Food Label Ingredients you need to Ditch Today

Do you ever look at a food ingredient panel and think, “yikes, I can’t even pronounce those!”, or not really understand what you’re reading anyways, so don’t worry about it? I have! 

I used to pick the quickest, easiest and cheapest meals at the grocery store and head to the checkout line, no questions asked. But now that I know more about food labels, food sensitivities, and the reactions my body was having due to these packaged foods, I’ve changed the way I shop for food. And my body has thanked me!

There are many ingredients on food labels that should be avoided, contributing to chronic inflammation and immune responses, and yet they are in almost all packaged food products.  By staying away from these ingredients, your body will be able function the way it’s meant to, while not having to detoxify these gnarly toxins.

We talk and learn a lot about food labels in my Sugar Detox Workshop, especially the ones that contribute to sugar addition and blood sugar spikes. Here are a few more that you need to know about today. 

Top ten food label ingredients you should avoid:

 1.      Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): MSG is commonly found in all processed foods, everything from canned goods to potato chips.  When you ingest MSG, it damages nerves by “over-exciting” them, as well as harming brain cells and sparking your appetite, causing you to eat more. 

 2.      Artificial Flavors: Found in a majority of foods today, artificial flavors can have serious negative effects on your health.  These effects include reproductive complications, neurotoxicity and cancer causing tendencies, to name a few. 

 3.      High Fructose Corn Syrup: High fructose corn syrup can be found in just about any processed food.  Aside from it being made from genetically modified corn, high fructose corn syrup can cause accelerated weight gain, insulin resistance and even diabetes when consumed in large quantities over a long period of time. It sneaks into a lot of food products, so check your ketchup, BBQ sauces, salad dressings, cereals, cake mixes, etc. 

 4.      Table Salt:  We are not talking about sea salt or Himalayan pink salt, we are talking about man-made table salt.  Table salt contains over 30 chemicals and is bleached, causing spikes in blood pressure and is detrimental to the liver and kidneys. Toss the table salt, and stick to sea salt for a healthy dose of minerals. 

 5.      Low-Fat or Fat-Free Products:  Low-fat or fat-free products are a sham.  Because there is less fat in the product, manufacturers compensate by adding massive amounts of sugars and artificial sweeteners to give the taste of a full-fat food. Consuming this excess sugar ends up being stored as fat in your body.  Look at the food labels of the fat-free version and full fat version of a food, yogurt for example, the latter usually has half the ingredients. And they are usually all real food products. 

 6.      Hydrogenated or Fractionated Oils: These two types of oils are toxic.  Hydrogenated oils, in effect, are used for preserving products.  When you consume the hydrogenated oils however, it is like pouring “plastic sludge” into your bloodstream.  Fractionated oil, on the other hand, is the almost solid fat product extracted from oil and has extremely harmful effects on the body. Stick to healthy fats, like coconut oil, avocado oil, ghee, olive oil, etc. 

 7.      Artificial Coloring: Artificial coloring has been linked to cancer.  Different colorings, such as Blue 1 and 2, as well as Red 3 and Green 3, are connected to cancers ranging from the thyroid to the bladder. They’ve also been linked to behavior disorders in children. 

 8.      Soy:  Marketed as a healthy product to consume, soy can have serious effects on health, especially for women.  It can disturb estrogen in women, cause early puberty in girls, and contribute to a reduced sex drive.  The only soy that is good to consume are fermented and organic soy products.

 9.      Canola Oil:  Aside from being an effective insect repellent, canola oil has no benefit whatsoever to the human body.  It is extracted from plants that have been genetically modified and extensively bred. Instead, consider using avocado oil. 

 10.  Potassium Sorbate:  Potassium sorbate began a revolution in food preservation.  While it will successfully keep food fresh, it is a carcinogen known to cause cell mutation in animals and have “toxic” effects on organs.

These are only a few, but some of the most common. There are 100’s of names for artificial sweeteners, preservatives and flavors in our food system today, and new ones are added all the time. This is why it’s best to shop the perimeter of the grocery store, sticking to the fresh food as much as possible. Controlling what goes in our food, and thus in our bodies, is one of the first steps towards a healthier body, and truly feeling well. 

If you’re working on eliminating some of these foods, and don’t know where to begin, consider having an MRT Food sensitivity test done to see which ones your body is reacting to. Common food reactions include digestive upset, bloating, rashes, hives, anxiety, depression, hyper activity, fatigue, joint pain, and sleep disturbances. The MRT test is a blood test that looks at 170 different foods and food chemicals. Schedule a call to see if this test is something that will help you.