I didn’t just wake up one day, a walking ingredient dictionary, with intuitive knowledge on the best way to eat for my body.
Label reading takes practice, research, and a willingness to learn new things. It’s a skill that you develop, that can be quite overwhelming at first.
When I made the choice to simplify our lives by just eating real food, labels often times complicated things.
Originally I decided to look for three ingredients when label reading ; corn syrup of any kind, enriched flours, and canola and vegetable oils.
If it had those things, I’d opt for something else.
Corn Syrup/High Fructose Corn Syrup:
A fructose liquid sweetener alternative to sugar linked to diabetes and heart disease. The body metabolizes fructose differently than glucose and consuming too much fructose can lead to health problems such as; fatty liver disease, diabetes, weight gain, and exasperating inflammatory disease, IE auto immune disease.
Enriched flours:
In the US flour is bleached, using food additives like, chlorine, bromates, and peroxides which have been banned in Europe and other countries for the high probability that they cause cancer and were never really intended for digestion in the first place.
Because bleaching strips the grain of so much nutrient density, enriching or fortifying, is an attempt that food manufacturers make to add it back in.
Because my family has the MTHFR gene mutation steering clear of enriched foods is extremely important. To read more, click here!
Canola and Vegetable oil:
Scientists created the canola plant in the 1970’s in a response to the FDA’s ban on rapeseed oil, it was linked to heart muscle damage and deemed unsuitable for human consumption.
The manufacturer hired a team to crossbreed plants, and LEAR low-erucic-acid rapeseed oil, now canola, was born.
Production grew exponentially and round up-ready canola plants were developed. They were bioengineered to tolerate glyphosate, the active ingredient in weed killer.
These plants go through an extremely taxing process called hexane solvent extraction. It damages the oil, creating higher levels of oxidation and trans fat.
Diving into the deep deep world of label reading is as overwhelming as you allow it to be.
Knowledge is power but it can also feel constricting. Instead of focusing on all the things I didn’t want to consume I focused on all of the things I did.
I continued to research ingredients in my spare time and my list of things to avoid has expanded. But so has the list of the things I consume now!
Its important to make informed decisions but it’s also important to enjoy your life. I avoid certain ingredients when I can in order to contribute to my bodies overall well being.
I also continue to consume all of those things mentioned above on occasion. None of this is all or nothing.
Adjust as you see fit.
It’s not a diet.
It’s an educated, intuitive approach to food and wellness.
Brittany Williams has taken the weight loss world by storm with her best-selling Instant Loss Cookbook. After reaching a peak weight of 260 pounds and spending a lifetime struggling with obesity, yo-yo dieting, autoimmune diseases, and chronic fatigue, Brittany changed her relationship with food and lost an astonishing 125 pounds in a year through diet alone.
Brittany’s latest book, Instant Loss Eat Real, Lose Weight shows how to make this a sustainable lifestyle with kid and family-friendly meals—from Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal to Cowboy Chili to Easy 2-Minute Pork Chops. Members of her growing community have reported losing 50 and even 100 pounds themselves, and this cookbook will help others achieve similar success with simple, delicious meals, nearly all ready in 30 minutes or less.
I understand Canola oil, but why not vegetable oil? Or is it just another name for canola oil? Aren’t they sold as two different products? Also, instead if an “Oil” is used what kind do you look for?
Vegetable oil is usually made from soy which I star clear of too. Better oils are avocado, coconut and olive.
Do you have an article about soy? What to use instead?
My sons were allergic to cow’s milk and started on soy milk and rice milk. My husband likes cow’s milk and I switched back to soy milk as an alternative to cows milk. What kind of milk is best for everyday consumption, with cereal or oatmeal?
Agave syrup is 90% fructose. Do you recommend using it?
I’m a 69 yr old who has fought weight gain all my life. The book is getting me back in the kitchen and I’m loving it, thank you so much.
Awww thank you so much for reaching out May, I wish you all the best!
We have been trying to eat healthy and not use processed foods but it’s hard. The men in the house need to lose weight as well as me. When I tried to find recipes to use they still called for processed items. My youngest daughter loves your Instant Loss Eat real, lose weight cookbook and bought me one for Mother’s Day.. She tagged her favorites for me to try first. Her husband said they were good. When it shows servings are those based on specific portions? Thank you for sharing your sharing your story and recipes.
Hi Delphine, Thank you so much for reaching out! I am so excited that you received my second cookbook and that your family has given my recipes such high recommendations. Once cooked, you just divide the recipes by that many people (example 4) and is the specific portion sizes. Hope that helps!
I just ordered your cookbook. I am working to lose 100+pounds to loss and was looking for a healthy way to cook in my new instant pot.
Awesome Deanne! Wishing you nothing but wellness and yummy recipes on your journey!
I remember reading somewhere that you ate grains and beans on your journey. Can you comment on this and portion control. Thank you. I find your weekly posts so inspiring
Thank you for posting this. It can be overwhelming to look at labels! Doing a few ingredients at a time is great advice. I also watch Bobby on FlavCity, he has taught me a lot. I also have been using his new app, which lets you scan an item and he tells you if it’s “Bobby approved” and why and why not. It’s great. Thank you for keeping us healthy!