Read the label: Watch out for these ingredients in your food

From the supermarket to consumers’ plates, so many food items from the shelves make their way around. It is once a health problem strikes when one pays attention to what food goes into their body, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Reading the labels carefully is still a practice many try to establish, and it is surely a subject that needs more attention. 

No consumer should be letting harmful substances into their home, and this short list to get started on dangerous signs from ingredient labels is a good place to start. 

What ingredients to avoid on the label?

One of the most known substances that most consumers already avoid are artificial sweeteners. Knowing what artificial sweeteners are in your food is the first step to protect gut and heart health. The most common trick is products that are labeled as sugar free, which contain artificial additives. 

Fizzy drinks, sauces, sweets: All have high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in common. Once again, this additive does not benefit the metabolism at all! Much like HFCS, emulsifiers are also to be watched out for to protect the gut. 

In the meat shelves, the dangerous ingredient is nitrite. Processed meats include this ingredient which has a scientifically proven link to various cancer types. 

Artificial food dyes and trans fats are on the other side of the spectrum, affecting mostly hormones and the heart. Especially artificial food dyes are dangerous for children and sensitive adults.

There are many more ingredients to be listed, but this list is a short overview to encourage a more mindful shopping for food. With the rising fast-manufacturing factories for food, nutrients become less and less, and dangerous chemicals go up. It is sensible to look for alternative options to swap items, or try going more organic.

Photo by Melanie Lim via Unsplash