Get the truth about health claims and additives

It can be confusing to try and decipher the long lists of nutritional claims and additives found on foods these days. We'll teach you what to look for and what to ignore when reading ingredient lists or health claims.

• Cholesterol is a fat that occurs only in animal products like meat, fish, eggs, milk, and butter. However, food companies know that people care about cholesterol, so they often stick a meaningless "no cholesterol" label on non-animal products.
• Some of the worst offenders are cereal, bread, cookies, salad dressings, oils, and margarine. Oils are obviously fats, so the makers think that you'll be reassured to see that there's no cholesterol in your corn, safflower, or olive oil.
• Next time you see the claim, just say to yourself, "Duh! It's a plant product. Of course it doesn't contain cholesterol!"

Marketers know that nutrition-conscious shoppers are interested in whole grains. Don't be deceived by products that are labelled as "wheat bread," though. What you really want is "whole wheat" or "whole grain" bread. Don't confuse cereal hype with facts.

• Water is the magic ingredient in prepared foods, and if it's first on the list of ingredients, it's often a clue that there's a long list of additives to follow.
• Remember that an extremely high water content often means that there are a lot of additives present to give all of that water taste and texture.
• You might not be surprised to see water at the top of the list of ingredients in soup. After all, soup does take a lot of water. It's more surprising to find it so high on the ingredient list of canned pasta or other items.
• Many salad dressings contain more water than anything else, and since oil and water don't mix, it takes a bunch of additives to hold everything together.

• MSG (monosodium glutamate) is widely used in Asian cooking, but it fell out of favour when it became associated with headaches and other unpleasant symptoms.
• Concerned about MSG? Check out the ingredient list on the labels of prepared foods like soups. Be thorough, because it's often near the end of the list.
• Be aware that MSG is sometimes listed under other names, including hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast, and sodium caseinate.

It can be difficult to wade through all of the ingredients and health claims of everything you buy. You can cut down on the reading you have to do by buying more natural, organic, and unprocessed foods. When you do buy other foods though, be sure to use these tips and inspect the label carefully.

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