Understanding the Order of Ingredients
Product ingredients are listed by quantity, from the highest to the lowest amount. This means the manufacturer used the most of the first ingredient. A good rule of thumb is to scan the first three ingredients, as they make up the largest part of what you’re eating. Products that list refined grains, sugars, or hydrogenated oils as the first ingredients tend to be less nutritious. Instead, try choosing items with whole foods listed as the first three ingredients.
The Length of the Ingredient List Matters
In addition, an ingredient list longer than two to three lines may be a sign that the product is highly processed. A good rule of thumb: The less ingredients, the better. She adds that this typically indicates that the food item is less processed. For instance, if a bag of chips has 25 ingredients in it, maybe that’s not the right choice. Maybe the chip that’s just corn, oil and salt is your best option in terms of chips.
Hidden Sugar Names to Watch For
Sugar goes by a slew of different names, making it easy for manufacturers to hide how much sugar is truly in a given product. While some of these names are more obvious, like brown and cane sugar, others are trickier to spot (e.g., maltodextrin and dextrose). You might see sugar listed as the fourth ingredient in a product and think it’s not so bad. But sugar can also be listed as high-fructose corn syrup or corn syrup, agave nectar, barley malt syrup or dehydrated cane juice, to name just a few. Shockingly, over 68% of barcoded food products sold in the U.S. contain added sweeteners – even if they are labeled as “natural” or “healthy.”
Artificial Sweeteners in Disguise
Foods claiming to be “reduced sugar,” “low sugar,” “lite” or “low carb” likely contain artificial sweetener. Surprisingly, some are foods you wouldn’t think contain a sweetener of any kind. Bread, candy, yogurt, snacks, protein powder and more are just some of the almost countless items sold throughout the U.S. that may contain artificial sweeteners with health concerns. Consumers can identify whether a product has a sweetener by looking for the sweetener’s name in the ingredient list on the product label.
Unhealthy Oils to Avoid
So when you are reading your nutrition labels, look for high-quality oils made from healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil and avoid the oils below. Canola Oil – This oil is sourced from GMO crops. It’s heavily processed and has no nutritional value. Corn Oil – This highly refined popular oil can damage your liver and is high in omega 6. It is also known as maize oil and is created from GMO crops. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soybean Oil is the most widely produced and consumed vegetable oil in the United States. This is not good! UC Riverside found that soybean oil not only leads to obesity and diabetes but it could also affect neurological conditions like autism, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, and depression.
Sodium and Salt in Various Forms
There’s salt, sodium benzoate, disodium or monosodium glutamate (MSG). Learn more about salt and sodium. Sodium nitrite is a source of salt in our diets. It’s in hot dogs, lunch meats and other processed meats. This is important to know because too much sodium can raise blood pressure, increasing the risk for heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg.
Chemical Preservatives and Additives
Many toxic chemicals and substances are used in processed foods to help preserve them, or as another part of the process in creating the product we see on the shelves in stores. Keep an eye out for: red dye No. 3, titanium dioxide, brominated vegetable oil, propylparaben and potassium bromate. These chemicals are commonly found in many American candy products, but are banned in the European Union (EU).
Trans Fats and Hydrogenated Oils
Avoid trans fat. When the Nutrition Facts label lists “0 g” of trans fat but includes “partially hydrogenated oil” in the ingredient list, it means the food contains some trans fat, but less than 0.5 grams per serving. So, if you eat more than one serving, you could end up eating too much trans fat. Ultra-processed foods often contain trans fats and high levels of saturated fats, which can raise LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) levels and lower HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) levels. Elevated LDL cholesterol is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis, a condition that can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular disease.
Ultra-Processed Food Markers
Long ingredient list: Foods that contain many ingredients (often more than three), especially those that could not be found in a kitchen, are likely to be ultra-processed. Some ingredients to look for to identify these foods could be added sugar, vegetable oil, artificial sweeteners, multiple preservatives, emulsifiers and shelf-life extenders such as sorbic acid, calcium propionate, datem, and monoglycerides. They also tend to include many additives and ingredients that are not typically used in home cooking, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colours and flavours.
Artificial Colors and Flavors
Other studies have linked artificial food dyes, such as red dye no. 3, to hyperactivity and neurobehavioral changes and effects in children · Common uses: to enhance the appearance of red candies, as well as in food and beverages, creating a brighter “cherry red” color The California School Food Safety Act, signed into law in 2024, bans six harmful food dyes from being served in public schools. It came on the heels of a 2023 California Food Safety Act that will prohibit the sale of food products containing the chemicals Red Dye No. 3, propyl paraben, brominated vegetable oil and potassium bromate.
How to Make Better Choices
Limit the amounts of added sugars, saturated fat and sodium you eat. Compare labels on different brands or similar products and choose foods with less of these nutrients when possible. Make sure you get enough of the nutrients your body needs, such as calcium, dietary fiber, iron, potassium and vitamin D. In this case, Wohlford recommends checking the ingredients label on the side of a snack’s package to make sure everything is recognizable. “Look for foods that have ingredients. Either the food itself is in its natural state for the most part, or there are some ingredients that are in their natural state,” Wohlford says. She uses crackers as an example, noting that a three-ingredient cracker made with whole wheat, oil and salt is still processed, but less so than one made with super-refined flour and other chemicals.
Conclusion
Reading food labels has become more important than ever as manufacturers continue to add complex chemical ingredients to everyday foods. The key is to become familiar with the various names these additives hide behind and to remember that simpler is usually better. When you see a product with dozens of ingredients you can’t pronounce, that’s your cue to keep looking for something more natural. Your body will thank you for taking the time to decode what’s really in your food.
What’s the most surprising ingredient you’ve discovered hidden in your favorite foods?
