Label Freak!

Label freak, this is what I call myself nowadays. Why in the world would anyone call themselves such a funny name? For me I refer to myself as a label freak because every time I go shopping for food and drinks I have to look at the label to make sure it's okay for me to purchase.

My philosophy with my new healthier lifestyle.

Everything is okay to buy isn't it? The answer is no. Since turning over a new leaf and realizing a bunch of things about myself I now pay attention to EVERYTHING I put into my body....Many of you may think I am absolutely crazy, but it's the key to a longer healthier life. I realized after having my son and I was no longer toned and thin like I once was, but that I was carrying around all this unnecessary fat and had a loose body. Not only did I come realize I needed to start working out, but I needed to change my eating habits too. I am not as young as I used to be, I can't eat everything I want anymore, at 25 my life and body has changed a lot.

When I go grocery shopping, which I love I hate, and there is something on my list and I find it I will pick up the product, go directly to the nutrition label and ingredients to see if it is healthy enough for me to purchase. Of course if it's something I have already checked on previous trips and bought I don't check them again. There are so many things to look for while shopping for foods and drinks and I will share a few that I ALWAYS look for.

Circled are aspartame and sucralose on an actual label .

I will never buy anything light or diet again. Why? Majority of the time when there is "light" or "diet" on a food or drink product that usually means that it contains artificial sweeteners. The most common you will see are sucralose and aspartame. Some people think oh it's just a sweetener modified, that is sadly not the only case. Not only have they changed the sugars into what is now man-made, but they are now something your body cannot break down easily meaning that you really shouldn't be consuming it. Another horrible thing about artificial sweeteners are they can actually cause you to gain weight when used continuously. Crazy right? To have something be labeled "light" or "diet" and they tell you it's suppose to be better for you, when in reality they are worse for you! Are they completely avoidable? Not always, such as if you go to a restaurant and order something you won't always be aware of all the ingredients.

100% whole wheat

Another thing I look for while grocery shopping are what kinds of flour are being used in items such as bread, noodles, crackers, etc. If you read my post about good and bad carbohydrates, this goes along with that. When purchasing breads I look for those that are 100% whole wheat, then I check the ingredients if there is any added sweeteners or did they sneak some enriched bleach flour in there (bad carb). I definitely stay away from white bread, it's just like putting refined sugars into your body which causes an imbalance in your blood sugar. Once again it's one of those foods that cannot always be avoided for example, if you go to a baseball game for instance and you order a hot dog that hot dog will come on a white bun. Yes, white breads (sandwich bread, buns, crackers, bagels, etc) are cheaper, but are they healthier...Nope. It's all about paying attention to labels and be aware of what you are putting in your body.

Eat clean, more whole foods, pay attention to what you
put into your body!

There are more things I look for on the label, but those are my top no-nos when I am out grocery shopping. I always say to myself all-natural in the way to go and I think that is where a lot of society goes wrong when purchasing food and when they go out to eat...they don't pay attention to the food they are buying to consume. Your body is the only place you have to live, start treating it that way and eat clean, all-natural, and pay attention to the foods you are buying it will help you live a healthier and longer life.


Have a fantastic night!
~Tonya