Many of us, more than 60 percent according to a report, read labels and then buy foodstuff. There are certain things that either we ignore or are not paying attention at. Read on to find some common mistakes that we make while reading labels on foodstuff.
Avoiding saturated fat
I guess all Americans are aware of the hype created by the low fat, high carbohydrate diet. Back in the days, it was believed by experts that avoiding saturated fat was good for health. Lately, it has been proved that a diet low in fat neither helps in weight reduction nor avoids diseases like cancer or heart attacks. In fact, the saturated fat increases the good cholesterol known as HDL. Enjoy your eggs, red meat, butter and coconut oil, without any tension that it would be harmful for you.
Thinking just about the calorie in-take
Although, keeping track of the calories and eating accordingly helps many people. It is not the only thing that matters for a good health. Experts now believe, it is a misconception that one has to check the calorie intake in order to maintain a healthy weight and good health.
Different type of foods and nutrients go through various processes in the body, they have different effects on the hormones and secretions in the body. A better way to check your weight would be eating less sugar and carbohydrates. Eat sufficient amount of proteins and fat, without worrying too much about the calories.
Befooling yourself by the words free and zero
When you read a label saying fat free, sugar free and zero it doesn’t literally mean that way. As per the regulations, 0.5 grams of trans-fat qualify to be termed as fat free. Same goes for the sugar free and low sugar labels. There is absolutely nothing called zero calories. Then there are foods without sugar, which have ingredients with no nutritional benefit.
There is a difference between “reduced” and “low”
When a label reads reduced sodium, it doesn’t mean low in sodium content. It may mean that the food item contains a certain percentage of less sodium but it is not low sodium. At times, the “reduced” content is the good part, other ingredients like sugar add body weight. A lot of manufacturers try to fool the consumers by adding tiny bits of beneficial ingredients to their junk food.
Don’t fall into the trap of the food labels, read the complete ingredient list. Assess for yourself if the food will be good for your families’s health or not.