Reading Food Labels
 

I love getting educated on things like this. So many people think they are eating healthy because they buy foods that appear to be good for you but are not. LOL I cringe a little every time my friend says her family started eating healthier by switching to wheat bread. When I saw the kind she purchased it was your typical "looks healthy but is just plain white bread in disguise variety".

I too have fallen prey to misleading labels. My "favorite" is products that claim "No Sugar Added" (I'm staring hard at you ice cream!) As someone with blood sugar issues I practically squealed with delight the first time I saw this in the freezer isle, and I stupidly ate it without reading the label and within an hour I was deathly ill.

http://www.today.com/health/10-ways-...ore-2D11960555

I can't tell you how much time I've spent trying to teach my parents these simple rules about food labels. Part of the problem is that they don't see very well. My father is diabetic and was told it's okay to drink small servings of 100% juice. He routinely brings home juice that is "100% natural"... which is basically meaningless as sugar is considered natural.

The best way I've found is to eat products that don't have a nutrition label. Fruits, vegetables, meats, and nuts are often sold in bulk. No need to check the label because you know what you're getting. :)

I hate the no added sugar thing. We were at a City campout event. It is an awesome event. They open up a city park, people pitch tents, there are meals served.

Well the breakfast had fruit juices. We NEVER buy fruit juice. I saw one that said no sugar added. It was grape juice. They had concentrated it so much though that it was 40...yes 40 grams of sugar per 10 ounces. Saw parents to the left and right of me giving it to their kids. I wanted to scream.

I can relate so well! My mother was diagnosed as diabetic many many years ago. The doctor gave her a diabetic diet to follow, but made the mistake of telling her she could have cookies, cake, etc. as an occasional treat. By this he meant once in awhile. Honestly my mom went from baking a cake, say once or twice a month, to once a week! It was one of the saddest things I went through to see her so convinced that she was eating right and following the doctors orders. Unfortunately there was no convincing her otherwise. She never really got her diabetes under control and years later when she was diagnosed with cancer, I think her body was too wore out to fight.

I like that they mentioned the gluten free issue. My roommate just discovered she's gluten intolerant. I have another friend in town with a diagnosed intolerance, and two more ladies I know have Celiacs and have been hospitalized from complications before.

We were just discussing last night how gluten-free as a fad diet recently has been a real double-edged sword. More cafes and stores have gluten-free options and even separate menus now, but servers when we go out to eat seem much more aware of gluten free as a hipster fad than a necessity of a potentially serious condition.

I can't even tell you how many times a waitress has told my friend she's "pretty sure" an item is gluten free despite not being on the gluten free menu because she assumes my friends are avoiding gluten as a lifestyle choice and doesn't seem to realize that saying that when an item does contain gluten can be like serving someone with a shellfish allergy lobster bisque.

Yeah it's been such a struggle with my parents. My dad was never big into sweets until he was diagnosed. He used to eat fruit with breakfast and then once in a while have an ice cream bar for dessert. Now he won't eat fruit (sugar he says) and binges on "sugar free" desserts almost nightly. I try to tell him that a small portion of fruit is way healthier than these processed foods full of sugar alcohols, but he won't listen.

He's also eating way more fat and meat than he used to even though he should be eating small portions of whole grains according to his dietitian. My mom's got high blood pressure and it's the same battle trying to encourage her not to eat tons of salt-laden processed foods and meat. Oh well, they are adults and need to make their own choices I guess.