“Read the Ingredients” . . .

“Don’t buy anything with ingredients your grandmother would not recognize.”

In the book, “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease,” the recipe section is prefaced by Dr. Esselstyn’s wife Ann. In talking about packaged foods and selecting those that are “safe,” time and again she repeats the phrase, “Read the Ingredients.” Time and again you will see the same advice repeated on this blog, “Read the Ingredients.”

It’s some of the best advice you will receive.

A case in point is veggie burgers, as Viv points out,  some have eggs — who would’a thought? “Read the Ingredients.”

When looking at ingredients, you will hear it said, “Don’t buy anything with ingredients your grandmother would not recognize.” Good advice, although it’s hard to get around preservatives with strange names in packaged foods. Even so, it pays to check them out. Food labels are where you will find what the manufacturer considers a serving (see What is a Serving).

I also came across an interesting little tidbit about calories — which we do not “count” on this diet, but the rule of thumb can help you better evaluate the product. +

In general, a food with:

Ann also cautions about labels. Labels can be deceiving. Labels are marketing tools — packaging meant to entice the consumer; whereas the ingredients list tells what’s actually IN the product (the are exceptions, but that’s another story). In short, don’t rely on the labels: “Read the Ingredients.”

Thanks, Ann.

 

+ “Reading Food Labels,” About.com

(NOTE: Food recommendations in the above article are NOT plant-based)