Good nutrition and balanced diet are important elements in everyone’s overall health. Food choices we make have a great impact on this area of our life. Therefore, it is vital to properly plan our daily menu. A balanced diet consisting of carefully selected foods can easily boost our energy levels short term and improve or maintain our health long term. A healthy diet includes proportional amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fats according to what our body needs.
The question is, how to be sure we’re making the right food choices when there are so many food products on the market?
This is exactly one of the reasons food labels were designed in the first place. A properly labeled product informs the consumer about its contents and helps them compare nutrient facts with those of other food products. Labels also come in really handy when considering food allergies and food intolerances.
However, even though there are certain rules about what a food label should include, sometimes regular consumers can’t easily interpret the information provided on them. We often come across ingredients of unknown origins with long, weird names. Deciphering this info and uncovering secrets hidden beneath the unfamiliar substances for most of us require in-depth research.
For example, if you’re a vegetarian, you may not know that you should probably turn down jelly desserts such as gummy candies. These yummy treats are made from gelatin, which is actually an ingredient of an animal origin. Or, did you know the meaning of diacetyl found on the butter-flavored microwave popcorn? It is a chemical released during cooking which, according to some studies, can damage your lungs if inhaled.
If you’re curious to find out what else food labels are not telling us, check out this infographic. It will help you learn more about some of your favorite food products and maybe even make some changes to your diet.
