Ingredients are listed by weight, so in an effort to make their products appear healthier than they really are, food companies will try to take advantage of this by using three, four, or even more different types of sugar in the same product to make sure sugar isn’t listed as one of their first ingredients. It’s important to know that ‘sugar’ has many, many names – there are over 60 synonyms for added sugar! This is another reason why it’s so important to read the ingredient list. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting added sugar intake to 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams per day for men. Look for foods rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats instead. To reduce your risk of heart disease, limit your intake of highly processed animal products which are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Look instead for whole fat sources, such as nuts and seeds as the main source of fat. Why are these fats so bad? They’re shown to increase unhealthy LDL (“bad”) cholesterol while actually lowering your HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and have been linked to cancer. How do you know if a product really is free of trans fat? Search for the words “partially hydrogenated oils” on food labels. The main reason it’s used is the extend shelf life, so you’ll find this in processed, packaged foods like cookies, candy, pies, crackers, etc. Trans fat is made by partially hydrogenating fat. This is because the FDA allows products to advertise as being “0 grams trans fat”, even if they contain up to 0.5 grams of trans fat to be in a product per serving. The ingredient list is extremely important to see where the fat in your food is coming from. As you can see, just taking a closer look at the ingredients without even looking at the numbers listed on the nutrition facts label can tell you a lot about the product. This is the ingredient list on GoMacro MacroBars. Here’s an example, comparing the ingredient lists on three different energy bars.Įnergy Bar #1: Protein Blend (Soy Protein Isolate, Calcium Caseinate, Whey Protein Isolate), Glycerin, Maltitol, Coating (Maltitol, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Sodium Caseinate, Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor, Salt), Soy Crisps (Soy Protein Isolate, Tapioca Starch), Sunflower Oil, Ground Peanuts, Water, Natural Flavor, Sunflower Lecithin, Almonds, Sea Salt, Citric AcidĮnergy Bar #2: Protein Blend (Milk Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate), Yogurt Flavored Coating, Maltitol Syrup, Hydrolyzed Gelatin, Glycerine, Soy Protein Crisps (Soy Protein Isolate, Tapioca Starch, Salt), Water, Soy Protein Isolate, Sprinkles (Sugar, Cornstarch, Confectioner’s Glaze, Yellow 5, Red 3, Carnauba Wax, Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2), Icing Sugar (Sugar, Cornstarch), Canola Oil (With Tocopherols Added To Protect Flavor), Natural Flavors, Maltitol, Fractionated Palm Kernel and Palm Oil, Salt, Soy Lecithin, SucraloseĮnergy Bar #3: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Sprouted Brown Rice Protein, Organic Peanut Butter Chips (Organic Peanut Flour, Organic Coconut Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Salt), Organic Puffed Brown Rice, Organic Peanutsīased on the ingredient list, which would you choose? Energy bar #3 is by far the best option, as it contains all whole foods, no additives, refined oils or flours, or artificial ingredients. Processed foods often contain very little micronutrients, while containing refined oils, flours, starches, and artificial sweeteners or flavorings. You want to look for whole food ingredients – foods you can actually identify or find on the shelves. When reading the ingredient list – ask yourself how many words you can easily recognize. For example, ½ cup of brown rice syrup weighs the same as 2 cups of oats, so even if a product uses more oats than brown rice syrup, the syrup will be listed first due to weight. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so heavier, denser ingredients will be listed first vs. Please refer to the actual packaging for current information for this product.How to Understand the Nutrition Facts Labelįoods that contain more than one ingredient must have an ingredient list. *Nutrition and ingredient facts shown here may differ from what you find in stores. *Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. *Contains 36mg of caffeine from Organic Coffee Beans. Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and tree nuts. Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Almond Butter, Organic Protein Blend (Organic Sprouted Brown Rice Protein, Organic Pea Protein), Organic Puffed Brown Rice, Organic Sunflower Seed Butter, Organic Chocolate Chips (Organic Coconut Sugar, Organic Cocoa, Organic Cocoa Butter), Organic Cocoa Powder, Organic Coffee, Organic Coconut Sugar, Organic Natural Flavor.
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