Be an Ingredient Label Sleuth!

What’s the first thing you look at when you pick up a packaged item in the grocery store?  Maybe you scout out calorie count or grams of saturated fat or carbs.  Or maybe you’re drawn to claims about heart healthiness or anti-oxidant richness.  While all of this can be helpful information, it can also make healthy shopping a bewildering task.  Do I prefer higher saturated fat if it means I get more protein?  Is it better to up my fiber or lower my carbs?  What is an antioxidant and why do I care if pomegranate is such a great source? 

In the spirit of simplifying the shopping experience, let me suggest that the far more important, perhaps the only important, information on the label is contained in the words that make up the ingredient list.  Unless of course you’re buying something with no label at all, in which case you’re already Very Healthy!

So, about this list.  Here are some general tips, and below some ingredients to avoid.

• The first question to ask yourself is how long it is.  Are there just a few ingredients (say 3-5), or does the ingredient list itself require a full “paragraph?”
• Can you pronounce everything on the list?  Could your grade schooler?  If not, think about whether that's something you really want to consume.
• Is the first word what you’d expect it to be based on what you think you're buying (e.g. whole wheat flour on your 100% whole wheat bread)?
• How close to the top of the list is sugar?  (Ingredients are listed in order of predominance, with ingredients used in the greatest amount listed first.)

Here are my quick rules of thumb on ingredients to avoid.  If you’re not already a label sleuth in the grocery store, give it a whirl next time you have a few extra minutes!  My guess is you might be surprised (maybe even disgusted) by what you see…

Artificial color or flavor.  You don’t need it, it’s that simple.  Generally speaking, if you see “natural flavor” on the label, that indicates the flavor is derived from natural (as opposed to synthetic or chemical) sources.  That’s better, but if you’re eating good and whole foods, they shouldn’t need any added flavor. 

Aspartame.  This is an artificial sweetener that has been the source of much controversy.  The FDA regards it as generally safe, but many others beg to differ.  Since 1997, various countries and some US states have introduced legislation to regulate or ban its use, and the debate rages on about whether or not it’s safe.  For me, much better to just avoid it.  Common culprits include yogurt, soft drinks, gum, puddings and “sugar free” items.

Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.  Luckily, most of the trans (hydrogenated) fats are largely gone from our food supply due to the overwhelming evidence of its links to coronary heart disease.  But I’ve been surprised in the grocery store more than once to see hydrogenated oils sneak into foods, even some touting health like vegan cream cheeses and several popular peanut butters, so make sure that if you’re buying a spread of any sort you’re reading that label!  (I say spreads because this type of oil was first introduced to make oils spreadable and more stable on the shelf - enter margarine - and that's where it's still most commonly found).

High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Of late, The Corn Refiners Association has put a lot marketing money into convincing the public “it’s just sugar” and “your body can’t tell the difference.”  You’ve probably seen the ads on TV.  I won’t get into the political debate but if you’re interested in an opinion that is not political in nature, but is thought provoking, watch this video which is a fascinating presentation by Robert Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology and decide for yourself.  Regardless, high fructose corn syrup, in my opinion, is at a minimum a marker of a highly processed food, and you can usually find plenty of alternatives.  BBQ sauce, salad dressing, condiments, and soft drinks are some of the places it shows up, but it’s become rather ubiquitous.  See right where it shows up in "healthy" bread and big name ketchup.

MSG and its variants.  Many of us remember when Chinese restaurants starting banning the use of MSG.  That was because it’s known to cause reactions like migraine headaches, upset stomach, heart irregularities, and asthma.  But did you know MSG goes by many other names?  Well, technically, the processed free glutamic acid that causes these reactions goes by other names, but the outcome (side effects) is the same.  I was saddened to learn that one of the broths I formerly used contained MSG, but it wasn’t called “monosodium glutamate” on the label, it was called something else.  Look for glutamic acid, monopotassium glutamate, yeast extract, anything “hydrolyzed,” and autolyzed yeast, and avoid products that contain them.

Enriched flour.  We generally think of “enrichment” as a good thing.  In the case of these flours, typically found in breads and other grains, the health profile is actually worse than it is in whole, unrefined (e.g. not enriched) grains.  The grain refining process makes products more stable on the shelf, which is why food manufacturers like it.  To compensate for the fact that this refinement strips away many vital nutrients, enriched grains are then "fortified" with iron, B and some other vitamins.  But they remain higher on the Glycemic index, which means they quickly raise blood sugar (a bad thing, especially for diabetics), and they never get back the fiber they lost.  A later post will discuss the critical nature of fiber.  Look for “whole wheat” or “whole whatever grain” and skip the enriched!

For more tips, I recommend Michael Pollan's "Food Rules".  It’s a quick read, a good laugh, and a great reminder to eat real food.