Reading Food Labels 101

I used to read food labels & Nutrition Facts posted on the back of items merely to look up calories or carbohydrates. This was back in my early 20's when I had no real grasp on health, or what I should be eating. I read this fantastic book during Chiropractic college however, that gave me a totally new perspective on all things food related, but we'll get into that later. Anyway, to begin reading food labels we'll keep things simple. Let's start by looking at this nutrition label that I took from the coca-cola website.  http://www.coca-colaproductfacts.com/en/coca-cola-products/coca-cola/  This is for the coca-cola classic soda in a 12 ounce can. 

Ok, so to start most people look at calories, 140 calories, and then they look at fat because everyone is afraid of fat for the most part. So it all looks pretty good to the average eye, and then you get down to carbohydrates (which also scare people) and it says 39 grams...ok...and sugars are also at 39 grams. So...using basic science & math let's break this down. For 1 gram of carbs that = 4 calories. So, take 39 grams and multiply it by 4 and that = 156 calories. Which is actually more than what is on the label, but what's more interesting is that this can of coke is 100% sugar and nothing else. If you read my blog about the way our bodies use food to fuel us in the nutrition 101 blog, you know that we need food from all sources to live, yes. However, is it absolutely necessary that we get 156 calories from pure sugar? What if that's your beverage of choice to wash down pizza, or a sandwich, or popcorn? So you think your body is really going to need all of those carbohydrates & store none of it as excess for later, or simply put, as fat? Also the FDA recommends keeping added sugar to 50 grams per day, the WHO (world health organization) recommends limiting added sugar to 25 grams per day, and that's also the upper limit for women according to the American Heart Association.  

Let's dig a little further now, because let's say you're reading this like, yeah but it's only 156 calories (technically the can labels it 140 because it's approved by the FDA to do so) but what's the big deal, I can work that off. Ok, let's now look at the contents of what makes this "140 calories" of happiness we're meant to share with the world.

INGREDIENTS

Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color,Phosphoric Acid, Natural Flavors, Caffeine. 

Again, I took this directly off of the Coca-cola website, link provided above. Let's break this down. Carbonated Water: water that's had carbon dioxide dissolved into it, so your basic club soda or seltzer water. High Fructose Corn Syrup: is a sweetener made from corn starch that has been processed to convert some of its glucose into fructose. It's super cheap to make, and it's in almost EVERYTHING that's processed. (I could honestly make an entire post about this one ingredient, but I will wait for another time.) Caramel Color: is a water soluble food coloring made by heat treatment of carbohydrates, either alone or in the presence of acids, alkalis, and/or salts. Caramel color may be derived from a variety of source products that are themselves common allergens, so people with known sensitivities or food allergies are advised to avoid foods with generic caramel coloring. Phosphoric Acid: is a syrupy acid used in preparing phosphates (as for fertilizers), for rust proofing metal, and especially as an acidifying agent to give colas their tangy flavor. Sounds corrosive right? Well there is mixed literature out there showing that it is linked with leaching calcium from bones leading to osteoporosis. Natural Flavors: according to the FDA website, "the term artificial flavor means any substance, the function of which is to impart flavor, which is not derived from a spice, a fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, root, bud, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof." ...kind of leaves you scratching your head as to what the heck it is then huh? They had a list under a section on this site and you're more than welcome to look into it.  http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=501.22   Caffeine: is a central nervous system stimulant, it is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive drug, it is legal and unregulated in nearly all parts of the world.

I saw this circulating the internet and it made me laugh but sadly it has some truth

So, to recap, Coca-cola is nothing but a sugary drink, derived from HFCS not even real sugar, and it's loaded with other ingredients that contribute absolutely NOTHING good to your health. So, am I saying I've never had a coke before? No I can't say that, although I generally don't drink any soda at all. What I am saying, is everyone knows AT LEAST one person in their lives that drinks multiple cokes per day or week. I would be willing to bet that that person is not completely free of pain, aches, maybe some weight issues, or other overall health issues including digestive problems. I don't want to totally single out Coke either, because honestly, no soda is 'good' for you, and certainly nothing in excess other than water is doing anything to help you get healthy. (And yes I am including milk, fruit juices, gatorade, V8, and any other liquid other than water that is sold commercially on grocery store shelves.) Don't even get me started on diet soda, that'll be a whole new post!

What I hope you take from this information is how to look at what you are actually putting into your body. To me, more important than reading the part of the nutrition label that shows calories etc. is the ingredient list underneath. We are so far removed from what we are actually putting INTO our bodies, and yet, we expect them to completely run well, under stress, under sleep deprivation, and most certainly under nutrient deprivation. There is a widely known saying that goes "Garbage in = garbage out" and it's as simple as that. I definitely have cake at celebrations and 'garbage' food once in awhile, but the problem is when that becomes the mainstay of your nutrition, and not a special occasion food. 

I implore you to start reading nutrition labels as you pick up your usual items at the grocery store. You're going to be blown away by how many foods contain high fructose corn syrup as one of the top three ingredients. It's in almost everything that's processed. Also, caramel coloring is in quite a few food items. Even if you are only beginning to be aware of those two items, start there. The best things to put in your body as I've posted before are whole food items, or minimally processed food items. The middle aisles of the grocery store, for the most part, have all processed foods that are full of things that are not contributing in a positive way toward better health, ESPECIALLY when it's labeled 'diet, low-fat, health food' etc.

If you are interested in learning more about food additives, reading food labels, or nutrition, the book I mentioned at the beginning of this post is, Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin. It's a fast read, and has a ton of great information. My one disagreement after more years of reading and studying nutrition, is that they are proponents of soy...and I disagree strongly with the so-called benefits of soy. But it's still a great book. 

www.beachbodycoach.com/DRJENNCHICOINE