Read and Re-read Your Food Labels!

So I consider myself to be pretty health conscious. I look at food labels to make sure there is not an excessive amounts of salt or fat and that their is some nutritional value in the product. I’m always looking out for healthy snacks. I thought Triscuits fell into the (relatively) healthy snack category. The original brand has few ingredients wheat , salt, and oil. I decided to try some of other other varieties (Garlic and Rosemary & Olive Oil) for a little more flavor. Today I randomly decided to look at the ingredients again and notice that these versions have mono sodium glutamate aka MSG. In parentheses they refer to it as a flavor enhancer. I know there has been some controversy on the effects of MSG but according to the Mayo Clinic it has neurotoxic effects. MSG is an unnecessary food additive. Especially considering that Whole Foods offers a generic brand (365 brand) that taste just as good minus the MSG and hydrogenated oil. Also, I picked up a box of the Woven wheat brand today it was around $2.

Anyway, this is a lesson learned for me. So ladies, please take the time to read your nutrition labels. Pay particular attention to the fat, sodium, fiber, protein, and the Ingredients!

For those of you that have made read labels a habit, here are some tips on reading food labels:

http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ConsumerInformation/UCM078889.htm

Do you pay attention to food labels?

How do you avoid food additives like MSG?