This challenge is brought to you by Café Juicy Lotus

Read the Ingredient List of Processed or Packaged Foods

There are certain days when convenience is key when preparing meals for hungry family members. Convenient options seem endless, but by taking a few moments to read the ingredient lists, you’ll soon discover that not all choices are created equally.

Packaged and processed foods tend not only to contain ridiculously high levels of fat, sugar and salt, but are also packed with lab-made chemicals, sweeteners, artificial colours and flavours, preservatives and the list goes on and on. Such synthetic ingredients are designed to keep the foods from rotting and to enhance the flavours that have been stripped away in process.

By becoming a label “detective”, you’ll be choosing healthier choices in no time at all. Choose foods with simple ingredients and always remember that the fewer the ingredients the better. If an ingredient sounds too chemical and is difficult to pronounce, there is a good chance is not good for you.

 

To qualify for ekopoints, read the ingredient lists of at least three (3) processed or packaged foods that you regularly purchase. Tell us what ingredients took you by surprise.

This challenge is coming soon.

This challenge is coming soon.

Last reports from users

  • Ingredients on packaged foods

    The first item I chose was the Fibre 1 Chewy bar, a new favorite in our house. What surprised me was the amount of sugar in each bar. Sugar in different forms were mentioned 9 times on the ingredient ...

    Jennifer Ginter

    6 January 2015


  • Read the label!!

    As consumers, we must protect ourselves. There is so much listed on labels that we cannot even pronounce never mind figure out what it is. For instance, the word silica tells us there is sand in the i...

    joyce stem

    1 July 2014


  • Ingredient List

    Well as a result of this challenge, when I last took my normal shopping trip to IGA I took a closer look at the ingredients of some of the unhealthier foods I tend to binge on at times and I was prett...

    Ilan Fuchs

    23 April 2014