Top 10 Tips for Reading Food Labels This Holiday Season in Rochester NY

These tips will help you navigate holiday food shopping with ease, making it possible to enjoy both tasty and healthful dishes in Rochester NY.

1. One or Many

Manufacturers can use a sneaky technique to make products appear ‘healthier’ by listing the serving size as 2 or more, but the nutrition facts are listed per serving. Be sure to multiply calories, sugars, and other nutrients by the number of servings you’re actually consuming.

2. Sneaky Sugars

Sugar has many names, including high-fructose corn syrup, cane juice, and malt syrup, etc. High Fructose Corn Syrup is one of the worst because your body doesn’t ‘count’ those calories as they’re consumed. Generally speaking avoid the -oses: sucrose, dextrose, fructose, lactose and maltose. Check the ingredients list and aim for products with minimal added sugars, but know there is a difference between added and inherent sugar.

3. Who’s on first

Ingredients are listed by weight, so the first few items are what the product contains the most. Avoid foods where sugar or refined grains (generally empty calories) are in the top three ingredients.

4. Good fat BAD fat

Avoid allegedly heart healthy vegetable oils. In reality we’re dealing with rancid seed oils that were never meant to be food. Soybean oil is especially problematic, but anything in the vegetable oil family needs to be avoided whenever possible. In addition, look for "0g trans fat" on the label, but also scan for “partially hydrogenated oils” in the ingredients. Even small amounts can harm heart health. Natural fats (tallow, ghee butter) and heat stable fats (coconut & avocado) are some of the best.

5. To Salt or not to Salt

Holiday dishes can be loaded with processed (typical) table salt. This is a ‘cheap’ way to create taste in foods that do not contain quality ingredients. Choose items with 5% or less of the daily value for sodium per serving to reduce bloating and keep your heart healthy. Side note: adding quality mineral salt to your own cooking or prepared food is a radically different step that should be taken.

6. Spot Artificial Additives and sweeteners

Avoid artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives like Red 40, Yellow 5, sodium benzoate and artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, ACE-k. They seem great on the surface, but the bottom line is they are neurotoxic chemicals.

7. Be Cautious with "Low Fat" or "Fat-Free" Claims

These often mean added sugars to compensate for flavor. NEVER believe the claims on the front (natural, whole-grain, sugar-free, 0-calorie). Certifications (i.e. Non-GMO certified) are ok, but general statements mean very little to nothing.

8. Focus on Fiber

Foods high in dietary fiber (at least 3g per serving) keep you fuller longer and help regulate blood sugar, making holiday indulgences less impactful. Ideally this fiber should be naturally occurring as opposed to an added ingredient.

9. Limit Refined Carbs

Look for whole grains instead of refined grains like white flour. Words like “enriched” or “bleached” signal refined ingredients and in addition they will typically contain low quality synthetic vitamins and minerals that can do more harm than good.

10. Choose Simple Ingredients

The fewer ingredients, the better. Products with long, hard-to-pronounce ingredient lists often contain unnecessary chemicals or fillers.

Bonus Tip: Plan Ahead

When holiday shopping, go with a list and stick to it. Being prepared helps you avoid impulse purchases of less healthy options!