Attention, this is "poison"! How to decipher product labels to avoid buying a whole lot of "chemistry"

Very often, we hastily put our favorite food in the grocery basket and don't even pay attention to the labels. That's because it is quite difficult to understand the inscriptions on them and it takes time. But if you know what the labels hide, you will protect yourself and your family from really harmful products.

The FoodOboz editorial team will tell you what the labels of quality products look like. And also about the inscriptions that indicate that the food is harmful and should not be consumed.

Discarding the superfluous

The first ingredient listed on the package is the one that is most abundant in the product. Then come the dyes and flavors marked "E". A note on the absence of GMOs is mandatory. The next components should be those that are not inherent in the product, but are used during production. For example, meat may contain soy. Or, very often, such protein components as gluten, sesame, eggs, celery, nuts are used for various products.

Determining the nutritional value

Nutritional value is the amount of fat, trans fat, saturated fat, and fiber. These indicators are important for those people who are closely monitoring their health. The label should also include the ratio of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Separately, the number of kilocalories per 100 grams of product.

Multicomponent composition is a reason to doubt

You must admit that if the composition of ordinary gray bread takes up 10 lines on the package, it's not quite normal. Moreover, gray bread is believed to be much healthier than white bread. But among the large number of ingredients, you can see flavor enhancers, various dyes, and white flour. And all this, of course, depends on the manufacturer. Therefore, make sure that it contains only whole wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast.

What foods contain trans fats?

Trans fats are found in all products that undergo deep industrial processing. This includes a variety of semi-finished products, packaged sauces, processed cheeses, bars, margarine. And there must be information about this on the packaging. But if you see trans fats in a product, you should understand that these components are extremely harmful to health. Such fatty acids simply destroy the body. These substances are used to make food last longer and look appetizing.

How trans fats are indicated on packaging

If you see the following on a label, these are trans fats:

• hydrogenated fats;
• partially hydrogenated fats
• cooking fat;
• confectionery fat;
• margarine
• vegetable oils (rapeseed and canola);
• cocoa butter equivalent.

How to hide sugar content on the label

If you don't see the word "sugar" in the composition, it doesn't mean that this ingredient is not there. The ingredient is used in many products to extend the shelf life.

On the label, sugar is hidden behind the following signs

• glucose-fructose syrup;
• glucose;
• fructose;
• sucrose;
• invert syrup;
• molasses;
• malt extract;
• sorbitol.

Expiration date

To determine the freshness of a product, simply check the date of production and the expiration date. These indicators must be indicated on the package.