Healthy Eating Activity: Label-reading Mogul
Here’s an activity I wanted to share with you all from my Real World Wellness nutrition consulting business – it’s a fun way to start thinking more critically about your food choices and to gain a better understanding of what’s really in your food!
Goal: Become a savvy label-reader.
Grab a food item in your fridge or cupboard with a health or nutrition claim on the front (“fat-free,” “low in cholesterol,” “all-natural,” “wholesome ingredients” etc.). Take a moment to consider how this word or phrase makes you feel about the food.
Next, turn the package over and read the nutrition facts table and the ingredients. Does it surprise you? Do you know what all of the ingredients are? Is sugar the first item on the ingredient list? Consult a Certified Holistic Nutritionist if you have questions about any ingredients.
Remember this exercise the next time you’re at the grocery store and your eye catches a healthy phrase on the front of a food package! The front of the package can be deceiving – it’s worth reading the ingredient list for more information.
Is this something you’ll try out? How well do you understand labels when reading them? Share in the comments section below!
Truly, I am now to the point where the only packaged foods I eat are spices. No joke. I’m over it. The shameless marketeers of the food industry no longer amuse me.
I once found a jar of cinnamon with hydrogenated oil in it (seriously!), so… yeah. Frightening.
Crap. As a point of honesty, I have to amend my comment above. I also supplement my eating with a protein powder mixed with water. THAT and my spices are my only packaged foods. Keepin’ it real…
As I’ve said before, there’s nothing like a lot of food allergies to make you read labels. And there’s nothing like reading labels to make you skeptical of health claims. I laughed out loud in the grocery aisle when I found a sack of sugar claiming to be “fat-free!”
Or “cholesterol-free” vegetable oil. You just have to shake your head!
Could not agree more… I always get annoyed when the ingredients section which is written in small tiny letters at the back of the pack does not match the big huge marketing staff at front!!
It’s amazing how TINY those ingredient lists can be. Ridiculous.
I agree wholeheartedly. Labels are often difficult to read but I have a magnifying glass to deal with the problem. I think it’s worth going through the trouble.