Know Your Labels by Amy Dungan

For most low-carbers, reading food labels comes as naturally as breathing. Sadly we have to be very suspicious of everything commercially made. That being said, our newest low-carb cohorts may not yet understand the dangers of blindly believing any and all claims made by food manufacturers.

Obviously, we believe that self-education in the area of nutrition is important. Many low-carbers have chosen this path because they were educating themselves, looking for answers their doctors and nutritionists were unable to supply. Studying the ingredient list and nutritional information is an important part of that education.

The first thing to keep in mind is that just because a product claims to be low in carbohydrates doesn’t mean it’s truly low-carb. During the “craze” of 2002-2003, low-carb products were popping up like tattoos on Tommy Lee. All the big manufacturers were slapping low-carb on their labels and lining store shelves with a variety of these new “healthy” convenience and snack foods. Little did consumers know at first that these were simply the same high carbohydrate products, just in smaller portions to make the nutrition labels look appealing. In some cases the manufacturers did actually make an effort to change the way their food item was formulated, but were still clueless about what really constituted a healthy low-carb diet. Many of us were dismayed to find supposed low-carb cereals still full of flours or sugar, just less than their high-carb counterparts. White flours were replaced with wheat flours. Foods still contained rice or starchy vegetables like corn and potatoes. And many were still trying to push their low-fat items to low-carbers as well. Some of you may remember when the media proclaimed that low-carb was dead. Why did they think that? Because we wouldn’t buy the low-carb junk food that was being touted as healthy. Hence they assumed that people weren’t living the low-carb lifestyle anymore and the “craze” was over.

Thankfully there are manufacturers that know truly understand what low-carb living is about. They use the finest ingredients and don’t try to sneak unwanted ingredients in under our noses. Those are the products I enjoy reviewing and sharing with you here in my column. That being said, consumers still need to be sure of what they are eating. Here are the common pitfalls to watch for.

Sugars come in many forms. Many you will easily recognize, but there are a few that may surprise you. Some of the most common manifestations you’ll see are as follows:

• Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Cane Sugar
• Cane Syrup
• Fructose
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Corn Syrup
• Sugar Beets
• Honey
• Dextrose
• Glucose
• Lactose
• Malt
• Sucrose
• Molasses
• Confectioner’s Sugar
• Rice Syrup
• Maple Syrup

If a product claims to be low-carb, but has any of these ingredients, you might be wise to put it back. Granted, miniscule amounts of any of these aren’t going to cause a lot of damage on occasion, but if you find yourself to be very insulin resistant you’ll want to pass on these all together.

Other ingredients to watch for include a variety of flours. Nut flours are the only flours I personally trust not to raise insulin levels. Cornstarches and potato starches are also an item to be wary of. Many items that contain a sauce or gravy are thickened with cornstarch. A reputable low-carb company will use xanthan, guar gum or one of the other healthier alternatives for thickening. Thankfully trans-fats are finally getting the bad rap they deserve, but some products still contain trace amounts. Again, that may not really be a big issue for most. But the nutritional labels can be confusing and misleading where amounts are concerned. If something claims to be trans-fat free, it may just have so little in it that the labels can legally say zero. Nutritional labeling is a topic I’ll save for another day. For now, keep this in mind: Knowledge really is power. Use that power to make sure you are feeding your body the only the best.

If you’re wondering why I’m recommending being so nit-picky, it’s simply because I’ve seen what a little sugar there, and little flour here, can do to derail a low-carb plan. People avoid these ingredients for a reason. They know the cravings and reactions they will trigger. Imagine the confusion ingesting these items on accident can cause, especially when you think you are completely sticking to your plan. It’s the little foxes that spoil the vine. Those tiny amounts might have big consequences down the line. Don’t allow yourself to be derailed when success might be as simple as reading an ingredient list.

Now go forth. Read. And be healthy.

© 2010 by Amy Dungan. Article and photograph used by kind permission of the author. Send Amy your comments to Amy Dungan.