Is it Really Healthy?

Just because a product is in a health food store does not necessarily mean that it is healthy. I have seen plenty of health stores tempting me with a new chocolatey treat (sugar), gummy chews (rice syrup is still sugar), or veggie chips (proceed past the point of being healthy).

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes all you need is to satisfy that craving for sweet and salty goodness. But that’s not the train this blog is taking today.

People like to shop at places that have lots of options; health food stores need to keep their shelves filled to look like there are lots of options; companies make more money when their products are on more shelves. So what happens? Companies make their products somewhat healthier to pass health food store standards and their products are on the shelf.

Companies are smart, they know people are starting to become more aware of the benefits of healthy eating. So they may come out with a new product, or change their packaging of another product and market it in a way that is appealing to a customer.

This is yet another reason to be aware of what you are buying and eating. Take the time to do a little research on products in your grocery bag – no matter where it was purchased. Notice how you yourself feel after you eat it. That is far more important than what the labels say.

So when buying a healthy product, skim over these 3 questions before purchasing.

How many ingredients does it have?

This is a key question. Eat food in the form that it grows in. A helpful guide is - the fewer ingredients, the better.

What are the top/main ingredients?

Is sugar the first or second ingredient? That means that most of what you are about to buy is sugar. Whether is rice syrup, brown sugar, agave, etc. Its all sugar. Oil is often another high ingredient – what kind of oil is used?

What does the packaging look like and say?

Is the packaging trying to entice you with words like – added Omega 3’s, High Source of Probiotics? How far away is the expiry date? If it says something like 02/13, chances are there are not many nourishing elements inside the box.

xoSus