's motd Wed August 4, 2010

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PUT ON YOUR GLASSES!

Wednesday, 04 August 2010

Yesterday, we talked about the various kinds of fats we eat. Today, I want to talk about how you can find out how much fat is in the foods you buy. And it's all about your taking the time to read those food labels. Now you shouldn't read the labels after you buy your foods. You should read them while you're still in the market before you place them in your cart.Now, as you read those labels, you'll see the names of some ingredients you can't pronounce. But, even if you can, you still won't know exactly what they are. I've looked some of these ingredients up on the Internet and let's just say a lot of this stuff has no business inside your body.

When you go the produce section of your supermarket, there're really no labels for you to read. But once you wander past the fruits and veggies into the rest of the market, that's when it's time to pull our your glasses and begin reading.Oh, those food companies are so clever. See, they print the words on their ingredient labels in really teeney-tiny print. So if you're not seeing well, that may not be a "0" you think you're seeing but actually the number "8!" That's why you'll need your glasses or just read those labels carefully!And okay, which ingredients should you be most alarmed about when you see them listed on the label? Well, take a bottle of Coffemate for instance, that silky powder that makes your morning cup of coffee so creamy and dreamy. Oh look! One of the main ingredients is corn syrup solids. Do you know what that means? It's all sugar! And if you go to the dairy aisle, you'll find bottles and bottles of creamers that you also pour into your coffee to make it taste good. Some of these products not only contain corn syrup solids but, if your keep reading, you'll see other "code words" for even more sugar. Beware!

Now let's go over to the freezer aisle for some of those frozen dinners everyone likes to buy. If you read the label, you're gonna note a high salt content. (Key word: sodium anything!) Hey, your body doesn't need all of that salt. I've told you before that our bodies need only about a half-teaspoon of salt daily. And not only is salt found in those frozen dinners, it's in nearly 80% of the products you'll find in every aisle of your supermarket.And of course, looking back at yesterday's message, you've also got to look at the fat content of the foods you buy. I'm talking about the no-good-for-you category of fats we discussed yesterday, especially those trans fats. You know the bottom line: Fats make you fat! And that is a fact!Now it may take you a few minutes longer to get your grocery shopping done because you're spending extra time educating yourself on the foods you buy. Listen up: There're many foods you buy assuming them to be healthy choices for you. But a closer examination may reveal those foods are really not as healthy as the manufacturer claims they are. But once you begin reading those labels, you'll be better able to make the right choices about which foods leave the market with you and end up in your kitchen.

Believe me, this education about food will help you reach your goal weight. I want you to get up in the morning and say to yourself, "I'm going to eat healthy today because it's going to help me fight off medical problems and live longer!" And like I said, reading those labels will go a long way in helping you do just that.Hey, wouldn't it be great if everyone woke up making that kind of commitment to themselves then...living it?Love,