredients the better. But have you ever wondered what some of those ingredients (that you can't even pronounce) are? Do you feel like real ingredients have been replaced by something from a science experiment? Have you ever wondered why bread has something like 27 ingredients? Here are just a few of the more common ones that you will see if you look at the label.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• patience to read labels

1. What exactly "IS" Artificial Flavoring? well it can be any of hundreds of allowable chemicals (such as butyl alcohol, isobutyric acid and phenyl acetaldehyde dimethyl acetal). These exact chemicals used in flavoring by food processors are used to imitate specific fruits, butter, spices and so on. Usually found in highly processed foods like cereals, fruit snacks, beverages and cookies.

2. Aspartame: is a near zero-calorie artificial sweetener made by combining two amino acids with methanol. Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar. It's most commonly found in diet soda but is also used in other foods.

3. Casein is a milk protein used to thicken and whiten foods. It often appears as the name sodium caseinate or calcium caseinate. It is a good source of amino acid. You will find this in protein bars and shakes, sherbet, ice cream and other frozen desserts.

4. Carrageenan is a thickener, stabilizer and emulsifier which is extracted from red seaweed. It is commonly found in jams and jellies but can also be found in ice cream, yogurt and whipped toppings.

5. Dextrose is a corn-derived caloric sweetener. It's found in bread, cookies and crackers

6. Erythorbic acid is similar to ascorbic acid but has no nutritional value on it's own. It's added to nitrite-containing meats (such as deli meats, hot dogs and sausages) to disrupt the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines.

7. Interesterified Fat is a semi-soft fat created by chemically blending fully hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated oils. It was developed as an alternative to trans fats. It can be found most commonly in pies, pastries, margarine, frozen dinners and canned soups.

8. Maltose (or malt sugar) is a sweetener that is about a third as sweet as honey. Food processors like it because it prolongs shelf life and inhibits bacterial growth. It's commonly found in cereal grains, nuts & seeds, sports beverages, deli meats and poultry products.

9. Modified Food Starch is a term used to describe a starch that had been manipulated in a nonspecific way. The starches can be derived from corn, wheat, potato or rice and are modified to change their response to heat or cold and improve texture. The most highly processed foods, low calorie & diet foods, pastries, cookies and frozen meals(all use modified food starch).

10. Xanthan Gum is commonly used as an emulsifier and thickener and is found in whipped toppings, dressings, marinades, custard and pie fillings.

Tips & Warnings

• Not all of us know what most of these chemicals in our food are for but rule of thumb is to go with less is better. The fewer ingredients listed the better.
• If you are looking for something that is whole grain (for example)if it's not listed in the first 5 ingredients then it is only small amount.
• The first 5 ingredients are usually the largest amounts in a product
• All of these ingredients are approved by the FDA

[maryellen1001]

on 3/2/2009 I've seen all those names, but never knew what some of them were! I'll be more conscience of them now. Thanks!