Food For Thought- or rather, Thought For Food:

Do you read labels and know about ingredients? Do you care? -Well, you should if you want to improve your health and vitality. There is an uprise in wholesome, natural, healthy foods, however some of our favorite foods still contain ingredients which can harm your health.

Below are some explanations of the worst (and some of the most hidden) ingredients, that you should know about to inform your shopping habits for yourself, family, and friends to make healthier purchasing decisions.

Unhealthy Ingredients To Avoid:

1. Partially Hydrogenated Oil - (Trans fat, or Partially Hydrogenated Oil, is considered to be the worst of all because of the impact it has to your cholesterol levels. Unlike other fats, trans fat — also called trans fatty acids — both raises your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol and lowers your "good" (HDL) cholesterol. According to the [Http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trans-fat/CL00032 Mayo Clinic], "Trans fat comes from adding hydrogen to vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation. Trans fats are more solid than oil, making them less likely to spoil. Using trans fats in the manufacturing of foods helps foods stay fresh longer, have a longer shelf life and have a less greasy feel." ) Be aware of this ingredient in soups, baked goods, sweets, and any kind of processed food item. Also, check out the nutrition facts for  at Nutrition Data's website.

2. High Fructose Corn Syrup- Another ingredient commonly found in foods, High Fructose Corn Syrup is a common sweetner and preservative. It can be found in ketchups, soups, cookies, cereals, and dressings, which are all shelf-stable items. Although it should not be included in our healthy diet regime, according to Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D at the Mayo Clinic, recent research has presented conflicting results on the effects of HFCS. It might not be intrinsically less healthy than other sweeteners, nor the root cause of obesity. She goes on to explain that it should still be used moderately, because "many beverages and other processed foods made with high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners are high in calories and low in nutritional value." See the rest of Katherine's tips on Mayo Clinic's website.

3. In thinking about #3 for 'Ingredients to Avoid', instead of picking just one, I chose to call out this site: The World's Healthiest Foods. Not only do they have a nice list of the world's most healthiest foods for you, they also have tips on the Unhealthiest Foods for you. You can click on any of them, which then leads you to detailed nutritional analysis and other interesting information about that item. Print it out and post it up on your fridge for extra inspiration when you're looking through coupons or writing up that grocery list!

Check out what Peter Jaret from WebMD says about Ingredients and Nutrition Labels as well.

Happy Eating!

-Brooke Brandewie