How do you sift through all the food labels and know that you are eating clean?
Trying to eat well is challenging enough, but add in a list of food labels and mysterious ingredients and it becomes overwhelming. Non-GMO, Certified Organic, Gluten Free, Vegan, All Natural, Fat Free … Food labels really don’t mean much. We get attached to certain words that describe food and the food industry uses those words to market their foods. Just because a label says Organic, Gluten Free etc. does NOT make it a health food. Take a moment to read ingredients. Understanding ingredients is your key to understanding what you are actually eating. Look for simple ingredients that you can pronounce and understand.
When to let it go and when to say no
It’s almost impossible to eat clean 100% of the time. Give yourself a break sometimes and don’t let your commitment to nutrition run your life. It’s okay to occasionally let it go and enjoy that cookie your co-worker has offered (even if it’s not the raw vegan version that you’re used to). But also, feel good about saying no to foods that really go against your food integrity. There’s a difference between letting it go because it’s not a perfect food and saying no to something that doesn’t even qualify as food.
Know the most common GMO ingredients
Aspartame, baking powder, canola oil (rapeseed oil), caramel color, cellulose, citric acid, cobalamin (Vitamin B12), colorose, condensed milk, confectioners sugar, anything corn based: corn flour, corn meal, corn oil, corn sugar, corn syrup, cornstarch; cottonseed oil, cyclodextrin, cystein, dextrin, dextrose, diacetyl, diglyceride, erythritol, food starch, fructose (any form), glucose, glutamate, glutamic acid, glycerides, glycerin, glycerol, glycerol monooleate, glycine, hemicellulose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), hydrogenated starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, inositol, inverse syrup, inversol, invert sugar, isoflavones, lactic acid, lecithin, leucine lysinemalitol, malt, malt syrup, malt extract, maltodextrin, maltose, mannitol, methylcellulose, milk powder, milo starch, modified food starch, modified starch, mono and diglycerides, monosodium glutamate (MSG), Nutrasweet, oleic acid, Phenylalanine, phytic acid, protein isolate, shoyu, sorbitol, anything soy based, stearic acid, sugar (unless specified as cane sugar), tocopherols (vitamin E), trehalose, triglyceride. vegetable oil, xanthan gum
Ask your favorite restaurant how they can better commit to organic and non-GMO ingredients
The joy of eating out can feel stressful if you are left wondering what really goes into the foods at your favorite restaurant. It’s important to speak up. Ask your favorite restaurants what they are doing to provide the best quality foods on their menu with the most value in nutrition. Urban Remedy is dedicated to the highest quality; we believe that food should not only taste good… food should always benefit your body.
