Reading Your Labels
One thing I am very picky with- reading labels. It stinks, but the front of packaging can be a little deceptive and not indicative of it being “healthy”. The “organic”, “all natural”, etc. labels don’t always mean there’s good ingredients for you in it. I like straightforward and simple ingredients. I’m not a huge calorie counter, but I believe in foods that nurture and sustain your body. I believe the foods we eat should help our body, no create issues.
My husband will sometimes make fun of me for the time I spend doing it, but it’s important to me. If I don’t know what something is I will research it. I’m at a point in life where I want to know what’s going into my body. What I fuel my body with is important to me running at my best!
I was never really a label reading kind of person and just trusted organic or natural items. Once I started looking, I was a little shocked about the amount of items on the ingredient list that I didn’t recognize. I understand everyone had different thoughts and beliefs about ingredients. I can respect that. I just know what I want going into me and my family. Here’s what I look for:
As few ingredients as possible- I tend to use whole fruits, vegetables, and meats as much as possible. I try to keep my ingredients as simple as possible. My favorite crackers are now a rice cracker. There are all sorts with a variety of number of ingredients. My favorite have two ingredients- brown rice flour and white rice flour. I do like to make a lot of my own stuff, but let’s face it; I’m busy, you’re busy, we’re all busy. Sometimes you need something prepackaged. I want mine to be as clean as possible though! It has taken me awhile to find an almond milk that I can buy- Malk. It has three ingredients. I don’t really want fillers or gums in my food.
If I don’t recognize it- I look it up. If it’s something that I’m not sure on, I wait. Then I do my research and decide. There are a lot of things out there, I’d really prefer to keep out of my body and my kid’s bodies. So take the time. It’s important!
Be willing to try new things that have decent ingredients on the label. Sometimes it’s a win, sometimes maybe not. The more clean wins you find, the more you get to expand items you can feel good about eating! I tried some different crackers today made from almond flour. It was not a win unfortunately. However, I’ve found some really great items by just trying them. So be open minded. Try it a few different ways and you never know what you might find! Below is a ranch I would use on the left, and the one on the right, we have had but wouldn't use since reading the label!
