Misleading Food Labels: What Are You Really Eating?

Although the FDA is supposed to be protecting people from misleading advertising on food labels, it seems Big Agriculture has won the game; at least until enough people figure out what they’re really eating. No one is intentionally putting high-fat, hormone packed, sodium and chemical laden foods into their grocery cart. But how do we distinguish real goodness from a savvy marketing campaign?

With terms like ‘fat-free’ and ‘low-fat’, it can be difficult. The ubiquitous ‘all natural’ is definitely far from it, containing high fructose corn syrup; yes, it’s made from corn, but it’s also chemically altered and comes from one of the biggest GMO crops out there. And of course there’s ‘whole-grain’, which can mean there is, yes, one single ounce of whole-grain in a loaf of brown ‘colored’ bread. What’s a smart shopper to do? It’s getting harder all the time to eat healthily, considering the shady tactics of the food industry and their marketing campaigns.

So what can you do?

Read the fine print

Look out for the 12 most toxic food additives in the fine print of the ingredients of foods you often purchase, and ditch the ones that have sodium nitrate, BHA and BHT, for example. Also look for the code words for high fructose corn syrup – maltrose, dextrose, syrups, etc.

Eat things without a package

The old saying – that mother nature doesn’t need extra packaging – is true. Try to eat fresh foods that come straight from the earth: fruits, vegetables, real grains, seeds, nuts, and sprouts. They are packed with nutrients, and don’t make you sick and fat.

Skip the Hormones

Grass-fed, hormone free meat like chicken and steak are absolute musts if you eat meat. Most farm meat is full of hormones, bacteria and dioxins, plus the animals are often mistreated, so you end up eating their naturally created stress hormones, too.

Go Organic as Often as Possible

When you purchase fruits and vegetables, always buy organic. This way you can avoid the (potentially) cancer-causing agents in GMO foods, and enjoy better tasting fresh produce with higher levels of many nutrients (compared to regular / pesticide sprayed fruits and vegetables).

Grow Your Own

Do you know how easy it is to grow organic, non-toxic, real food in your own pots on a balcony or a sunny window in your own home? There are hundreds of tips on the Internet about how to do this.

Cleanse Regularly

Sometimes we eat chemical and fat-laden foods without meaning to – such as when we dine out in restaurants, or have dinner with friends – and we have no idea where the food is sourced. Periodic cleansing can help the body detox from all the things we eat, as well as environmental toxins. If you aren’t sure whether it’s time to cleanse, take this quiz.