What the Fork Are You Eating? summary

The first step to eating healthier is knowing which foods are safe and which additives you should avoid. Let’s start by looking at two of the most dangerous: artificial flavorings and colors.

There are two types of flavorings: natural flavors and artificial flavors. You might be surprised to learn that both come from a laboratory. The difference is that natural flavors are at least generated from the essential ingredient. “Natural strawberry flavor” is thus derived from a real strawberry.

Humans have been preserving foods for thousands of years. By using natural methods such as freezing, salting and smoking, we were able to keep food fresh during harsh winters or long voyages.

But over the years, methods have changed – and companies now use chemicals to preserve foods.

Chances are you probably don’t want to eat something that can also kill an insect. Or how about consuming some antibiotics with your lunch? If you’re not careful, this is exactly what you’re doing.

Most vegetables while growing are treated with pesticides. Such chemicals kill unwanted pests, but they also tend to remain on and in the vegetables you buy then eat.

When you shop for food, how do you choose which products to buy? Many people simply look at a product’s nutritional value, selecting those with packaging which claims “30 percent reduced fat” or similar.

But there are better ways to shop, and importantly, many packaging claims are simply misleading.

Starting a new relationship with food is not an easy task, as it requires you to reevaluate what you decide to put in your shopping cart and eventually on your plate.

Here are a few simple steps to get you started. Start by identifying which of the food products you buy are safe and which contain too many additives. Then you can determine whether you can swap out the problematic product with a healthier alternative.

Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution, only to have it fall apart in weeks? Here are some tips to stay on track and continue making healthy eating choices.

First, acknowledge bad eating habits and think about how you can change them for good.