Are You A Label Reader?

Years ago I remember going to the supermarket with my mom and walking up and down the isles looking for our weekly fill of food. Back then I don't recall my mom or any of her friends reading or talking abut the ingredients on the labels of the products. Then again, back then they probably never had to worry about reading the labels.

Fast forward to today. Do you go into a grocery store and not read the label? There I go again assuming that everyone is interested in what they are putting in their bodies. My mistake. Let's first establish if you are not a label reader. If you don't read the labels on the foods that you pick up in the grocery store then you have an amazing amount of trust in the manufacturer of the item you are buying. I realize that some items you don't even have to think about like soda, cookies, bread, etc. Or do you?

I think this is where we have an issue in this country and it is due to our trust in the manufacturers and the fact that we are conditioned to eating these foods for years. You probably don't give it a second thought to read the label on soda for example. In your mind it is a liquid that quenches your thirst with that carbonation. Please do yourself a favor and me a favor and read the label on soda!!! After you read the label I want you to put the product back on the shelf and never pick it up again!

Sound harsh doesn't it? The trouble I'm finding as I speak to people about reading labels is that, they don't. I'm singling out soda as one example, but there are hundreds of examples of products that you should never put in your cart. I'm sure you have heard about putting soda in a cup and letting it sit there for a length of time and how it eats away at the cup? Imagine what that is doing to your insides.

Anyway, times have changed dramatically in this country because our agriculture has changed. With GMOs so prevalent in our society now, it is almost impossible to find products that don't contain them. Another issue we are having regarding reading labels is that the labels often don't contain the information we need to make an intelligent decision about buying the food or not. I am of the opinion that as Americans we DESERVE the opportunity to know if a product contains GMOs or any harmful chemicals, don't you? I don't think that is too much to ask, is it?

I'm sure the manufacturers have their reasons for not putting warning information on the labels. Could it be because if they did no one would buy their food? Or is it just an oversight on their part. Or does it go even deeper than that and can we trace it back to the government. The FDA has our best interest in mind, don't they? Allowing them to get by with as little information as possible so they don't scare us out of our minds. You know, that these foods are dangerous and could be hazardous to our health.

I could do a whole post on this subject alone, but I wanted to bring awareness to this issue of labels. Be a smart consumer and start reading labels. Even if you can't pronounce the ingredients (that should be a clue) take your smart phone and look it up right there in the store. If you don't have a phone then write down the ingredients and research them later. I know that sounds like a huge waste of time, but by doing that you can increase your time on this planet. Educate yourself on how to read the labels on these foods, you'll be glad you did.