Read labels well: 7 simple rules that won’t miss junk food

Here you need to follow a few rules:

In the first place the composition indicates the ingredient present in the product in the greatest quantity, and then – in descending order.

Flavor enhancers, biologically active additives, flavorings, colorings and other “E” must be indicated, there must be a mark on the absence of GMOs. And also the composition should indicate if there are any inclusions in the product components that are not specific to it protein nature (for example, soy in meat products).

In addition, the manufacturer must indicate the ingredients which are potential allergens: peanuts, aspartame (artificial sweetener), mustard, sulfur dioxide (sulfite), cereals containing gluten or gluten itself, sesame, lupins, shellfish, shellfish, fish, milk (lactose), nuts, celery, soy , eggs and their products of transformation .

In Russia, manufacturers are allowed to limit indicating the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates and indicate the energy value of the product – the number of kilocalories per 100 g.

Imported manufacturers also traditionally indicate amount of trans fat, saturated fat, amount of fiberas well as added (free) sugars among carbohydrates in a separate line.

If you want to carefully monitor your health, consider these indicators in your diet!

Let’s analyze this problem using a simple example – gray bread. We used to think that gray bread is healthier than white bread and we take it out without looking at the ingredients. Next time you’re in the supermarket, take a closer look at the rather popular American brand’s gray toast: its composition takes up 8-10 lines, contains a large amount of improvers, colorings, and it’s all based on refined white flour. . It would seem that the gray bread also comes from a well-known manufacturer – but not at all healthy!

Therefore, even when choosing bread, carefully read the composition – there should be only a few ingredients: whole grain flour, water, salt and yeast. In this case, even yeast in the composition will be better than bread with a huge amount of ingredients.

The modern man’s diet is oversaturated with such products. They have a negative impact on health, and our goal is to reduce their number as much as possible. Industrial deep processing products include:

Wasters are harmful fatty acids that greatly affect our health. And the World Health Organization has even developed and started to implement at the international level a guideline for the complete exclusion of these dangerous substances from the composition of food products worldwide. After all, according to the WHO, stopping the consumption of trans fats is an essential requirement for protecting health and saving lives.

The fact is that these types of fats are widely used by manufacturers in the food industry to extend the shelf life of products and increased fat content cheeses, curds, processed cheeses, ice creams, etc.

They can also form when oils are heated for long periods of time when frying at high temperatures. This is why oil frying and repeated frying should be avoided. And that’s why ordering fries and nuggets from your favorite fast food chain is very heavy on our health!

Of course, trans fats are also found in natural foods, such as dairy and meat products from ruminants, and even in breast milk, but in very small amounts.

It is important to remember that unlike the absorption of healthy fats, our bodies can only process a very small amount of trans fats, and an excess of them in the diet leads to obesity, strokes and heart attacks.

In the composition of products on the package, spenders are indicated in different ways. It can be:

I immediately note that not all rapeseed oils are harmful, and even more – they can be useful: they contain a lot of vitamin E, which has a beneficial effect on skin and hair. However, on an industrial scale, it is much cheaper to use oil that has gone through the refining process, which has an extremely negative effect on the quality of the original product.

Attention! If included in dairy products (eg cheese, cottage cheese or yoghurt) you did not find any vegetable oils in the composition – this also indicates the presence of trans fats in this product!

Why do manufacturers add sugar to the composition of products if in large quantities it is harmful to the body? It’s simple: with it, you can increase shelf life. And if you don’t see the word “sugar” on the label, that doesn’t mean it’s not there at all. Regular sugar hides behind names such as:

And often these sugars are even found on products intended for baby food!

Everything is simple here. Be sure to check the production date and expiration date on the packaging so as not to come across expired products. There are stores where they still commit various frauds with delays, especially for dairy products and other perishables. So be vigilant and don’t forget to look at the expiry dates!

I hope you find it easy to follow these guidelines. Be careful, give yourself time to read labels – and be healthy!