Here is a crash course on what to look for so you are prepared for your next store visit!!

In a perfect world, we would all buy foods without labels (i.e. fresh organic veggies, fruits, wild fish, poultry and grass fed meats) but I know this is unrealistic for most people.

So I came up with some QUICK TIPS to help you be an expert LABEL READER :)

• Ingredients on labels are listed from highest to lowest quantity
• If the first ingredient is brown rice syrup put it back

• Look for SMALL ingredient lists (6 or less is ideal :)

• If you can't pronounce an ingredient put it back on the shelf
• For example - say this ten times - BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE or BHT used as a preservative in cereals, potato chips and chewing gum but the Health and Human Services pegged them as known carcinogens!

• Be aware of SUGAR and all it's different names!  (i.e. malt syrup, corn syrup, brown rice syrup, barley malt, cane juice, fruit juice concentrate, maple syrup and on and on....) These aliases attempt to conceal the presence of large amounts of added sugars.
• 5 grams of sugar or less is a good baseline

• Stay away from FAT FREE foods because they typically have a high sugar content and often contain artificial ingredients
• Add some healthy fats into your diet such as grass fed butter, olive oil, MCT oil and coconut oil

• Organic and/or gluten-free foods does not mean it is automatically healthy for you.
• Rice flour, potato flour, cornstarch, and tapioca starch all cause spikes in blood sugar/insulin levels which encourages fat deposition.

• Watch for certain artificial sweeteners 
• Avoid - Aspartame (in NutraSweet or Equal), Sucralose, or Acesulfam-K and Saccharin (branded as Sweet n Low)
• Use only in moderation - Whey Low and Sugar Alcohols
• Best choice - Raw Honey, Coconut Sugar and Stevia Leaf or Stevia drops

• Limit high sodium canned, and processed foods. Although, it is important to have a healthy amount of salt to maintain the right balance of fluids in your body.
• Adding a bit of Celtic Sea salt to your meal or water is your best alternative.

• Avoid Veggie Oils - such as canola, soybean, corn, sunflower, peanut and safflower oil.
• These veggie oils are heated at unnaturally high temps and become oxidized which can lead to inflammation and damage the cells of your body when consumed.

Now take these tips and apply them to your everyday life!  

But remember the best foods are the ones that don't require a label!

Links:

Watch Get Lean Eat Clean podcast video episodes on YouTube!

https://www.21dayfastingchallenge.com/

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| Listen to the Get Lean Eat Clean Podcast |

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