So after much research, I've found the best scenario is to EAT REAL FOOD! We have gotten accustomed to eating synthetic, chemical food. We look at the food labels to make sure the macronutrients fit our diet but don't really know or understand what it is we are actually putting in our body. The best way to know what we eat is to look at the ingredient label. The ingredient label will give a better look into the health benefit to our body. Ingredients are listed in descending order of the predominance of each specific ingredient. This means if the top few ingredients contain any variation of sugar, or chemical additives, you could be consuming something that will harm your body over the long haul. Healthier foods tend to be the simplest. They tend to have fewer ingredients and contain real, whole foods. When you see additives or "fortified", it is a chemical. It makes production cheaper, shelf life extended and contributes to cell inflammation in the body which leads to a host of medical issues over time. Bottom line, EAT REAL FOOD if you want a healthy body and mind.
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Companies hire marketing teams to promote their products. Common marketing strategies used to increase sales include words in bold colourful print such as FAT FREE, REDUCED FAT, SUGAR FREE, NO ADDED SUGAR. While these terms may induce thoughts of healthy eating, many fail to realize in many cases the missing or lower ingredient content has been substituted with another ingredient or worse, chemical derivative! In short, here are some ways manufacturers will disguise foods to appear healthier in order to sell them to fitness conscious consumers
FAT FREE generally means fat is compensated by adding sugar or even worse, a sugar substitute or high fructose corn syrup to add flavour back into the product.
REDUCED FAT usually means increased carbs.
SUGAR FREE simply can be substituted with chemical sweetener substitutes such as aspartame.
NO ADDED SUGARS are generally not needed because the amount of natural sugars found in the food may put you into a diabetic coma! Just kidding... but the food tends to have enough of it's own natural sweetener so they can claim no sugar added... Its all smoke and mirrors!
TRANS FAT FREE The FDA allows 0.5 grams or less PER SERVING to be considered trans fat free. Manufacturers manipulate serving sizes which means we usually consume more than one serving each time we eat their product. Eat three servings in one sitting, you've consumed 1.5 grams of artery clogging fats and cholesterol!
ALL NATURAL, NO ARTIFICIAL PRESERVATIVES OR INGREDIENTS. I just read an article today that the FDA is working to limit ARSENIC IN BABY FOOD!!!!! Are you serious? According to the article arsenic is found in our soil and absorbed into our foods. A little exposure is ok but because babies tend to eat a lot more rice in cereal etc. it may cause health issues. So arsenic is indeed an "all natural" ingredient, but I wouldn't want to consume a lot of it daily! Just because it claims "all natural" ingredients, doesn't necessarily mean it's good for our bodies.
I'm not saying don't eat any of these foods, I happen to love Swedish Fish which are a "fat free" food. Being conscientious of the amount of these foods we eat can prevent a host of medical conditions and prevent excess body fat. Many of the additives and preservatives in our processed foods create chemical reactions in our body which create an environment for sickness.
ARTIFICIAL FLAVOURS AND COLOURS
Manufactures of processed and fast foods use chemical additives to enhance smell and colour of foods. We first taste with our sight and sense of smell. Manufactures are very aware of this fact and exploit this to sell their products. They enhance the colour and smell of foods to make them more appealing. McDonald's and Burger King shakes are excellent examples of chemical laden foods designed to look and smell like rich strawberry but in reality are nothing more than chemical goop. Think about Fruit Roll Ups. Come on... you can't really expect us to believe these bright coloured strips of chewy flavourful plastic are made from fruit! Yet they are coloured and smell like fruit to make them appealing to children. Don't even get me started on the wall of cereal found in the grocery stores!!!!
WHAT TO DO?
At this point I'm almost at a loss to be honest! Just about every food we buy has been altered or contaminated. Short of moving out to the country and raising and growing your own food, the best thing I can figure so far is to eat real food as often as possible. We've been led to believe powdered and store bought shakes, pills and breakfast bars are a healthy alternative to eating meals made from simple natural ingredients. Our busy lifestyles have opened ourselves up to fast food chains which make billions of dollars annually from synthetic, chemical laden foods. Ideally, choose foods that have no labels such as fruit and veggies and fresh cuts of hormone and corn feed meats. The fewer the ingredients, the more likely you're going to avoid additives and preservatives. Limit prepackaged foods. Generally, shopping at farmer's markets, fresh food markets and buying fruits, veggies and grass fed free range animal products are our best bet.