What Does "Natural" Really Mean?
Naturally SavvyWriting Unjunk Your Junk Food was a real eye-opener. Firstly, we were surprised by how many conventional products still contained hazardous ingredients, trans fats in particular, but also high-fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate, and artificial colors. Secondly, the hundreds of mysterious ingredients that showed up on some ingredients lists became even more puzzling when, after hours of r...
Read more...CategoriesNatural and Organic | Food and Nutrition | Food LabelsCandy Canes
Naturally SavvyRight up there with Santa and Frosty, candy canes are a symbol of Christmas. Whether theyre enjoyed as a minty treat or hung as decorations, over 1.76 billion candy canes are made each year. National Candy Cane Day is celebrated on December 26 in the United States, but almost all of the candy canes purchased in the US are bought within the month before Christmas. The tradition of the c...
Read more...CategoriesNatural and Organic | Food and Nutrition | Food LabelsArtificial Colors & Health Concerns
Naturally SavvyPretty red and green frosted Christmas cupcakes grace the bakery window, so moist and creamy you can hardly wait to sink your teeth into them. Snowflake-shaped cookies glisten with blue and white sparkles. Nearby, stacked boxes of candy canes swirling with red and white, among other colors remind customers that the holiday season is upon us. Colorful snacks are especially prevalent this time of...
Read more...Unjunk Your Junk Food Facebook Contest!
Naturally SavvyWant to win a copy of our new book Unjunk Your Junk Food signed by the authors + a huge gift bag filled with healthy alternatives to the junk food you love, including chips, cookies, candies, chocolate, and soda? Of course you do! To enter, go to our facebook page HERE. Find the notes tab on the left sidebar, and answer the question in the comments section under the note. Get y...
Read more...CategoriesNatural and Organic | Food and Nutrition | Food LabelsIs Kashi All It's Cracked Up To Be?
Shannon KadlovskiKashi has become a popular so-called healthy brand, marketed as natural with nothing artificial. But, do their fancy catch phrases like seven whole grains on a mission, really match up to whats inside their boxes? According to Michael Bates of Texas and the FDAs guidelines, not only do they not match up, they are actually deceptive and misleading. Among other companies who have been tr...
Read more...CategoriesFood and Nutrition | Food LabelsWhy Are Additives Used In Food?
Lisa TsakosAccording to a survey, 55 percent of consumers admit that they dont recognize half of the ingredients in food these days! (1) This is because packaged food is often loaded with additives, many of which have chemical or scientific names. Although the amount of additives in our food is getting a bit out of hand (more than 6,000 are approved for use in the food industry), using ingredients to...
Read more...CategoriesFood and Nutrition | Food LabelsThe Truth About Trans Fats
Lisa TsakosTransfats are hidden in your foods, even in products claiming that they are trans fat-free! According to the FDA, a product containing less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving may state Trans fat 0 g on the Nutrition Facts panel. This gives manufacturers permission to limit the portion sizes they list to amounts providing just under 0.5 grams of trans fat to avoid having to label t...
Read more...CategoriesFood and Nutrition | Food Labels | Healthy EatingEmulsifiers & Additives
Nahid AmeenEmulsifiers are widely used in low fat foods. They are used to help blend water and oil together. This is done to keep consistency and homogeneity of processed food such as mayonnaise, cake mixes, gelatin desserts, doughnuts and salad dressings. Emulsifiers also act as thickeners and stabilizers. Some common emulsifiers are lecithin, propylene glycol alginate, polysorbate 60 (known to caus...
Read more...CategoriesFood Labels | Food and NutritionSweeteners
Nahid AmeenThere are both natural and artificial sweeteners used in your processed food. Fructose (derived from fruit), lactose (from milk) and maltose are natural sweeteners, which are derived from real food. These sweeteners contain four calories per gram. Natural Sweeteners Commonly used natural sweeteners are honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, fructose, beet sugar, molasses, barley malt...
Read more...CategoriesFood and Nutrition | Food LabelsThe High Fructose Corn Syrup Debate
Doug CookOn an episode of Oprah, I watched in disbelief as Dr. Oz dipped his hand into a beaker of amber-colored liquid as thick as molasses. As he pulled his hand out of the thick syrup-like goo, he stated quite confidently that it was responsible for the increasing rates of obesity and diabetes he was, of course, talking about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Sensationalism at its best ...
Read more...CategoriesNutrition | Food Labels | Food and Drink | Food and Nutrition
Decoding Organic Labeling
Naturally SavvyEver wondered what goes behind the little "certified organic" label on what you eat? Organic certification is a complex process involving many agencie...
Read more...CategoriesFood LabelsPotassium Bromate: Additive
Naturally SavvyBanned in almost every country in the world except for the United States and Japan, this additive is used in refined flour to strengthen dough, increasing the ...
Read more...CategoriesFood LabelsCitric Acid: Additive
Lisa TsakosCitric acid is a natural preservative, flavoring, and antioxidant. It exists naturally in citrus fruits, pineapple, berries and cherries, tomatoes, and cheese. ...
Read more...CategoriesFood LabelsAnnatto color
Lisa TsakosAnnatto is a natural red plant extract used to dye foods, textiles, and body care products. The food additive number for annatto is E160b. Annatto’s primary use...
Read more...CategoriesFood LabelsBHA & BHT: Additives
Lisa TsakosBHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) Two closely related chemicals, BHA and BHT are added to foods containing fats and oils. BHA is u...
Read more...CategoriesFood LabelsCarmine: Additive
Lisa TsakosCarmine is an artificial coloring extracted from dried cochineal beetles. Carminic acid is the substance that provides its red color. It is often used to color...
Read more...CategoriesFood LabelsCarrageenan: Additive
Lisa TsakosCarrageenans are a family of polysaccharides extracted from seaweed. Their shape allows them to gel at certain temperatures, making them useful as stabilizing ...
Read more...CategoriesFood LabelsNutrition Facts
Lisa TsakosFoods in the grocery store list nutrition information on the package in a section called the “Nutrition Facts”. This is where manufacturers must declare the nu...
Read more...CategoriesFood LabelsNutrient Content Claims
Naturally SavvyThe United States Government has defined certain claims that can be used on food packaging. Manufacturers are allowed to make these claims if the foods meet sp...
Read more...CategoriesFood LabelsHow to Read Food Labels
Lisa TsakosReading food labels can be one of the most confusing and frustrating exercises. Their primary purpose is neither to educate nor inform, but rather to get you (...
Read more...CategoriesFood Labels