Don’t you read labels? May 20, 2014

I’ve been a label reader for years, mostly on the lookout for high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar. My friend Deb and I went to see “Fed Up” the other night, and while I knew a lot of what they talked about, it was good to see if from the perspective of kids.

See, the movie is about all the hidden sugars in our food, and the amount we eat nowadays. Have you ever read the labels on what you buy? You’d be surprised.

One of the families in the film thought they were cutting out “the bad stuff,” but there were still Cheez-its and other highly processed snack foods. Since they didn’t SEEM like a sweet food, like cake or candy, the parents didn’t see what was so wrong with it. Their kids were obese, and wanted to lose weight desperately, but they kept gaining. They exercised more than most people, but kept getting bigger and bigger, all because of sugar.

If you think that only sweet things have sugar, guess again. Bread, salad dressings, crackers, and pretzels, all have sugar in them.

If you’re trying to lose weight, you need to read labels. Learn the different terms in the ingredients for sugar. And stop eating them.