Reading labels, those tricky little buggers

Due to my food allergies and general concern for health I read the label for every food before I purchase it. I was astounded when I discovered: chicken stock contains yeast almost all chocolate, except for a few dark chocolates, contain soy lecithin many tomato sauces and other vegetables contain corn syrup or sugar most prepared foods contain hydrogenated fats, soy protein, soybean oil, gluten, high fructose corn syrup, sugar(usually in multiple forms starting with High fructose corn syrup) high fructose corn syrup is considered a natural food in labeling most fruit is dried with a derivative of sulfur dioxide (sulfites) most breads contain soybean oil Many teas contain soy lecithin Many grated cheeses have anti-caking and other components added, like sulfites, that makes them grainy if you use them in a sauce Many yogurts are made with gelatin-real yogurt is made with live culture not gelatin. While you are in the dairy isle, look at cottage cheese and sour cream from a variety of brands. You will be surprised! Pork is not a white meat. Pork IS a RED MEAT! All quick food is stripped of much nutritional value. For example, next time you go to the grocery store, look at instant cream of wheat and the stuff that takes 10 or 15 minutes to cook. You will be astounded at the nutritional difference. Fat free or low fat foods tend to be higher in sugar Most frozen meats and some fresh poultry contain a certain amount, usually no more than 15%, of brine which may be natural or may contain things like MSG. This does not even begin to deal with where your food comes from, or pesticides and coatings that may be on produce. With all of these nonsensical, high calorie ingredients hidden in long ingredient lists, it's no wonder that society keeps getting fatter. I know that usually when people, not concerned with allergies or disease, read labels it is for the nutritional content. Despite the simplified chart I think many people are confused by the nutritional label on food. The most important things to look at are the serving size and the caloric count. This is very important, especially if you are comparing different product, because serving sizes are not standardized, nor do they make sense. If you look at a bottle of pop, 16 oz or 1 ltr, you will probably be surprised to see that the manufacturers do not consider that bottle a single serving, despite how the majority of the public treats it. Once you know that you can look at the nutritional content. When I look at the nutritional values I just want to know what I am eating: TOTAL FAT: total fats of product, not just saturated and trans SATURATED FAT: bad fats TRANS FAT: worse fat CHOLESTEROL: bad fat SODIUM: We all know the risks of a high sodium diet TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES: This tells more about calories than anything else DIETARY FIBER: The higher the number, the better it is. The more fiber a food has, the more calories you burn eating, which is why most fruits and vegetables are considered free foods on diets and celery essentially has negative calories. SUGARS: self explanatory PROTEIN: When is protein not good To me the big thing is not keeping a running total but keeping a balance and knowing what I am eating. I do hope this has been helpful and encourages you to read labels.