How to read a food label and choose food. Simple tips on grocery shopping and taking charge of your health

Whether you have been shopping consciously or mindlessly picking up products, you need to become aware of what goes in your body to be healthy and fit. Fortunately, becoming aware of food ingredients, learning to read nutritional labels, and understanding human nutrients are simple processes. All you need is a desire to know. The origin, preparation style, and ethical weight of your food are also important.

Let’s break it down into these five categories:

1. ingredients (what is actually in there)
2. quality of ingredients (spectrum from organic to artificial)
3. nutritional content (how much protein, carbs, sugar, fiber, salt, and fat it has)
5. ethics (fair-trade, animal respect, packaging, respect for nature)

Set aside a shopping session in which you can take the time to read the text on every food product you buy or ask staff about unpackaged food. Make sure you record anything you cannot photograph. Alternatively, you can do this at home once you have already purchased the products, but

Packaged goods

At a glance

If the ingredients list is long, beware. Also, pay attention to the order in which they appear. Ingredients are listed in

Here is a list of ingredients that you need to exclude categorically

1. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, also called fractionated*, Monoglycerides and Diglycerides (mono- and diglycerides), E471, refined fat, and …
2. Corn syrup, also called fructose or high fructose corn syrup,
3. Oils (canola, soybean, palm, corn, and vegetable in particular)
4. Monosodium glutamate (MSG), also called hydrolyzed protein, E621, yeast extract (autolyzed yeast extract)
5. Anything that starts with “artificial”

Ingredients are listed in order of the amount present. If the first ingredients are sugar or any kind of fat, you can be certain the rest is filler to provide color and artificial flavor.

Produce section

Always note if the fruit or veggie is in season and where it comes from.