When it comes to making healthy food choices, the ingredients list is one of the best tools you have at your disposal. Unfortunately, many people don’t read the ingredients, forget to, and miss out on key information when reading food labels. So, here are 4 important reasons to read the ingredient list on everything you buy so you can be sure you are making the very best choice you possibly can.

I constantly talk about the importance of reading the ingredient list, and yet, every day people fail to do so. People opt for items they think are healthy choices only to later realize that they were duped by good marketing and labeling. The good news is, you don’t need to be an expert to read an ingredient list, it’s actually very simple, you simply need to make sure you do it.

1. The Front of a Package Tells you Nothing

Although it is full of pretty text, images, and colors, the front of a box, package, or bag doesn’t tell you much about what is in it. Yes, it may tell you what it is, but unless you dig deeper than the front of a label you can easily get duped into thinking you are making a healthier choice than you actually are. Food labels are littered with marketing buzzwords that honestly don’t mean much unless you know what the actual ingredients are. Something may be labeled “high in protein”, “rich in fiber” or “gluten-free” but those same products may contain added sugars, additives, and preservatives making them a less-than-ideal choice. For instance, many “healthy” yogurts are labeled as all-natural, high-protein, rich in probiotics, and contain more sugar than your average chocolate bar, but you wouldn’t know this if you didn’t read the ingredients. If anything, the front of a package is just an advertisement, so take it with a grain of salt.

2. The Nutrition Facts are Contextual

The nutrition facts panel is the little box of numbers and percentages found on the back of any packaged food product, and although is relevant, it’s only truly relevant if you know the source of these nutrients, which are the ingredients. I know people love to look at the numbers; how many grams of protein, how many grams of carbs, and how much of your daily vitamins and minerals, BUT, if you don’t know the source of those grams of protein, grams of carbs, vitamins and minerals you missing the point. Just because something is high in protein does not mean it is a healthy choice, and just because something is low in carbs also does not mean it is a healthy choice. The numbers and percentages listed are only relevant if the ingredients in that product are from whole foods, not if they are coming from ultra-processed food sources that are devoid of their own nutrients. It’s easy to make an item high protein or low carb by manipulating the ingredients in it, the same way it’s easy to increase the vitamin and mineral content of a food by adding fortified versions, however, they will never be as good for you or work as well as a whole food version of it. So, you can certainly look at the nutrition facts, but you need to make sure you read the ingredients first.

3. Ingredients are More Important than Calories

Don’t get me wrong, calories are important, but understanding the source of the calories you are consuming is arguably just as important, if not more. People are obsessed with calories when, in reality, we should be obsessed with ingredients. It is important to understand that not all calories are created equal and the source of the calorie matters far more than the number. You can make any food low in calories by processing the life out of it and filling it with additives and preservatives, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you. The purpose of eating is to seek nutrients, not avoid calories, and if you focus on the ingredients over the numbers, you can do exactly that.

4. Ignorance is Not Bliss

Not reading the ingredient list is not taking an active role in your own health, and failing to do so makes you part of the problem. Yes, it is incredibly frustrating that food manufacturers are sneaky and lead us to believe that things are healthier than they seem, however, by not reading the ingredient list on the items you buy you are perpetuating the cycle. Every time that you buy something at the grocery store you are voting with your dollars and by purchasing processed foods you are voting to make more of them. Purchasing power is real, and if you only spend your money on items you believe in you are forcing manufacturers to produce better options. There is nothing wrong with buying pre-made or pre-packaged food items, in fact, there are lots of healthy options available, you simply want to ensure that the items you are choosing are made with ingredients from whole foods.

The Bottom Line

The ingredient list is the single best tool at your disposal to determine if a food product is a good choice or not. In fact, it is the only way to determine if the item is made of real food or if it contains added sugars, vegetable oils, and additives. So, every time that you buy something at the grocery store; read the ingredients. It doesn’t matter if you are buying yogurt, tomato sauce, or hummus, reading the ingredient list is the most powerful nutrition tool you have.

Although many people recognize that their blood sugar is important, few recognize how it affects them on a daily basis, and how balancing their blood sugar is key to managing so many of their day-to-day symptoms, feelings, and activities. So let’s discuss blood sugar and discover why balancing blood sugar is so important for your health.

 

What is blood sugar?

Sugar, or glucose, is the body’s main source of energy, and the term “blood sugar” refers to the amount of energy (sugar) present in our bloodstream at one given time. Sugar is produced when we break down any form of carbohydrate, from oatmeal to candy, and is absorbed from our digestive tract into our bloodstream to be used as a source of energy for the body. So, the term blood sugar simply refers to the amount of sugar (or glucose) in your blood at a given time.

Understanding Balanced Blood Sugar

Our blood sugar is the master controller that dictates our hunger, our cravings, and our energy. We feel our best when our blood sugar is balanced; not too high or not too low. Balanced blood sugar helps keep our brain healthy, our energy levels stable and our mood balanced. However, when disrupted, our blood sugar can lead to increased sugar cravings, irritability, poor sleep, brain fog, anxiety, low energy and weight gain, and in the longer term, diabetes. It is important to understand that balancing blood sugar is not only important for those with diabetes or severe health conditions, balancing blood sugar is important for everyone.

How Blood Sugar Works

Your blood sugar is controlled by two main hormones; insulin and glucagon. Every time that you eat, your pancreas creates insulin that is released into the bloodstream to regulate blood sugar. Insulin is essentially the traffic controller of your bloodstream; it determines how much sugar is kept in your bloodstream and how much sugar is stored in your cells. When you eat carbohydrate-based foods, they are broken down into glucose which goes into your bloodstream. When this occurs your pancreas produces insulin to help regulate the amount of sugar in your bloodstream and transfers the glucose to your cells, specifically your liver cells, your muscle cells, and your fat cells. Insulin’s job is to unlock the door to your cells, so that glucose can go into the cells, and out of the bloodstream. This process helps to bring your blood sugar levels back down to a normal range, and also provides the necessary energy for our cells to function.

When Blood Sugar is Disrupted

However, when you eat a meal with a lot of sugar, or carbohydrates, you end up giving your body more glucose than it actually needs at one given time. In a balanced state, the body should be able to regulate this excess glucose and bring down blood sugar levels within an hour or two, but when sugar or carbohydrate-rich foods are consistently over-consumed, this process becomes stressed.

As you continue to over-consume carbohydrate-rich foods, your body needs more and more and more insulin to manage your blood sugar. Eventually, your body becomes resistant to this insulin response, which means that insulin is no longer able to unlock your cell doors. This creates two problems; excess glucose begins to accumulate in the bloodstream (also known as high blood sugar), and the cells become starved for energy because insulin is unable to unlock the doors to let glucose into them. This is known as insulin resistance.

The Problem with Insulin Resistance

When the body becomes resistant to insulin, many issues can arise. Although you may be consuming carbohydrate-based foods, your cells become starved for energy because insulin can no longer unlock the doors to allow glucose into them. This means that you end up feeling low on energy and you end up craving more and more sugar and carbohydrate-based foods because our cells are “starved” for energy. Additionally, as you become insulin resistant it becomes more and more difficult for the body to burn body fat, and easier and easier for you to gain weight. Why? Because when our blood sugar is high, our body does not see the need to burn body fat (our backup fuel) for energy, and our high blood sugar levels encourage fatty acids in the bloodstream to go into fat storage.

So, when you are insulin resistant and your blood sugar is disrupted, you end up with low energy, more cravings, irritability when you miss a meal, trouble sleeping, trouble concentrating, and increased fat storage, especially around your belly.

How to Balance Blood Sugar

The good news is, disrupted blood sugar and insulin resistance can be corrected with changes in diet and lifestyle habits.

Monitoring the quantity and quality of your carbohydrate intake is a very important factor in balancing your blood sugar. Minimizing processed carbohydrates like crackers, granola bars, baked goods, bread, pasta, sugary drinks, and sweets is vital to minimizing dips and spikes in blood sugar levels. Instead, opt for whole food carbohydrates such as whole grains (rice, oats, quinoa, etc…), bean, lentils, fruit, and vegetables which will help to stabilize blood sugar levels since they are high in fiber and nutrient-dense.  Additionally, ensuring that you are eating balanced meals that contain a source of protein and fat is also imperative to balancing blood sugar. Protein helps to balance blood sugar levels, and fat helps to slow the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream.

Finally, lack of or poor sleep can cause cells to be less sensitive to insulin, so getting adequate sleep is important, while exercise helps to encourage glucose to go into your muscle cells, which helps to manage blood glucose levels, so getting daily activity is also beneficial.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, the simplest way to start balancing your blood sugar is to focus on whole foods. Whole foods come packed with fiber, nutrients, proteins, and fats, and do not include copious amounts of refined sugars which are detrimental to blood sugar. When it comes to carbohydrates, it is important to focus on quality over quantity, and ensure that you create a balanced meal, with protein and fat, every time that you eat.

Whether it’s the saltiness of potato chips, the richness of chocolate, or the creaminess of ice cream, food cravings are something that we have all experienced. They often come out of nowhere and can be difficult to overcome until you indulge in that salty, rich, or creamy treat. However, cravings are generally a sign of something occurring in the body, and if you can learn to listen, you can learn to tackle them before they get out of control. So here is a breakdown of what your cravings mean and what you can do about them.

What are Cravings?

Food cravings are both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, they are a form of communication from the body, and, on the other hand, they can trigger us to eat the exact foods we are trying to avoid. Cravings are different from hunger in the fact that they are a way of our body asking for exactly what it needs. The human body is smart and intuitive, and our cravings are signs of what our body may be deficient in or what processes may not be working optimally. Cravings are not only influenced by our chemical makeup, but also by our environment. Often times we crave certain foods based on certain situations, feelings, or habits. For instance, you may crave popcorn at the movies, crackers when you get home from work, or ice cream when you are sad, not necessarily because your body is asking for it, but because you have associated those foods with those situations and feelings.

What Your Cravings Mean

Certain cravings can be an indication of the state of our diet, our blood sugar, and the nutrients we are deficient in, so if you pay attention, you can give the body exactly what it needs, in the very best format.

Carbohydrate Cravings

What it Means: A constant craving for carbohydrates, specifically in the processed form, is usually an indication of insulin resistance, hypoglycemia, or plain old fatigue. Carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of energy, so when we are looking for an energy boost, we crave simple and refined carbohydrates in the form of items like crackers, cookies, bread, and granola bars. Recurring cravings for refined carbohydrates are also a sign of insulin resistance, as the body is demonstrating its inability to regulate blood sugar (and therefore energy) effectively, so you end up needing more, more often, to feel energized. Additionally, given there is not adequate fiber, vitamins, or minerals present in these forms of carbohydrates, your cravings can actually become heightened over time. By eating a bagel for breakfast, a granola bar for a snack, a sub for lunch, and pasta for dinner, you actually perpetuate the cycle of carbohydrate cravings. And not to be forgotten, poor sleep is also a trigger for carbohydrate cravings since the body will seek extra sources of energy to keep going.

What to do About it: In order to reduce carbohydrate cravings, replace refined carbohydrates at meals with vegetables, sweet potatoes, beans, lentils, and whole grains such as rice, oatmeal, or quinoa. These whole food sources of carbohydrates are rich in fiber and nutrients, and will therefore not disrupt blood sugar as refined versions will. Additionally, try to add a source of protein to every meal, be it meat-based or plant-based, as this will help to balance your blood sugar, keep yourself fuelled for longer periods of time, and keep cravings at bay.

Sugar Cravings

What it Means: Sugar is our brain’s preferred source of fuel and therefore we have been programmed to seek it out, however, our biology has not caught up to the fact that sugar is now readily available. Similar to carbohydrates, common causes of sugar cravings include insulin resistance, as well as dehydration, stress, and poor gut health. Dehydration is actually one of the most common causes of sugar cravings because a lack of fluid intake can make it more difficult for the body to metabolize glycogen (stored glucose) for energy, so our bodies crave sugar to provide us with a quick source of energy. Sugar also helps to temporarily reduce feelings of stress by increasing our dopamine levels, the body’s happy neurotransmitter, giving us a temporary boost in pleasure. Moreover, a disrupted microbiome and lack of beneficial bacteria in the gut can cause us to crave sugar since yeast and bacteria actually thrive on sugar. So the more disrupted your gut health is, the more you may actually experience sugar cravings which only continues the negative cycle of poor gut health.

What to do About it: Not only is it important to try to limit obvious sources of sugar like candy and ice cream, but it is vitally important to look for hidden sources of sugar. Unfortunately,  these are the sources of sugar that become more problematic over time, so it is important to read all labels and look for common keywords for sugar. Additionally, in an effort to help manage blood sugar, add more fiber-rich vegetables and protein to meals, and focus on eating more whole grains, potatoes, beans, and lentils as opposed to pasta, bread, and crackers. And finally, avoid consuming large amounts of natural sugar such as dried fruit, honey, and maple syrup, because even natural sources of sugar can perpetuate sugar cravings if consumed in excess.

Chocolate Cravings

What it Means: Chocolate is one of the most craved foods, and with good reason; not only is it delicious, but real chocolate has nutritional properties that cause us to crave it. Cacao, the natural form of chocolate, is a rich source of magnesium, the body’s anti-stress mineral, and cacao is known for its ability to increase levels of the mood-boosting neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine helps contribute to feelings of well-being and happiness, so it’s no wonder we reach for it when we are stressed or looking for a little mood boost. However, it is important to understand that not all chocolate is created equal. Dark chocolate contains higher concentrations of cacao and lower amounts of sugar as compared to processed forms of chocolate which are more like candy than actual cacao.

What to do About it: In order to ensure you get the nutritional benefits of cacao to support your cravings, reach for chocolate with 75% cacao content or more. Chocolate with lower percentages not only contain less cacao but often contains extra sugar, additives, and fillers, making them a less-than-ideal choice. In addition to actual chocolate, cacao powder or cacao nibs can be added to items like smoothies,  chia seed pudding, or granola for added flavor and benefits. Additionally, items such as pumpkin seeds, spinach, and swiss chard are also rich sources of magnesium which are beneficial to include in the diet.

Salt Cravings

What it Means: Can’t get enough of salty foods? This may be linked to fluctuating stress hormones or low electrolytes. A constant craving for salt may be a sign that you are actually dehydrated since sodium is a natural electrolyte that helps to balance the fluid levels of our cells. Sodium, along with potassium, controls the influx of water into our cells, so consuming water without an appropriate electrolyte balance in the diet means the body will struggle to actually put all of the water you are drinking to good use. Stress can also influence salt cravings given our adrenal glands, which produce adrenaline, cortisol, and aldosterone, regulate sodium in the body, so when taxed they become less efficient at regulating sodium, which may lead to greater salt cravings.

What to do About it: Using high-quality salt in the diet can help to support electrolyte balance and minimize salt cravings. Refined and iodized salts do not have the same effects, therefore it is best to use a high-quality sea salt or Himalayan salt. Moreover, B-vitamin-rich foods are great for supporting stress, so get your fill of nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Fried Food Cravings

What it Means:  If you are constantly looking for French fries or love a good batch of chicken fingers, cravings for fried foods may be a sign of essential fatty acid deficiency. Although fried foods are rich sources of fat, they are not rich sources of healthy fat, since they are commonly cooked in refined vegetable oils which are highly inflammatory to the body. Given that fat is essential to our health, as it is required for optimal brain function, hormone function, and nutrient absorption, consuming a low-fat diet can cause us to crave more fat since our body requires it to function. Not only does avoiding fat-based food limit the amount of fat in our diet, but it also minimizes the intake, absorption, and utilization of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

What to do About it: Ensure that you are consuming whole food sources of fat at every meal, such as eggs, meat, seafood, nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, butter, or natural oils. It is imperative to avoid all forms of vegetable-based cooking oils, and opt for high-quality cooking oils such as butter, ghee, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or animal fats. Not only will this help to optimize your fatty acid profile, but support the intake of fat-soluble nutrients.

“Brown rice is healthier than white rice.” “Brown bread is healthier than white bread.” “Brown sugar is healthier than white sugar.” “Brown eggs are healthier than white eggs.”

Have you heard these lines before? Most likely yes. For years we have been told that brown foods are healthier than white foods, with people opting for brown bread and brown rice, but unfortunately, that’s not quite the case. Although almost considered common knowledge at this point, the concept that brown food options are the healthiest choice is simplistic and oh-so misunderstood.

Brown Bread vs. White Bread

What differentiates healthy bread from unhealthy bread is not its colour, but rather the way it was made and what it was made from. The quality of bread is determined by the format of the grains, the type of flour used and the way the bread was prepared. Even brown bread can be made from refined flour and loaded with additives and preservatives, making it a less-than-ideal option. In fact, manufacturers will sometimes add colouring agents and molasses to darken the colour of their refined white bread to help them appear like healthier options.

Instead, opt for sourdough bread, sprouted grain bread, or whole grain bread to ensure you are making a healthy choice.

Brown Rice vs. White Rice

Brown rice has long been touted as superior to white rice, however, that is certainly not the case. The major difference between brown and white rice is that brown rice is a whole grain, as it contains the bran and germ, while white rice has had the bran and germ removed from the grain. Although this may sound like a good thing, the bran and germ present in brown rice actually contain many anti-nutrients, such as phytic acid, which can make it hard for our bodies to break down and absorb the nutrients present. Therefore, for many, white rice is much more easily digested and absorbed than brown rice, and can serve as a great source of energy.

When opting for white rice, be sure to choose the most unprocessed versions available; basmati, jasmine, short-grain or long-grain are ideal.

Brown Eggs vs. White Eggs

The difference between brown eggs and white eggs has nothing to do with nutrition, it simply has to do with the type of hen they were laid from. The colour of an egg’s shell depends on the breed of hen and can range from white, cream, brown, blue, and green. Generally speaking, white eggs are laid by white-feathered chickens with white or light-coloured earlobes while brown ones are laid by brown-feathered chickens with red earlobes.

So when picking eggs, don’t worry about the colour. Instead, look for the best quality eggs you can find, be white, cream, brown, blue, or green.

Brown Sugar vs. White Sugar

Generally speaking, brown sugar is white sugar that has been slightly less processed. Raw sugar, which is brown in nature, undergoes processing in order to create white sugar, and brown sugar is simply created by adding a small amount of molasses (the by-product of sugar) to create brown sugar. Although molasses does contain some trace minerals, the amounts found in brown sugar are negligible and therefore both brown sugar and white sugar are calorically and nutritionally equivalent.

Regardless of colour, it is best to limit added sugars as much as possible, and if you do need to sweeten something, opt for natural sweeteners instead.

The Bottom Line

Remember, nutrition is all about context; where the food came from and how it was made, not it’s colour.

Carbohydrates have long been demonized as the cause of weight gain and obesity, forcing people to obsessively count carbs and count calories. However, research suggests that it is not the number of carbs that you eat but rather the source of the carbs that is more influential in your health and weight. So here is a case for carbs, and why quality always trumps quantity.

What are carbs?

Although for many people the term ‘carbs’ conjures up images of bagels, pasta, muffins, and glazed donuts, there is a lot more to carbs. Carbohydrates are defined as any type of food that is made up of sugar, starch, and fiber, and includes everything from bread and pasta to fruits and vegetables.

What are good-quality carbs?

Essentially, any form of carbohydrate that is a whole food can be considered a quality carbohydrate; this includes fruits, vegetables, root vegetables, whole grains, beans, and lentils. Good quality carbohydrates are unprocessed whole foods that are eaten cooked or in their natural state.

What are poor-quality carbs?

Poor-quality carbohydrates are simple; they include any form of carbohydrate that is not whole food. Poor-quality carbs are often referred to as refined carbs and are typically grain-based products and/or sources of processed sugar. Refined carbs include items such as cereals, granola bars, crackers, cookies, pastries, sodas, sweets, and treats. These forms of carbs are processed foods that, in addition to containing carbs, also contain added sugars, refined oils, additives, and preservatives.

Why Quality trumps Quantity

Although many people get excited about counting carbs or calories from carbs, the quality of the carbs that you consume is far more important than the quantity of carbs that you consume. Why? Because the type of carb that you chose (i.e. quality) has a much greater impact on how it affects the body than how much of it (i.e. quantity) you eat. (1)

Consider this, if you had the option to eat donuts or steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast, which do you think you could eat more of? I’m willing to bet you could eat multiple donuts but would struggle to eat multiple bowls of oatmeal. If you had the option to munch on a bag of chips or eat some boiled potatoes, which do you think you could eat more of? I’m willing to bet you could eat a whole bag of chips but would struggle to eat multiple boiled potatoes. And if you had the option to eat a bag of candy or eat a bag of carrots, which do you think you would finish first?

Part of the reason for this is that carbohydrates in their whole format are dense sources of fiber and nutrients, are satiating to the body, and will eventually trigger palette fatigue over time. On the contrary, refined carbohydrates are chemically engineered in laboratories by food manufacturers to be highly palatable making them incredibly easy to over-consume. Not only are refined carbs devoid of their own nutrients, but refined carbs will spike your blood sugar which will lead to increased cravings and, in turn, food intake.

The Role of Insulin

Every time that you eat a glucose-containing food (carbs) you trigger an insulin response in the body. Put simply, insulin’s role in the body is to manage the amount of glucose present in the bloodstream at one time, as glucose is the body’s primary source of energy. So, every time you eat carbs the glucose (sugar) present in the carbs raises the level of sugar in your blood, however, since you only need a certain amount of glucose in the bloodstream at one given time (i.e. you only need so much energy at one given time) your body will regulate your level of blood sugar by storing excess in the cells for a later time (AKA – as body fat).

The primary concern with refined carbs lies in the fact that they not only contain abundant amounts of glucose per bite but when repeatedly consumed insulin must constantly work to manage the constant supply of sugar to the bloodstream. Over time, insulin will get “tired” or become resistant to this influx of sugar. It is at this point where problems begin to arise; although you might be constantly ingesting carbohydrates or sugars for energy, that energy is not actually making its way to the cells (where the energy is actually needed) since insulin has become resistant to this constant influx of glucose and is no longer managing the balance of sugar in your bloodstream. Over time, this means that your body will ask for more and more energy (i.e. sugar and carb cravings) to fuel the cells given it is not all making its way into them properly.

On the contrary, high-quality whole-food carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and lentils are not concentrated forms of glucose, therefore do not spike your blood sugar, and come equipped with fiber and nutrients that actually support the body’s insulin response, not throw it out of balance. That is why a diet rich in carbs from fruit and vegetables is very different from a diet rich in carbs from crackers and pretzels.

And Don’t Forget About Leptin

In addition to insulin, leptin, insulin’s counterpart, also plays an important role in the carb conversation. Leptin is the gatekeeper of our appetite; it is stored in our fat tissues and its role is to signal to our body when we are full and tell us when we have enough energy stored. However, the more body fat you have, the more you can develop a decreased sensitivity to leptin, so if you continue to make the body produce leptin in excess the body becomes desensitized to its signal. Essentially, it becomes difficult for the body to know when to stop, so a vicious cycle of cravings and overconsumption of refined carbohydrates continues further contributing to weight gain.

The Bottom Line

While both the quality and quantity of the carbohydrates that you consume are important, quality outweighs quantity. Whole food sources of carbohydrates are not only more satiating, allowing us to consume less, but whole food sources do not cause the same damaging insulin and leptin responses that refined carbohydrates do. So, if you are trying to lose weight, stop counting your carbs and start by focusing on the right sources. Focus on whole foods; eat an abundance of vegetables, some fruit, root vegetables, legumes, and whole grain, and save refined and highly processed carbohydrates for special occasions.