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All foods are labeled
under law in North
America so that we can
see exactly what is in
the foods that we are
eating and what the
nutritional value is in
these foods. By law,
every food that is sold
in the store must be
labeled with this
information. So far this
hasn’t been a problem.
If you walk into any
grocery store, you
shouldn’t be able to
find any packaged food
without its proper
label. However, are
these labels telling us
the truth?
A lot of the
time the labels of
certain foods that have
been branded as not good
for you have been
re-labeled to say “new
and improved.” Most
people blindly believe
these labels and buy the
foods trusting that they
really are new and
improved. How do we know
that this labeling is
true? How can we tell if
these foods are what the
labels say they are?
There is really no way
for the average consumer
to determine if the
labels of the foods you
eat are one hundred
percent truthful.
When a food label says
that the product inside
is new and improved, it
begs the question, “what
were they selling me
before?” These types of
label messages are
regretfully untrue most
of the time. Another
item on the labels of
the food that we buy is
the phrase “patented
formula.” This simply
means that the
combination of
ingredients is patented
to the particular name
brand. It is nothing to
worry about for the
average consumer.
Something that should be
worried about at least a
little bit however, is
advertising hype that
makes its way to the
food labels. Let’s face
the facts here. Every
company that processes
and manufactures the
food that your grocery
store carries wants to
make money. These
companies make their
money by selling you,
the consumer, their
food, so they use any
means necessary to do
this. Do not let
yourself be discouraged
by this information. The
front of the food label
is not what you should
be paying attention to
anyway. The most
important part of the
packaging is the back,
where the nutritional
content and ingredients
are listed.
Pay close attention to
the back of food
packaging in the grocery
stores. The list of
ingredients tells you
exactly what is in the
food you are buying, and
reading this list can be
a deciding factor in
whether or not you
actually purchase the
food. Do your research,
and find out what main
food ingredients are
good for you, and which
ones are not so healthy
for your body. It is
always a good idea to
make sure that you are
only putting safe things
into your body.
The
second thing to pay
close attention to is
the nutritional value
that is also located on
the back part of the
food packaging. This
informs you of things
like how many calories,
carbohydrates, vitamins
and minerals are in the
food you are buying. It
also tells you how much
sugar, fat and fibre
your body is receiving
when you eat the
particular food. This is
good information to be
learning before you
purchase the product.
Don’t pay too much
attention to all of the
advertising hype of the
food. Instead, look at
the information on the
back of the label.
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