Jul 02, 2009 / by corematters / No Comments

Reprieve– no math today.  Well, a little–just a look at proportions.

Since we’re reading the ingredient list looking for trans-fats, let’s stay there for a moment.

Notice the list of ingredients on anything you intend to put into your body.  Ingredients are listed here in order of quantity, and the order is descending.  So the first thing on the list is the largest quantity of the ingredients.  That may mean the little cracker you want to eat with your cheese is made mostly of sugar or white flour.

Speaking of flour, if it says “wheat flour” that is not the same as “whole wheat flour.”  The simple “wheat flour”–which companies are eager to promote–is actually refined, nutrition-deficient powder that’s at the root of many illnesses.  It should say “formerly wheat flour.”  It delivers calories, but not much else.

So what you want to look for is “whole wheat” or some other whole grain ingredient.  This single word–whole–is what provides the actual nutrition.  It means you’re eating the husk and all the micro-nutrients that the plant worked so hard to create.   If it’s not “whole” wheat, it’s wheat’s ghost, which like any poltergeist, looks like something but is actually nothing.  No phytonutrients,  no fiber, no vitamins, very little protein–calories, but no nutrition.   And now that you’re reading labels and looking for top quality foods, that’s unacceptable.

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