No matter how hard we try, it’s still hard to find confidence when it comes to reading the nutrition label on certain foods. However, it is not our fault, because many manufacturing companies intentionally use misleading words or tagging tactics as a marketing technique.
If you’re trying to lose weight or make changes to your health, these misleading food labels can be discouraging. Especially since some of your favorite foods may contain sneaky ingredients which can ultimately contribute to weight gain if consumed on a regular basis.
To learn more about these sneaky ingredients, we talked to some expert dieticians. Read on to learn more and for more healthy eating tips, check out 26 worst habits that slow down your metabolism.
A common ingredient used as a sweetener is rice syrupthat many people may not know to look for in their food.
“Although this doesn’t sound like an ingredient of concern, it’s essentially sugar. Too much added sugar in the diet can contribute to weight gain, as it’s a source of calories that doesn’t help you feel full or add anything to the diet,” he says. jinanbannaPhD, DR and professor of nutrition.
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Lardwhich is animal fat, it can be found in many amazing foods like refried beans or many popular foods packaged baked goods.
“This is a source of saturated fat. Not only is it high in calories, as fat is naturally high in calories, but the saturated fat in lard can be harmful if consumed in excess. Too much of this could take you excess calories and also increase the risk of some diet-related chronic diseases,” says Banna.
Sugar can come in many forms And it’s often not just called “sugar” on the Nutrition Facts label. This means that it is important to know what you are looking for the next time you go to the supermarket.
“Sugar is in everything! There are as many different names for sugar on ingredient labels as there are high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, dextrose, fructose, sucrose and many others. All of these are quickly digested, which can promote a spike in blood sugar. When foods containing these sugars are consumed frequently, they can lead to insulin resistance and obesity,” says Kimberly DuffyRDN, LD, CPT.
refined flours they can be a sneaky ingredient because they can be labeled with different names. If you know what to look for, you can better control what types of flour you consume!
“There are various names for refined flours such as white flour, enriched flour and wheat flour. The fiber is removed from these grains, making them quick and easy to digest. Like sugars, they promote blood sugar spikes. Once those blood sugar levels drop, you’re looking for the next pick-me-up in the form of food or drink. These foods don’t provide satiety like fiber-filled whole foods, and they tend to be more calorie-dense, which promotes weight gain,” says Duffy.
hydrogenated oils can be hard to spot on the Nutrition Facts label. To find them, you can check how much trans fat has been used, and you can also look for hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list.
“Hydrogenated oils or Trans fat they are hidden in many foods, even in small amounts. Some standard peanut butters contain additional hydrogenated oils to keep them from separating. These trans fats have been found to be more inflammatory in the body than saturated fats. It’s important to read ingredient labels and limit foods that contain hydrogenated oils,” says Duffy.
At first sight, processed seed oils it may not sound so bad. But they can contribute to certain health complications if consumed regularly.
“This is another common ingredient in highly processed food. Processed seed oils like canola, sunflower, safflower, corn, and soybean oil can contribute to chronic inflammation if consumed regularly. This is due to the way they are manufactured and they are high in omega 6 fatty acids, which skews our ratio of omega 6 to omega 3. Chronic inflammation can affect our hormones, leading to weight gain and chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease,” says Noelle Schleder, MS, RDN with Health Mochi.
